Le Puy has been a centre of handmade bobbin lace since at least the sixteenth century, and the craft is still practised by a community of lacemakers who work in the old town and sell their work in small ateliers around the cathedral quarter. The Dentelle du Puy carries a Geographical Indication designation, distinguishing it from mass-produced lace. Watching an experienced lacemaker work — managing dozens of bobbins simultaneously with practiced speed — is genuinely fascinating.
Several shops in the old town sell lace ranging from tourist trinkets to serious pieces made in traditional patterns. The Musée Crozatier has the best collection of historic examples. If you are visiting in late September, the Roi de l'Oiseau festival (King of the Bird) fills the town with Renaissance costumes and period crafts, and lacemakers are usually among the demonstrators. The lace tradition survived several periods of near-extinction and is now maintained partly through the municipal school and partly by private enthusiasts — it is a living craft, not a museum piece.