Brantôme
Dordogne
Former stop on the road to
St-Jacques, Brantôme today Porte du Parc Naturel Régional
Périgord-Limousin, open all year for lovers of nature,
"living well" and "eating well". At Brantome,
the river Dronne,
mellows
to better protect the city from its deus bras, many medieval houses
and Renaissance reflect the prosperous past of this city. His
fate was linked to that of the Benedictine abbey. Its bell gables
(eleventh century) is the oldest in France. This history is made
diagonally through an troglodytic, open all year, behind the abbey
buildings.
Fernand Desmoulin Museum, painter and engraver, famous child of
this country including a description of his drawings "mediumn.
Not forgetting, of Pierre Bourdeille périgourdin gentleman,
who took pen name as that of the city, and can read the chronicles.
Squares and medieval streets come alive every Friday morning with
the old market where local products are competing scents and flavors.
From November to March, the traditional "markets in bold"
offer to cook fresh produce (foie gras, poultry fat ...). It is
also the period of the sale of nuts and diamond black truffle.
The tradition continues with the Fair St. Sicaire for the 1st
May, with the finest specimens of cattle (calves with the mother).
The life of the city is punctuated by many other events to find
on the website.
Brioude
Haute-Loire
Brioude "gentle", located south of
the Auvergne is bounded by the river Allier, surrounded by two
regional natural parks, volcanoes of Auvergne and Livradois-Forez.
True craftsmanship, has lace his hotel here where you can find
out what was still in the early twentieth century, the first activity
of the department: the bobbin lace. At the workshop, you can even
witness the alchemy of lace and
see
flowing gold lace hands. Romanesque art is omnipresent in the
"Pays d'Art et d'Histoire", like the beautiful Romanesque
basilica of Saint Julien (eleventh and twelfth centuries), which
proudly dominates the town. With its 77 meters long, is the largest
and most massive Romanesque churches of Auvergne. More modest
but no less historic House Chuck Bille, is a former tobacco warehouse,
which became famous through the hand of the famous brigand. It
is a beautiful house with wood corbels and fifteenth century.
The Saint Julien and the House and the Salmon River remind visitors
that the Auvergne is a country well watered and rich in sources.
This explains why food should focus on the products of the river,
like the pie salmon Brivadois which is one of the dishes listed
by the National Council of Culinary Arts. But Brioude can still
taste the famous green lentils from Le Puy, the pot or tripoux
Auvergne Auvergne, discovering bilberry (specialty cake Brivadois)
or c "Jacques" (a kind of shoe with apples), all washed
down a maury (wine) or with a verbena du Velay. For larger appetites,
the cheese is rich and varied course!
Charlieu
Loire
Charlieu is located north of the Loire, Rhône-Alpes,
on the border of southern Burgundy. His story really begins with
875 to his foundation of the Benedictine abbey, affiliated to
Cluny in 930, around which the city is formed from the tenth century.
Today, a visit to the abbey was made from the Visitors' Center
(important museum that recreates, in this universe monastic living),
which you can access the parts romanes (famous portal XII) and
Gothic monastery.
We must not fail the visit of the Couvent des Cordeliers (Franciscan
monastery-XIV-XV), as well as the Museum, located in the old Hotel-Dieu
of the eighteenth century: the Hospital Museum Museum of silk
(very industry important in the history of Charlieu). The historic
center retains a thirty fine old houses (XIII-XVIII) and the parish
church St Philibert (Room remarkable XVe). Later events, monuments
and museums are in season, art exhibitions and concerts. Other
appointments originals: the traditional holiday season in September
(2nd week-end °), celebrated since the Middle Ages, the Festival
of Children and Youth (in June) and Music Festival "The Musical"
( 1st weekend of July). The Tourist Office organizes guided tours
of the historic center of Charlieu and rural architectural heritage
(old farms ...). A circuit Mystery Monastic "also illustrates
how the three major monastic orders that have shaped the country
Charlieu: Abbey Charlieu, Couvent des Cordeliers and Cistercian
abbey church of La Bénisson-God (XIIe-XVIIe) 10 km from
Charlieu. River tourism is also to be discovered around the port
of Briennon on the canal from Roanne to Digoin (Recreation Park
of Canals and boat rental). As for gastronomy, we must discover
the local products (cheese, beef and Charolais), and the specialty
of Charlieu Andouille.
Châteaudun
Eure-et-Loir
The old districts of Chateaudun, Ville Fleurie
3 flowers, are built on the tip of Beauce plateau overlooking
the valley of the Loir. There is a wide range of Renaissance houses
timbered facades and richly carved doors. The small pedestrian
streets linking the Romanesque church of the Madeleine at Castle
Jehan de Dunois, both medieval fortress, with its dungeon of the
twelfth century
preserved
almost in the state, and Renaissance remains. A few steps from
the castle, walk to the Mail, the Museum of Fine Arts and Natural
History brings together collections of paintings of the nineteenth
century, Egyptian antiquities and ornithology, with about 3 000
birds. Situated opposite the river, the Caverns of Foulon, formed
by the waters of Loir there are several tens of millions of years,
are a geological curiosity. For the visitor to fully enjoy the
charms of Chateaudun, traditional kitchens and reception rooms
of the castle have been transformed into space scenographic on
food in the Middle Ages. The medieval art of cooking and dressing
of princely tables are presented in an interactive way in this
place of history and character. The first weekend of July Fair
Laines scrolls 300 sheep in the streets of downtown and is an
opportunity many other festive.
Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne
Ain
Step incontournable stay in Ain, Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne
is a medieval city and flowers, located at the crossroads of Dombes
and Bresse, near the mountains of Beaujolais.
It will be charmed by its rich historical heritage: the Halls
of the XVth century (visit the traditional market), the church
of Saint-André thirteenth century Gothic and its monumental
organ, the Porte de Villars (remnant of 'walled enclosure), the
walls of the castle, its old neighborhoods, bridges Chalaronne
flower of which crosses the city from east to west and its half-timbered
houses perfectly restored, which gives it an air of Little Venice.
The Museum "Tradition and Life", the apothecary, the
Museum of the Miniature Train and craftspeople are sights not
to be missed. Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne is the starting point
for numerous visits the Route des Etangs de la Dombes recognized
among the hundred "Featured Sites of Taste", the bird
park of Villars-les-Dombes, the picturesque town or parish Pérouges
Curé of Ars, via The Planthay where the tower of the castle
overlooking the ponds. Route de la Bresse with evidence of its
farms and adobe Saracen chimneys, surrounded by heavily wooded,
the Planon Farm in St Cyr sur Menthon. Vonnas advised to stop
where we will visit the Museum before Hitches, perhaps, to a stage
at the famous gourmet restaurant Georges Blanc. It is at the heart
of a region where food is in the spotlight with its many restaurants.
To taste: the Bresse chicken with cream or capon (AOC), the frogs
in the Dombes persillade or stuffed carp; specialty goat cheeses
or Bleu de Bresse.
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