Vide-Grenier de Jouques

A solidarity car boot sale by the Réal

Each year, the banks of the Réal, boulevard du Réal in Jouques, host a car boot sale and flea market organized by the association Animaux en Péril, whose headquarters are located on route des Estrets in Jouques. From 100 to 200 exhibitors, individuals and professionals, set up their stalls along this shaded watercourse, from 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All profits from the event are donated to the association, which rescues and cares for abandoned or mistreated animals in the Bouches-du-Rhône.

A millennial Provençal village between Durance and Sainte-Victoire

Jouques is a village of character with 4,478 inhabitants, located between the Durance and the Sainte-Victoire massif, twenty-six kilometers northeast of Aix-en-Provence and halfway to Manosque. Occupied for over ten thousand years — the Grotte de l’Adaouste, overlooking the Durance, reveals traces of habitats dating back to 10,000 BC — the site became a Roman colony and saw the birth of the Aqueduct of Traconnade in the 1st century, an ancient engineering work that transported water from the Jouques springs to *Aquae Sextiae* (Aix-en-Provence) over a distance of thirty kilometers, through tunnels, bridges, and aqueduct walls, the remains of which are still visible today.

Remarkable architectural heritage

The old village, perched on its limestone hill, preserves an exceptional heritage. The Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-la-Roque, a Romanesque building from the 12th century clinging to the cliff, overlooks the streets with colorful shutters. The Église Saint-Pierre-ès-Liens, founded in the 11th century and remodeled until the 19th century, houses remarkable gilded altarpieces. The Château des Archevêques of Aix, whose monumental portal testifies to medieval ecclesiastical power, and the Tour de l’Horloge, a listed Historic Monument, mark the visit of the old town. More than a dozen fountains punctuate the boulevard de la République, including the fountain of Portail and the fountain of Pousterle, connected to Traconnade since 1674.

The Durance and the forest, havens of preserved nature

The municipal territory of Jouques, which covers 80 km², offers a wide variety of landscapes. To the north, the Durance valley forms a wide fertile ribbon where AOC Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence vineyards and olive groves follow one another. To the south, the communal forest of Jouques and the foothills of the Vauvenargues massif cover vast expanses of oak forests and garrigue, ideal for hiking. The summit of Concors, the highest point of the commune at 781 meters above sea level, offers a 360° panorama of the Luberon, the Alpilles, the Sainte-Victoire, and the Étang de Berre. The GR9 crosses the territory, and marked trails lead to the plateau de Bèdes and the hundreds of 19th-century dry stone bories scattered in the hills.

Stroll after the car boot sale

Visitors to the car boot sale can extend their day by wandering through the narrow streets of the old village to the ruins of the primitive medieval village, which offer a beautiful panorama over the Durance valley and the surrounding mountains. Visiting the remains of the Roman aqueduct of Traconnade, accessible by a hiking trail starting from the village, allows you to discover tunnels, inspection shafts, and aqueduct wall sections that are two thousand years old. The large shaded village square, lined with cafes, invites a break under the plane trees before heading back towards Aix-en-Provence or the Luberon.