Luchapt Flea Market

A Sud-Vienne village flea market

Luchapt is a small commune of some 300 inhabitants at the far south of Vienne department, on the border with Charente and Haute-Vienne. This rural village of Civraisien-en-Poitou holds its annual summer flea market each early August, gathering locals and visitors in a typical village atmosphere.

A village tradition

Like many rural Vienne communes, Luchapt keeps its community life active through resident initiatives. The annual flea market lets private sellers clear attics, bargain-hunters unearth forgotten objects, and local groups fund their activities through the drinks and food stand.

What to find

• Rural everyday objects: farm tools, farmhouse furniture, wooden items
• Old crockery, glassware, crystal
• Books, vinyl records, old postcards and photos
• Vintage toys, board games, children's bikes
• Clothes, costume jewellery, leather goods
• Small furniture, knick-knacks, paintings

A stop in Civraisien-en-Poitou

The Civraisien-en-Poitou is an endearing rural area: bocage, shaded valleys, pale-stone villages. Nearby: Charroux (one of France's Most Beautiful Villages), the Saint-Sauveur abbey, Civray and its magnificent Saint-Nicolas church with carved Romanesque portal, Availles-Limouzine on the Vienne river banks.

Village atmosphere

People come for the simple, friendly feel typical of small-commune events: chats with sellers who are often villagers, stories about the objects, time to browse. Crowds are modest, so it's peaceful hunting, far from urban flea-market jostling.