Quimper

A traditional crowd-puller, the twisting streets and tottering medieval houses of Quimper (pronounced cam-pair) supply rich postcard material, but lovers of decorative arts head here because this is the home of Quimperware, one of the more famous variants of French hand-painted earthenware pottery. The techniques were brought to Quimper by Normands in the 17th century, but the Quimpérois customized them by painting typical local Breton scenes on the pottery. Today they remain some of the most prized French collectibles and gifts.