Provence: The neighbors of the Placette Mayol in Roquebrune sur Argens

Placette Mayol is at the heart of the village. On one side, the 16th-century ramparts serve as a seat. Then, a bench and a tree (a maple) have appeared. It used to be an elm tree.

On the east side, this is the Henriot house. The vast living room opens onto the square. A large wooden table welcomes friends. It's a party place! Their daughter Lise goes to school just down the village. My father André followed the same streets. Among them, rue de la Fromagerie is my favorite. It's beautifully flowered. It's so narrow you can hardly walk along it.

To the south is the Marquet bakery. Florence serves with her mother. Florence knows the village and its people well. She's got a way with words and a smile. Every night, her father Gérard Marquet weighs the dough pieces for the future baguettes, one by one. The scales beep with each weighing. It's the only noise in the neighborhood! Partygoers come to buy their pastries in the middle of the night. Today, the house is called "La farinière". A reminder of the days when Gérard used to carry the 50kg sacks of flour up on his back, from the outside, on a milling ladder. Since then, the room has become Florence and Yves' bedroom. She has transformed the bakery into a snack bar. "Flo" and her partner Yves serve the daily special. Aïoli is served every Friday. Today, Fadoua from Roquebrun runs the snack bar. A new face, a new smile!

To the north, there are two entrances. On the left live the Avois family and their three daughters Ariane, Marie-Pierre and Sabine. Father Jeannot was born in 1920. He inherited the house from his sister Léontine. The family left the house in 1979. The entrance on the right is the Abbe house. Grandparents Céleste and François live on the first floor. Upstairs, André and his son François (me!).