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Tags: magazine magazine france today
Year: 2023
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FRANCE
RANCE
Today
THE BEST OF FRANCE
TRAVEL • CULTURE • FOOD & WINE • SHOPPING • ART • WHERE TO STAY
£5.95 Apr/May 2023 Vol. 38 No.6. Established 1985
Step back in time in
NORMANDY
Drive the slow road to Rouen, taking in
Giverny, historic villages… and cheese!
WIN!
A CHÂTE
A
FOR TWOU STAY
MUSEUM AND
TICKETS
SE
E P82
SLOW TOURISM
TARN-ETGARONNE
CITY BREAK
NANCY
CALLING
PARC LIFE
HAUT-LANGUEDOC
NATURE BREAKS
PARIS FOR ALL
BUDGETS
From money-saving tips
to luxury Palace stays
PABLO PICASSO
Hit the art trail following
in the footsteps of the
Spanish master
PEOPLE & PLACES
YVES SAINT LAURENT
AT HOME, VOUVRAY
VINEYARDS, FRANCE’S
FINEST TREES
CHÂTEAUX GUIDE 2023
From sites of regal splendour to romantic places to stay
A C C O M M O D AT I O N ❙ B O O K S & F I L M S ❙ W H AT ’ S O N ❙ G A S T R O N O M Y
WELCOME
SUBSCRIB
E
AND
SAVE
SEE PAGE
Relax in one of the capital’s
gardens – a great budgetfriendly option (page 86)
IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK
Bienvenue!
Salut, mes amis, and welcome to this flowerscented spring issue of France Today, in which
we offer some compelling reasons to plan your
next trip to l’Hexagone pronto, whether you
consider yourself a dyed-in-the-wool city breaker
or an off-the-beaten-track nature explorer.
Love the French countryside? Here are some
wild ideas: how about plotting a gentle driving
tour of Normandy’s stunning inland areas (think
colombage houses, cider routes and cheese
tastings)? Or exploring the verdant, fruit-filled
orchards and Plus Beaux Villages of Tarn-etGaronne? You may opt for a walking, cycling or
canoe-inspired exploration of the fabulous
Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park, or pose
for a selfie with France’s officially recognised
favourite trees. Either way, you will be embracing
the ‘Slow Tourism’ ethos perfectly.
Conversely, for those readers who seek
Francophile inspiration of the urban variety,
we have you covered, too. First, there’s Paris.
Since we are nothing if not inclusive and evenhanded here at France Today, this issue we offer
WEBSITE EXTRAS
We simply cannot fit everything
into the magazine. So for more
unique travel features, city-break
ideas, off-the-beaten-path
getaways and an up-to-theminute events calendar, head
to our website:
• www.francetoday.com
20
a clear choice: you can either explore the capital
on a budget by taking advantage of all the superb
free and cheap sights and sounds; conversely, for
those for those who are keen to splash out on the
high life when staying in the City of Light, we
present a guide to Paris’s mind-blowingly
luxurious Palace hotels.
Elsewhere, architectural wonder Nancy, with
its remarkable Place Stanislas, is our City Focus,
while France’s rich array of châteaux – either to
visit or stay in – feature in our extensive Guide.
Finally, our food and drink features will
doubtless have you reaching for the store
cupboard and the corkscrew – why not give the
tantalising recipes from the Ferrandi Cookery
School a try and let me know how you get on?
Alors, I wish you all bon voyage…
et à la prochaine!
LE PETIT JOURNAL
We’re constantly adding fresh
content to our weekly
e-newsletter, Le Petit Journal.
To subscribe, go to
www.francetoday.com and click
on Magazine > Free Newsletter.
And if you already subscribe, why
not pass the link on to a friend?
Justin Postlethwaite
Editor
justin@francemedia.com
letters@francetoday.com
SOCIAL MEDIA
Enjoy our inspiring pictures and
fun snippets about France on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,
and join the conversation:
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francetodaymagazine
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 3
In this issue
Apr/May 2023
PEOPLE
25
ÉMILE ZOLA
Novelist Émile Zola’s death may not have been
from natural causes after all. Hazel Smith
investigates the case for murder
48
PABLO PICASSO
Though born in Spain, the artist, who died 50
years ago this year, made his home in his
beloved France. Chloe Govan follows in his
footsteps, from Paris to the Riviera
74
WEIRD WILDLIFE
Anna Richards looks at France’s history of
oddball pets, from Dali’s Ocelot to Joséphine’s
orangutan, plus she reveals terrifying tales of
crocodiles on the loose!
42
74
110 YVES SAINT LAURENT
The fashion designer’s exquisite taste
extended to his homes, as is shown in a new
book. Photographer Marianne Haas tells how
she came to photograph his abodes
PLEASURE
22
JOIE DE VIVRE
What’s hip in France right now, from bridges
to backpacks to speakers
50
TASTE THE TERROIR
Dominic Rippon delves into the wines of the
Middle Loire, while our new cheese expert,
Nick Bayne, explains the joys of chèvre
52
110
BON APPÉTIT
Your tasty and topical round-up of what’s
cooking, plus drinks and restaurant news
54
FERRANDI ON CHARCUTERIE
The legendary Paris school of cuisine gives
charcuterie its undivided attention in its latest
delicious cookery book
58
À LA CARTE
Alexander Lobrano visits some stylish
restaurants which put seasonal, local produce
at the forefront of all they do
119 CHÂTEAUX GUIDE 2023
Dominic Bliss explores fairy tale castles and
stately homes across France, bringing you
beautiful architecture and stunning gardens
PLACES
32
CITY FOCUS: NANCY
Solange Hando admires the golden gates,
medieval lanes and Art Nouveau aesthetic of
one of the finest cities in Europe
4 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
92
62
42
HAUT-LANGUEDOC
Stephen Turnbull finds sweeping vistas and
even the occasional sheep in the HautLanguedoc Regional Nature Park
WIN!
A MUSEU
M
BAYEUX A PASS FOR
ND A
AT CHÂT STAY
EA
MONTCA U
UD
PAGE 82
62
PARISIAN PALACES
Forget five-star luxury, we bring you Palace
class sophistication from the City of Light.
Jennifer Ladonne soaks up the pampering
68
TARN-ET-GARONNE
Justin Postlethwaite takes it easy on a slow
tourism trip to beautiful, historic Tarn-etGaronne, where you simply won’t want to rush
86
PARIS ON A BUDGET
For those of us who like to make their pennies
go further, Caroline Harrap shares her top tips
for a cost-effective city break
92
INLAND NORMANDY
Gillian Thornton gets behind the wheel to
explore the lush landscapes and rich history
of inland Normandy
REGULARS
8
LETTERS & PHOTOS
Readers’ news and views, the pick of our
social media and your best pictures of France
12
LES INFOS & WHAT’S ON
Your essential round-up of the latest news and
events from around the Hexagon
26
LA CULTURE
Our pick of must-see exhibitions and shows
E
H
T
119
WHERE TO STAY
A selection of some of France’s most gorgeous
hotels, hostelries and other accommodation
E
ID
U
G
40
77
LOVE FRANCE
Actress and writer Carol Drinkwater reports
on life at her olive farm in southern France
78
PUZZLES & LANGUAGE
Put your language skills to the test with our
selection of puzzles and prize mots croisés
83
REVIEWS
A look at the latest books and movies
58
SPECIAL SUBS OFFER
SUBSCRIBE TO FRANCE TODAY 20
FRANCE
RANCE
Today
THE BEST OF FRANCE
TRAVEL • CULTURE • FOOD & WINE • SHOPPING • ART • WHERE TO STAY
£5.95 Apr/May 2023 Vol. 38 No.6. Established 1985
Step back in time in
NORMANDY
Drive the slow road to Rouen, taking in
Giverny, historic villages… and cheese!
WIN!
A CHÂTEAU
FOR TWO STAY
MUSEUM AND
TICKETS
SEE P82
SAVE MONEY
WHEN YOU
TAKE OUT A
SUBSCRIPTION!
SLOW TOURISM
TARN-ETGARONNE
PARC LIFE
HAUT-LANGUEDOC
NATURE BREAKS
From money-saving tips
to luxury Palace stays
PABLO PICASSO
Hit the art trail following
in the footsteps of the
Spanish master
108 HOW TO BE A PARISIAN
Stephen Clarke comes up against a different
sort of bridge
114 REGIONAL NEWS
PEOPLE & PLACES
YVES SAINT LAURENT
AT HOME, VOUVRAY
VINEYARDS, FRANCE’S
FINEST TREES
CHÂTEAUX GUIDE 2023
From sites of regal splendour to romantic places to stay
A C C O M M O D AT I O N ❙ B O O K S & F I L M S ❙ W H AT ’ S O N ❙ G A S T R O N O M Y
FT194.COVER UK.7jp.indd 1
The latest developments in eco-tourism
The latest political and cultural news and
views from across France
CITY BREAK
NANCY
CALLING
PARIS FOR ALL
BUDGETS
106 GREEN FRANCE
06/03/2023 15:01
ON THE COVER
Rouen in Normandy
© Shutterstock
130 LE DERNIER MOT
Kristin Espinasse gathers sticks… until
she becomes unstuck
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 5
CONTRIBUTORS
FRANCE
Today
THE BEST OF FRANCE
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
GUY HIBBERT guyhibbert@francemedia.com
EDITOR
JUSTIN POSTLETHWAITE justin@francemedia.com
SUB EDITOR
GILL HARRIS gill@francemedia.com
WEB EDITOR
SOPHIE GARDINER-ROBERTS sophie@francemedia.com
ART & PRODUCTION DIRECTOR
DAVID EACHUS dave@francemedia.com
MANAGING DIRECTOR
BENJAMIN STEPHENS ben@francemedia.com
GILLIAN THORNTON
Gillian is a member of the
British Guild of Travel Writers
and a long-time specialist on
France. She travels regularly
to all corners of the country,
researching history, heritage
and destination features
for a variety of travel
publications, women’s
magazines and websites.
DOMINIC BLISS
A long-time France Today
contributor, writer Dominic is
a passionate Francophile with
vast experience in visiting and
reporting on the very best
that France has to offer.
For this issue he was charged
with finding the country’s
finest châteaux to visit and
stay in for The Guide.
CAROL DRINKWATER
Carol Drinkwater is an
award-winning actress and film
maker and the best-selling
author of The Olive Farm
series. Her latest book is An
Act of Love, a story of courage
in WWII France. As an actress
she is best known for her
portrayal of Helen Herriot in All
Creatures Great and Small.
SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER
MICHAELA SILLICK michaela@francemedia.com
DIGITAL MARKETING MANAGER
DAN MEAD dan@francemedia.com
FRANCE TODAY LIVE CONTENT MANAGER
SYLVIA DAVIS sylvia@francemedia.com
SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEWSLETTER EDITOR
ELINOR SHERIDAN elinor.sheridan@francemedia.com
DIGITAL MARKETING & DESIGN EXECUTIVE
SARRAH TURNER sarrah@francemedia.com
DIGITAL MARKETING APPRENTICE
OLI WHITE oli@francemedia.com
ADVERTISING MANAGER
EMMA KESTIN emma.kestin@francemedia.com
UK & US SALES DIRECTOR
PETER CULLINGFORD peter@francemedia.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
ALISON JOYCE alison@francemedia.com
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVES
DAMIEN COURCOUX damien@francemedia.com
STEPHANIE MOSSION stephanie@francemedia.com
JENNY EAGLE jenny@francemedia.com
ALEXANDER LOBRANO
À la Carte restaurant writer
Alexander is a Connecticut
Yankee who’s called Paris
home for 20 years. He writes
the Eurofile column for the
New York Times, and
regularly contributes articles
on food and travel to Condé
Nast Traveller, Forbes Life,
Saveur and various
other publications.
CHLOE GOVAN
Chloe is an award-winning
writer and Channel-hopping
Francophile with a
penchant for Paris living.
After working as a travel
editor and columnist, she
began freelancing for
numerous publications
including The Times and
The Sun. She is the author
of 11 books.
DOMINIC RIPPON
An ex-wine buyer, wine author
and lover of all things French,
Dominic sold his wine
merchant business, Strictly
Wine, in 2014, to pursue his
lifelong dream of moving to
France. He now lives in the
shadow of Carcassonne’s
medieval ramparts, amid the
vineyards of LanguedocRoussillon.
CONTRIBUTORS
SYLVIA EDWARDS DAVIS, HAZEL SMITH, SOLANGE
HANDO, ANNA RICHARDS, STEPHEN CLARKE,
KRISTIN ESPINASSE
France Media Ltd publishes a number of print and digital titles
for the Francophile audience including French Property News,
France Today, Bonjour Paris and Taste of France. France Media
Ltd also offers a dedicated property service, FrenchEntrée
Property, helping buyers from around the world find their
dream home in France.
CONTACT: info@francemedia.com
France Today is a publication of
FRANCE MEDIA GROUP
France Media Ltd, 2nd & 3rd Floors, Northgate
House, Upper Borough Walls, BATH BA11RG, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1225 463752
Web: www.francemedia.com
Subscription enquiries (for rates see page 20)
USA & CANADA: 866-734-1912 (toll free)
UK & Rest of World: +44 (0)1202 087 628
Sign up for our free weekly newsletter
Le Petit Journal at www.francetoday.com
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© Copyright 2023 France Media Ltd. Printed by Warners. All rights reserved.
We cannot accept responsibility for any mistakes or misprints. Reproduction
in part or whole is strictly prohibited without written permission from
the publisher. We cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts
or photographs damaged in the post. Material sent on speculation, unless
enclosed with a stamped addressed envelope, will not be returned to the
sender. France Media Ltd reserve rights of ownership. Euro prices quoted
are subject to fluctuations and were correct at the time of going to press.
Current exchange rates should always be sought.
cle
cy
STEPHEN TURNBULL
Stephen is a former lecturer
in Media and Education
turned freelance writer. He is
married to a French woman
and lives in the heart of the
Hérault department. An
enthusiastic walker and
passionate environmentalist,
he is keen to promote
sustainable tourism locally
and across France.
e
6 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
JENNIFER LADONNE
Jennifer left Manhattan for
Paris in 2004. A regular
writer for France Today,
she also covers restaurants
and hotels for Fodor’s
Paris travel guide and is
co-author of Around
Paris with Kids. Her
articles have appeared on
Fodors.com and in the
Huffington Post.
e
It n
CAROLINE HARRAP
A freelance writer and editor,
Caroline Harrap has been
based between Paris and
the UK for several years, and
now lives near Montmartre.
As well as contributing to
France Today, she has also
written for such publications as
French Entrée, The
Guardian and Local Food
Britain, among others.
e
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ost th
TT-COC-002452
LOCAL KNOWLEDGE YOU CAN TRUST
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W H AT ’ S O N L I N E ❘ C O R R E S P O N D E N C E
BOÎTE AUX LETTRES
Send us your stories and memories of France,
plus feedback on the magazine… we’d love to hear from you!
STAR
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WRITE TO US
Share your
thoughts, tips and
memories with
us. Please supply
your name and
address and email
us at letters@
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IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK
chance to this time, and the ‘best’ wine
shop in Lyon was closed half the time
we were there... All the best… and merci
pour le magazine.
Richard et Julia Briggs, USA
CULINARY INSPIRATION
A view of Castelnaudary’s Grand Bassin, perfect for some canalside relaxation
Canal hits the right note
Steve Turnbull’s article Midi Marvels (FT193) was a very enjoyable read. Our beloved
French home is in Castelnaudary, which is the main port of the Canal du Midi and the
site of the canal’s largest open area of water, known as the Grand Bassin.
We have spent many happy hours walking and cycling along the towpaths and equally
enjoyably but less energetically, sitting on the benches under the trees beside the canal
watching the pleasure boats and barges gliding by. A Sunday morning treat is to have
breakfast of coffee and croissants at the port’s café.
Last summer, Castelnaudary’s mairie organised several concerts that took place
beside the Grand Bassin. It was magical to sit by the water listening to the music as the
sun set over the town. Even more enchanting was the La Péniche Offenbach. This was a
light-hearted opera performed by the Ensemble Justiniana who travelled along the canal
for a week, making stops in towns along the way to sing from their barge. These
pleasurable activities may not be what Pierre-Paul Riquet originally intended for the
canal but they are a marvellous use of it.
Stephanie Nugent
A LOVELY TIME IN LYON
Ma femme et moi, nous venons de passer
une semaine à Lyon. C’était formidable!
We saw all the sites, and took two
excellent, very detailed walking tours of
Vieux Lyon and Resistance Lyon.
Our apartment on the Saône, on Quai
Pierre-Scize, was perfect. Only one bad
dish at an otherwise decent restaurant a
few doors down from us – a charcuterie
without crudités or pâté, just meat, with a
8 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
very off-putting smell (sort of like Pine Sol
disinfectant mixed with burnt plastic).
They explained that the truffle bits in the
ham give off a very strong odour – but I
couldn’t eat it!
Otherwise, we enjoyed several good
meals, including quenelles Nantua,
excellent pizza and Lebanese mezze.
Next time, we would like to take a tour
of northern Rhône, and perhaps the
southern Rhône vineyards. We didn’t get a
Your Dec/Jan 2023 issue (FT192) was a
source of tasty treats suggested by Miss
Maggie. I made the Winter Soup and
Jacques’s Bœuf Bourguignon to rave
reviews, and I have two more recipes
still to try.
My husband and I were further inspired
to sign up for a cooking school highlighted
in the same issue.
We were also delighted to read about the
Vendée in the Apr/May 2023 (FT193)
issue, a destination that we expect to
explore next September.
Elizabeth Freund, Virginia, USA
Elizabeth Freund was inspired by France Today to
make Jacques’s Bœuf Bourguignon: this is her dish
S O C I A L M E D I A ❘ W H AT ’ S O N L I N E
JOIN THE DISCUSSION!
From the
Connect with like-minded Francophiles, and enjoy exclusive online content via the France
Today social media channels. Here’s what you might have missed.
TWITTERVERSE
What have we and our
followers been tweeting?
JOIN THE FACEBOOK DISCUSSION AT www.facebook.com/FranceToday
IMAGES © ARTHUR AUMOND, PEXELS, PIXABAY
The Auvergne, in
France’s Massif
Central, is a wild,
rugged region of
forests, mountains,
remote farms and
extinct volcanoes.
Have you been?
JOIN THE
DISCUSSION AT
twitter.com/@
francetoday
READER POLL
Of these 4 options,
which is your preferred
French holiday type?
Have you ever been to the Puy du Fou theme park?
Puy du Fou promises unforgettable moments, full of wonderful experiences to share as a family. And if
people come from all over the world to Puy du Fou for a moving experience, it is because the park
offers spectacular shows packed with emotion – designed to touch the hearts of visitors of all ages...
CITY BREAK
29%
Comments
COUNTRYSIDE
David B Jones - Went five years ago, amazing, must return soon. The Gladiators and Lions, and the Roman
Legions. The Round table was good but for me the Dancing Horses on the Water was amazing.
49%
CAMPING
10%
SKIING
12%
JOIN THE DISCUSSION AT Instagram/francetodaymagazine
VOSGES OR MASSIF CENTRAL?
CABLE CAR OR ZIPWIRE?
CHALET OR TREEHOUSE?
VOSGES 54%
MASSIF CENTRAL 46%
CABLE CAR 68%
ZIPWIRE 32%
CHALET 57%
TREEHOUSE 43%
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 9
W H AT ’ S O N L I N E ❘ R E A D E R S ’ P H O T O S
The striking Miroir d’eau in Bordeaux by Susan Lawless
Cordes-sur-Ciel, in Tarn, by Niels G. Cordes
YOUR FRENCH PHOTOS
We love seeing your favourite snaps of France
READERS’ PHOTO OF THE ISSUE
Some welcome shade in Èze, in the Alpes-Maritimes, by Paul Hammond
Want to share? Email your photos to letters@francetoday.com, and please include a caption
10 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
JUNE 26TH TO
JULY 21ST 2023
L’Université d’été
en Sorbonne
Multidisciplinary Courses &
French as a Foreign Language Courses
Literature, history, philosophy, geography, art history...
LES INFOS ❘ NEWS
LES INFOS
The essential France Today round-up of the latest faits divers,
news and views from around the Hexagon
EASY PARIS
EasyJet announced a new
direct route from Manchester
to Paris Orly starting on
March 27. It will operate
year-round with one-way
fares starting at £22.99.
www.easyjet.com
Less is more
Is France’s love affair with wine reaching an impasse? Consumption has been steadily dropping
– red wine, for example, fell by 32% in the past ten years, according to a survey by Kantar. But
it may not necessarily be bad news, says Le Figaro: lower wine consumption is part of a general
decline in alcohol consumption, which in France has halved since the 1960s. It also seems that
people are choosing to drink less but better. The budget allocated to the purchase of a bottle
of wine is constantly increasing in France. A survey by agency SoWine found 56% of people in
2022 said they regularly spent between €11 and €20 a bottle, compared with only 22% who
spent that much in 2013. Tastes have also evolved and drinkers are more inclined to favour
wines with a lighter profile, as well as eco-friendly, organic wines.
www.visitfrenchwine.com
FAUX PAS The Associated Press (AP) was left with oeuf on
its face and took to Twitter to apologise to the people of France.
In its stylebook, considered a well-respected reference guide
for journalists, AP listed some terms to avoid as they could be
perceived as dehumanising. It advised journalists not to use
generic labels for groups who share a single common trait,
such as ‘the poor’, ‘the mentally ill’, ‘the college-educated’ …
and the list of terms included ‘the French’!
12 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
EUROSTAR FOR ALL
Thalys trains, linking Paris,
Brussels, Amsterdam and
Cologne, will change its name
this autumn to the more
familiar Eurostar brand, which
was found to be more widely
recognised abroad.
www.eurostar.com
DONE STAMPING
French railways SNCF is saying
goodbye to validating machines
since 96% of tickets are
electronic. Holders of paper
tickets must now identify
themselves to the conductor
for manual stamping.
www.sncf.com
IMAGES © RADIOKAFKA/SHUTTERSTOCK, WIKICOMMONS/AEROPRINGS/NICOLAS VIOGNIER/ EHFXC, PARIS 2024/BENJAMIN BOCCAS, PHILIPPE BUSSER, INRAP, RAWPIXEL, TETYANA KOVYRINA/PEXELS, NOLONGERHERE/PIXABAY, PHILIPPE ROUZET/FLICKR
Travel briefs
NEWS ❘ LES INFOS
1million
mascot ‘pelouches’
will be produced,
50% of them Made in
France by Breton
firm Doudou &
Compagnie
O LY M P I C WATCH – PA RI S 2 0 24
IN THE CROSSHAIRS
Parisians are set to decide this spring
whether to allow e-scooter self-service
rentals to continue, as users dropping
them off in random spots is becoming
more and more of a problem. Marseille
is also tightening up regulations and has
not ruled out banning them entirely
unless operators find a way to put a
stop to the chaos.
The official 2024
mascots are the
Phryges, a nod to
the bonets rouges
UNPRECEDENTED
PREDECESSORS
The national archaeological research
agency INRAP has announced that
ancient remains and architectural
blocks thought to belong to a
funerary monument were uncovered
at Néris-les-Bains in the Allier, an
exciting find of a kind never seen
before in the Auvergne region.
ON YOUR MARKS…
MEET THE MASCOTS
Tempus fugit and the Games are really not far away now. The Olympic
flame has already started touring, hitting the road in Marseille on
February 3 for a journey around France. Let us introduce you to a
curious pair you are likely to come across in the lead-up to the Paris
2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games: the Olympic Phryge and the
Paralympic Phryge, which sports a prosthetic leg and running blade.
The official mascots represent Phrygian caps, one of the symbols of
the French Republic that hails back to the bonets rouges of the
Revolution and to this day adorns the head of Marianne, France’s
personification of the Republic. The Phryges have enjoyed a warm
welcome – more than 75% of French adults said they like them.
C’EST PAS VRAI! STRANGE BUT TRUE TALES FROM FRANCE
Because sometimes facts are more wondrous than fiction
KIBBLE BAR
Tiny cat ’cantines’ are being
provided by kind neighbours in
Auxonne, Burgundy, for any
passing feline in want of a free
meal and a warm blanket.
LOVE FOUND
Forlorn cuddly toys found
abandoned on the bus and tram
network in Nancy are posted on
social media so as to be quickly
reunited with their owners.
BABY ON BOARD
Bouncy baby Felix couldn’t wait
– he was born during an
unscheduled stop at the Lorraine
TGV station as his mum was
travelling from Paris to Stuttgart.
VIP RELOCATION
The construction of a
supermarket in Belfort was
delayed five months to find a new
home for 13 little lizards from
two protected species.
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 13
W H AT ’ S O N ❘ D I A R Y P L A N N E R
WHAT’S ON
D I A R Y D AT E
DE LA MUSIQUE!
Get ready to enjoy free open-air concerts in stunning historical settings
Provence has become an unmissable spring rendezvous for music lovers, and 2023
marks the 10th anniversary of the wondrous Festival de Pâques. For two weeks
each year, the entire city of Aix-en-Provence comes to life with free open-air
concerts and exceptional music events in historical venues. Under the artistic
direction of Renaud Capuçon, the Festival de Pâques d’Aix-en-Provence attracts a
prestigious line-up of classical giants, and this edition will be no exception, with an
opportunity to listen to the most sought-after international orchestras and soloists,
as well as revisiting the talent that has emerged since the event’s inception in 2013.
March 31 – April 16 festivalpaques.com ❯❯
Main picture and from left: The Chamber Choir of Namur; the Cathédrale Saint-Sauveur; organist Thomas Ospital; Renaud Capuçon
14 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
IMAGES © FESTIVAL DE PÂQUES – AIX-EN-PROVENCE, CAROLINE DOUTRE, RAFFAELE PEDRAZZINI
Revisited classics, cultural outings, openings, events and a bounty of
favourites to rediscover… plus a wonderful treat for music-lovers
W H AT ’ S O N ❘ D I A R Y P L A N N E R
ANNIVERSARY
1
VIVE LA RÉVOLUTION!
Saint-Étienne Museum of Art
and Industry and Couriot –
Musée de la Mine offer an
historical interlude looking back
at the complex period of the
Industrial Revolution between
1780 and 1856.
Until June 11
mai.saint-etienne.fr
2
VISITING TREASURES
Currently under renovation,
the Musée des Beaux Arts de
Reims gives its 17th-century
masterpieces a Breton holiday
by loaning them to the Musée
des Beaux Arts de Rennes.
Until December 31
mba.rennes.fr
3
MANET-DEGAS
A major exhibition at the Musée
d’Orsay focuses on what these
two artists had in common, and,
more interestingly, explores
what set them apart.
Until July 23
www.musee-orsay.fr
4
MAX ERNST
The stunning Hôtel de Caumont
in Aix-en-Provence devotes its
summer exhibition to the genius
of Max Ernst, erudite artist and
prodigious experimenter.
May 4 – October 8
www.caumont-centredart.com
5
ART MAGAZINE
The Musée de l’Orangerie,
with the aid of Cahiers d’Art,
explores the work of Matisse.
Until May 29
www.musee-orangerie.fr
Millennial approach
Walking across the
bay towards Mont
Saint-Michel
If you ever needed an excuse to visit (or revisit) the majestic
Mont Saint-Michel, how about celebrating one millennium since
construction of the abbey’s Romanesque nave began in 1023?
The UNESCO World Heritage treasure, on a tidal island just off the
coasts of Normandy and Brittany, is universally recognised as a site
of spiritual and historical significance. The Gothic-style Benedictine
abbey dedicated to the Archangel St Michael was France’s second
induction after the Cathedral of Chartres, and to this day is one of
L’Hexagone’s most popular sites with over three million visitors a year.
Whatever way you choose to approach – by car, bike, foot or horsedrawn carriage – the magnificence of Mont Saint-Michel is guaranteed
to stop you in your tracks.
normandie-tourisme.fr
CREATIVE TUNNEL
Ten European street artists have been given carte
blanche in the Tuileries tunnel along the Seine. The
800m throughway, reserved for pedestrians and cyclists,
has been decorated with huge frescoes inspired by the
emblematic places of Paris: the Seine, the Louvre, the
Tuileries, the Eiffel Tower and the 2024 Olympic Games.
Until June 27
paris.fr
16 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
For a deep dive
into art and
history
IMAGES © SOPHIE KERNEN/JUMEAUX & CO, MUSÉE DE L’IMAGE, VILLE D’ÉPINAL/CLICHÉ H. ROUYER, RMN – GRAND PALAIS (MUSÉE D’ORSAY)/HERVÉ LEWANDOWSKI, LIONEL BELLUTEAU
5
EXHIBITIONS
CONTEMPORARY
OH, WHAT A NIGHT!
IMAGES © YAN CARADEC/MUSÉE RODIN, CLEM RUTTER/WIKICOMMONS, CHRISTOPHE BOUILLON/FDC, AUTOMOBILE CLUB DE MONACO, DISNEYLAND PARIS
D I A R Y P L A N N E R ❘ W H AT ’ S O N
We are all cordially invited to the 19th edition of the European
Night of Museums, a cultural event that has become increasingly
popular since its first edition in 2005. Discover a different and fun
museum experience as more than 1,300 museums and monuments
all over France open for free, in a unique opportunity to discover
the permanent collections as well as special exhibits and one-off
activities such as workshops, guided tours, musical performances
and more. It’s not to be missed!
Saturday, May 13
nuitdesmusees.culture.gouv.fr
THE HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY ON EARTH Experience the
30th anniversary of Disneyland Paris with a programme of special
shows created to mark the occasion, a festive atmosphere and
new attractions. The incredible D-Light
celebration as night falls, with a stunning
choreographed Marvel drone show that lights
up the sky above Sleeping Beauty’s castle, is a
first for the park, dreamt up to make sure
you’ll remember your visit 30 years from now.
Until September 30 www.disneylandparis.com
LET’S GO!
We’re southward bound
for some fun in the sun
CATTLE CALL
Come to Vauvert in the
Gard for a seriously
competitive Abrivado horse
and bull weekend, followed
by a convivial peña, folk
music and parade.
May 18-21
www.vauvert.com
CANNES FILM
FESTIVAL
The most talented
filmmakers and actors
of all genres gather from
the four corners of the
globe to showcase
their latest creations.
May 16-27
festival-cannes.com
TOP DÉPART
Rev your engines for
the 80th edition of the
legendary Monaco Grand
Prix F1 motor race.
May 25-28
acm.mc ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 17
W H AT ’ S O N ❘ D I A R Y P L A N N E R
3
FOR
FOOD
LOVERS
Titillate the taste buds with
these gastronomic gatherings
STRAWBERRY FIELDS
PERSPECTIVE
ETERNAL NOTRE-DAME
Visitors to the popular virtual reality event Eternal Notre-Dame will now discover an
800m2 dedicated cultural space below the cathedral’s forecourt, where an immersive
voyage via a VR helmet delves into the history of the construction of the cathedral and the
events punctuating its long and fascinating past. Developed in partnership with the public
institutions responsible for the cathedral’s conservation and restoration – the Diocese of
Paris, the special task force Rebâtir Notre-Dame and the City of Paris – the project also
contributes to the restoration project by donating a share of ticket proceeds.
www.eternellenotredame.com
VERMEER TO VAN GOGH Carrières de Lumières in
Provence presents a monumental digital experience showcasing
the genius of these two northern
painters through an immersion that
puts you as close as you can get to its
subjects. Walk in the footsteps of the
great masters who approached the
ordinary in an extraordinary way. Until
January 2024. carrieres-lumieres.com
18 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
HAM IT UP
Who can argue with a tradition
that dates back to 1462? La Foire
au Jambon in Bayonne is a joyful
celebration of Basque specialities
in all their splendour.
April 6-9
www.bayonne-paysbasque.com
GOOD TASTE
The Grand Palais Éphémère
transforms into a temple of
gastronomy for Taste of Paris:
savour four days of tastings,
demonstrations, innovations, and
a peek at the latest foodie trends.
May 11-14
paris.tastefestivals.com
IMAGES © LE GRAND CRICRI/WIKICOMMONS, MATHIEU PRAT, PATRICK TOURNEBŒUF/RMN GRAND-PALAIS, ORANGE/EMISSIVE – ETERNELLE NOTRE-DAME 2021, CULTURESPACES
Enjoy a taste of springtime at la
Fête de la Fraise in Beaulieu-surDordogne in Corrèze with a
splendid market, tastings, arts and
crafts, music, games and, of course,
a giant strawberry tart.
May 14
fraisedebeaulieu.fr
The only magazine devoted to
French gastronomy
FEAST YOUR EYES ON FRENCH CUISINE!
For this new edition of Taste of France
magazine, we bring you not only 33
mouthwatering recipes to try – from classics
such as duck with lentils and yellow plum
clafoutis, to on-trend fusion and elaborate
Michelin chefs’ dishes – but we also pick some
fine foodie tours (Normandy, Provence), festivals
and city breaks for up-close and personal
encounters with producers, and the chance to
discover many superb local specialities.
Some of France’s leading culinary lights have
contributed recipes, including Eric Frechon,
Jean-François Piège, Daniel Galmiche and
Gérald Passedat, while popular recipe writers
Héloïse Brion and Hannah Sunderani show how
a modern twist on French classics can hit the
spot with today’s home cooks.
Plus our usual round up of news and views
from the world of French gastronomy.
So grab a glass of wine and enjoy a French
food odyssey!
GET YOUR COPY NOW
www.tasteoffrancemag.com
CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE
JAM-PACKED WITH FOODIE
FEATURES, DAILY RECIPES
AND MUCH MORE...
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
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Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 21
JOIE DE VIVRE ❘ LOVE FRANCE
JOIE DE VIVRE
Our pick of splendid things great and small that showcase the joy
of French life, from what to buy to where to go…
Little black book
FA M I LY F U N
France is blessed with fine
stone bridges. Here are three
truly eye-pleasing ponts
CAHORS
The most iconic sight in the
medieval city of Cahors in the Lot,
the Pont Valentré is a six-span
footbridge from the 14th century.
Legend has it that the bridge’s
building foreman was so pained by
slow progress (it took 70 years)
that he did a deal with the devil to
chivvy things along a little.
www.cahorsvalleedulot.com/en
ORTHEZ
FRENCH HEROINE
Following a 2022 season which saw 1.92m visitors through the gates, the hi-tech theme park
Futuroscope, near Poitiers, has opened its doors for a 36th season. As usual it promises plenty
of nouveautés, in keeping with its “always the future” ethos.These include new green
accommodation options at the Ecolodgee and a dazzling new 4D attraction, called Etincelle, la
Malédiction de l’Opale noire. It features Alice, a French superheroine who guides visitors through a
superhero museum, while a vibrating platform, spatial sound and lasers wow your senses.
www.futuroscope.com/en
Any visit to 46m-long Le Pont
Vieux, crossing the Gave de Pau in
Orthez, the ancient capital of the
Béarn region in southwest France,
comes with a word of warning:
14th-century Pyrénéen prince,
Gaston Fébus, once advised,
“Touch it if you dare”!
ON AIME Timeless French textiles innovators
Lelièvre Paris have launched their new outdoor
collection with two new fabrics – Farniente and
Splash – for outdoor furniture and cushions. Water
repellent and washable. lelievreparis.com/en
22 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
IMAGES © FUTUROSCOPE; SHUTTERSTOCK
MORLAIX
OK, so it’s a railway viaduct and
not a bridge, but the imposing
Viaduc de Morlaix, rising
majestically above the heart of
the picturesque Finistère town, is
a highlight for those on the ParisMontparnasse to Brest route. It
entered service on April 26, 1865.
LOVE FRANCE ❘ JOIE DE VIVRE
ON ÉCOUTE
POMME
Vous Pouvez Dormir dans la Grange’s very modern and
stylish backpacks are made in the Indre
PROFILE
BACKPACK TO
THE FUTURE
Need a snazzy new sac? With a
company name almost as eye-catching
as the bags it makes,Vous Pouvez
Dormer dans la Grange (translated
as You Can Sleep in the Barn) crafts
très chic and colourful items,
whose well-considered practicality
is matched by a stylish design.
Founded by Coralie Frick and the
equally wonderfully named Arnaud
Le Cat, the company’s small range of
backpacks and weekend bags are, as
they niftily point out, all about “a refined aestheticism
that follows the function… that draws the contours of
a minimalist, quality living environment in motion”.
Choose from Le Baluchon – expandable and durable
– which can serve as either a light bag for a daily walk,
or a travel bag for a long weekend; or their latest
product, the sac à dos (pictured). This sleek and
functional backpack, available in six colours,
features padded shoulder straps
and a side opening for easy
access, plus numerous
handy pockets.
● Price is €199 from
vouspouvezdormir
danslagrange.fr/en
1
2
IMAGE © POMME / FACEBOOK
Kooky chanteuse is the apple of our, er, ears
Singer-songwriter
Pomme sits in her
own unclassifiable
genre within French
pop-chanson
Pomme is not this lady’s real name –
of course it’s not – but it’s more suited
to a successful singing career than
Claire Pommet, the name given to her
when she was born 26 years ago in
Lyon. Quite the gifted youngster with
a musical knack, Pomme (as she
would later be nicknamed by her
university chums) got to grips with
music theory and choir singing before
taking up the cello at the age of eight.
A decade on, and after teaching
herself the guitar, writing songs and
posting her efforts on a certain video
platform, she garnered the attention
of record labels and by early 2015, she was snapped
up by Polydor Records. Within the year she was
sharing a stage with Benjamin Biolay.
While influenced by the folk and country music
that she was exposed to as a child, her almost
unclassifiable pop-chanson is clearly marked by the
likes of French singers Barbara, Édith Piaf and Lorie
as well as confident Anglophone chanteuses such as
Lily Allen, Kate Nash and Feist. She proudly identifies
as homosexual and is a committed supporter of the
green party, Europe Écologie Les Verts. Today during
her noteworthy live performances she also plays the
autoharp. Her new album, Consolation, is out now.
IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU MIGHT LIKE…
JOAN BAEZ
MICHEL POLNAREFF
SUFJAN STEVENS
A friend of the family
introduced the young
Pomme to the work of
the folk music icon.
Best of Baez
Universal
Pomme’s father played
plenty of early Polnareff,
still recording today.
Polnareff Chante
Polnareff
Parlophone
Influential US singersongwriter left his sonic
mark on Pomme. This is
his acclaimed fifth album.
Illinois
Rough Trade
3
INSTAFRANCE
For your chance to be featured,
use #francetodaymagazine
1. We love Eric Chambers’ niche
selection of doors_in_provence
2. An out-of-season calanque at Cassis
has us dreaming of summer, by loaki13
3. milghauss took a shine to Basilique
Saint-Julien de Brioude, Auvergne ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 23
JOIE DE VIVRE ❘ LOVE FRANCE
3
ways to…
FEEL THE
MUSIC
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT
NAKED AMBITION
Play along to France’s long and
rich history of music making
at these instrument and
classical music museums
NATTY SATIE
Winemaker Katie Jones had a love of wine that took her
from Leicestershire to the Languedoc, where she bought
an idyllic vineyard in the small village of Tuchan high in
the Corbières mountains (between Narbonne and
Perpignan) and started making her own wines.
She has been impressing members of Naked Wines
– the online wine retailer that supports independent
winemakers through crowdfunding, with over
350,000 members buying wines from 170
independent winemakers – since 2013 (when the
members helped Katie save her business after a
vandalism incident) and she has just been voted
Winemaker of the Year 2022!
She’s come to be known as ‘Queen of the
Languedoc’ and is making some seriously wellregarded wines, including Grenache blend
Me & Monsieur Jones 2021 (14% ABV, £10.99)
and the Fitou AOC Sunshine After Rain 2021
(Carignan blend, 14% ABV, £15.99). Bravo, Katie!
Katie’s full range of wines can be purchased from
www.nakedwines.com/producers/katie-jones
SHAKE THE ROOM Powerful and
portable, Peopeo’s range of Made in France
speakers offers a unique design aesthetic in a
crowded enceinte market.Voodoo origine
model, pictured, €849. www.peopeo.io
24 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
COMPOSE YOURSELF
Among winemaker
Katie Jones’
bestsellers are Me &
Monsieur Jones and
Sunshine after Rain
The superb Museum of Music
in Paris is world renowned for
its centuries-spanning collection
and presentation of musical
instruments of all shapes and sizes.
What’s more, live performances
can be enjoyed every day.
philharmoniedeparis.fr/en
STRINGS ATTACHED
Mirecourt in the Vosges
department (Grand Est) is France’s
lutherie (fabrication of stringed
instruments) capital – back in 1635
it boasted 43 luthiers! Head to its
splendid Musée de la Lutherie et
de l’Archèterie françaises.
www.musee-mirecourt.fr
IMAGES: NAKED WINES; NORMANDIE TOURISME; WILLIAM BEAUCARDET/ MUSÉE DE LA MUSIQUE; MUSÉE DE LA LUTHERIE/FACEBOOK
Maisons Satie in Honfleur,
Calvados, is where music lovers
can enjoy a quirky and innovative
‘scenographic’ and musical trail
that pays tribute to the musician
and composer Erik Satie, who
was born here in 1866.
www.honfleur-tourism.co.uk
ÉMILE ZOLA ❘ DID YOU KNOW?
WAS ÉMILE ZOLA MURDERED?
Hazel Smith unearths the intriguing story of the novelist’s untimely demise
O
HAZEL SMITH
ne of France’s most prominent writers,
Émile Zola died from carbon monoxide
poisoning at the age of 62. And some
believe his death wasn’t accidental.
At 9.30am on September 29, 1902, when
agitated servants at Zola’s Paris house received
no answer to their frantic knocks, they found
Zola half-lying in bed, warm but quite dead.
The assumption was that he had succumbed in
the night to the poisonous gas.
Madame Zola survived and recounted that
during the night she and her husband had
similarly suffered from violent headaches and
cramping. However, believing they had food
poisoning, Zola’s last words to his wife were,
“Tomorrow we will be healed”.
The day before, the Zolas had returned from
their summer home to their address on Rue
Bruxelles. A small coal fire was lit in their
bedroom grate to dispel the autumn chill. It was
believed that inexpert repairs to their chimney
had caused a blockage, but while Zola’s death
was ruled accidental, there were inconsistencies.
A celebrated but controversial writer, Zola was
emblematic of massive division in French society.
In 1898, he published an open letter to France’s
president titled, J’Accuse…! His articulate letter
dismantled, point-by-point, the case against
Alfred Dreyfus, a French army officer of Jewish
heritage who was convicted on trumped-up
charges of treason and incarcerated at Devil’s
“THE ATTENDING POLICE
COMMISSIONER, CORNETTE,
ADMITTED, POST-RETIREMENT,
THAT HE HAD SUSPECTED FOUL
PLAY AT THE TIME”
Island. J’Accuse transformed the Dreyfus affair
into a cause célèbre, further widening the rift
between Republicans on one side and those with
pro-army, anti-Semitic tendencies on the other.
Zola himself was dragged into court on charges
of libel. Constant threats against him led some,
including his mistress, to believe his death was
an assassination. After all, his dogs, Fanfan and
Pinpin, were unaffected by the carbon emissions
from the novelist’s fireplace, as were two almostsacrificial guinea pigs which were used in a
replication of the fatal incident. The attending
police commissioner, Cornette, admitted,
post-retirement, that he had suspected foul play
at the time – but the case has been quickly
closed to avoid any further agitation in the
Alfred Dreyfus case.
IMAGES © WIKIMEDIA, BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE FRANCE
A CLEAN SWEEP
Clockwise from top left: Émile Zola; Alfred Dreyfus; Zola wrote the open letter, J’accuse,
to the French president, Félix Faure; Zola’s grave; Zola on his deathbed
Despite the rumours, the official explanation was
maintained for 50 years, until the deathbed
confession of the chimney sweep. Henri
Buronfosse, a confirmed member of The League
of Patriots, a far-right organisation known for
their anti-Semitic zeal, admitted that while
working on the roof of Zola’s apartment building,
he had sealed the chimney in revenge for
J’Accuse, and without being seen, he’d returned
to clear it early the next day. Buronfosse’s
confidante spilled the story to the press in 1953.
Even then, Buronfosse’s name was kept out of
the papers until 1978. His confession seemed
authentic, but by this time, the trail was cold.
No concrete evidence was ever produced
to prove Zola’s death was murder. However,
circumstances behind the writer’s death still
create speculation to this day. FT
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 25
L A C U LT U R E ❘ A R T & M U S E U M S
LA CULTURE
Culture writer Sylvia Edwards Davis highlights the very best
exhibitions and events to enjoy around France right now
SPOTLIGHT
BASQUIAT x WARHOL
HAND IN HAND
One of the paintings
from the collaboration
between Jean-Michel
Basquiat and Andy
Warhol in 1984-5
Following the success of the exhibition on Jean-Michel Basquiat’s work
in 2018, the Fondation Louis Vuitton now sets out to explore his
storied collaboration with Andy Warhol, namely 160 ‘four hands’
paintings created in 1984-1985. These canvases were some of the
largest pieces in both their respective careers, the product of a
collaboration of two powerhouses who expressed their close friendship
through a sort of ‘visual duet’. Basquiat looked at Warhol as a mentor,
and in turn gave his elder a new lease of life on his relationship with
painting as a medium.
This important exhibition opens with a series of crossed portraits,
Basquiat by Warhol, Warhol by Basquiat. What follows is a unique
opportunity to experience the intoxicating energy of their creative
exchange, through more than 300 works and documents, including 80
jointly signed paintings, as well as individual works by each artist and a
collection of works by other luminaries such as Keith Haring, Jenny
Holzer, Kenny Scharf and Michael Halsband.
April 5 – August 28
www.fondationlouisvuitton.fr
IN REMEMBRANCE
Mark your calendars for D-Day: authorities have announced that
the British Normandy Memorial, inaugurated just two years ago,
has been selected as the site for the official commemoration. While
access may be restricted in the afternoon, the Royal British Legion
will hold a commemorative event in the morning open to the public.
June 6 britishnormandymemorial.org
26 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Five exhibitions
exploring old
favourites alongside
new themes
1
MEET THE DIVINE
The Petit Palais dedicates an
exhibition to the ‘divine’ Sarah
Bernhardt, actress and artist,
with 400 of her works.
April 14 – August 27
www.petitpalais.paris.fr
2
HOCKNEY IN THE SUN
The Musée Granet in
Aix-en-Provence presents
a retrospective of David
Hockney in partnership
with the Tate Gallery.
Until May 28
www.museegranetaixenprovence.fr
3
WINDOW TO NATURE
The exquisite Louvre Lens
looks at how artists from the
Renaissance to the present
day represented the myths of
creation with images of the sky,
earth, sea, light and darkness.
Until July 24
www.louvrelens.fr
4
BEGINNING OF THE END
The Picasso Museum in Antibes
presents the artist’s work
during his coming-of-age years,
as part of a constellation of 12
events all over France marking
50 years since his death.
www.antibes-juanlespins.com/
culture/musee-picasso
5
CRADLES OF
CIVILISATION
The Musée des Confluences
in Lyon explores the role of
rivers in the development of
humanity and the challenges of
preserving these fertile areas.
Until August 27
www.museedesconfluences.fr
IMAGES © ARTESTAR, NEW YORK, ADAGP, PARIS, BNF, ESTAMPES ET PHOTOGRAPHIES, BRITISH NORMANDY MEMORIAL/EIFFAGE
5
NOT TO MISS
A R T & M U S E U M S ❘ L A C U LT U R E
AVENUE
MONTAIGNE
READ THE
SIGNS
Where high fashion meets
high thinking
DON’T MISS
ALL ABOARD!
IMAGES © SEINE DESIGN, WIKICOMMONS, KARL TREINER; CINCINATTI ART MUSEUM
A new floating art centre is opening on the Seine, dedicated to contemporary photography
with free exhibitions of works by established and emerging artists, both French and
international. Quai de la Photo promises a warm atmosphere with gourmet food and drink,
and an integrated marina so you can explore Paris from the river aboard small electric boats.
Opening spring 2023
www.quaidelaphoto.fr
Did you know...?
A FAMILIAR FACE
During preparations for a recent exhibition at the Cincinatti Art Museum, the chief
conservator conducted what was to be a routine X-ray of Paul Cézanne’s Still Life
With Bread and Egg only to unlock a secret the painting had been hiding for
158 years – a self-portrait of the artist.
Avenue Montaigne is not
very long, just six blocks or
so along one of the sides of
the chic Golden Triangle
formed by Avenue George
V and Avenue des ChampsÉlysées. Searching for it in
the 1600s you would have
found a humble path leading
to vegetable patches and
sheds. Before being
renamed in 1850 after
aristocratic philosopher
Michel de Montaigne, one of
the leading thinkers of the
Renaissance, the street was
nicknamed ‘widow alley’ as
certain ladies would amble
alone looking for a bit of,
ahem… company.
While during the 19th
century the area was mostly
residences of the highbourgeoisie, after the
Second World War the
French fashion industry
experienced its own
Renaissance, and the most
prestigious names in the
fashion world flocked here,
lining Avenue Montaigne
with their showrooms to
this day. At the
southernmost tip next to
the Seine, you’ll find the
Flamme de la Liberté, a
sculpture depicting a golden
torch originally celebrating
Franco-American friendship,
but which became a
spontaneous shrine to
Diana, Princess of Wales.
Here you will always find
fresh flowers and tributes
left in her memory. ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 27
L A C U LT U R E ❘ A R T & M U S E U M S
DISCOVERY
3
FOR
THE COAST
POSTWAR IN PONT-AVEN
Have a close-up of post-Second
World War relief and exhilaration,
followed by social unrest and
economic upheaval, through the lens
of the photojournalist Willy Ronis.
Until May 28
www.museepontaven.fr
GERMAINE RICHIER
A major retrospective of the sculptor’s career brings together the Musée Fabre in Montpellier
and the Centre Pompidou in Paris. Germaine Richier was the first woman to have her work
exhibited in the Musée National d’Art Moderne during her own lifetime. Ranging from her
portraits in the 1930s to her colourful experiments later on, this new retrospective reflects
on the intensity and originality of her work and helps us discover how, while still making
traditional bronze sculpture, she developed new images both for men and women in the
post-war period, playing with hybrids and natural forms.
Paris: Until June 12 www.centrepompidou.fr
Montpellier: July 12 – November 5 museefabre.montpellier3m.fr
NATIONAL TREASURE Gustave Caillebotte’s La Partie de
Bateau is one of ten innovative works produced by the artist
around 1877-1879. Thanks to the patronage of LVMH, the
painting, which is worth €43m and in 2020 earned the
designation of national treasure, has entered the State’s
collection and is on display
at the Musée d’Orsay
before going on a tour of
France in 2024 to mark
the 150th anniversary
of Impressionism.
www.musee-orsay.fr
28 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
FLAUBERT:
BODY AND SOUL
Musée Flaubert d’Histoire de la
Médecine in Rouen embarks on
a new exploration of the work
and life of the writer, through the
essential theme of the body and soul.
Until May 21
rouen.fr
HYPERSENSITIVE
The flagship summer event at the
Musée d’arts de Nantes explores
the profoundly human and sensitive
character of hyperrealist sculpture,
which emerged in the 1960s.
April 7 – September 3
museedartsdenantes.nantes
metropole.fr
IMAGES © ADAGP, PARIS/ SUCCESSION AGNÈS VARDA, DONATION WILLY RONIS, MINISTÈRE DE LA CULTURE, MPP, DIFF. RMN-GP, MUSÉES MÉTROPOLITAINS ROUEN NORMANDIE, MUSÉE DES BEAUX-ARTS/YOHANN DESLANDES, C. CLOS/MUSÉE D’ARTS DE NANTES, MUSÉE D’ORSAY
We are heading to the shores
for three enticing reasons
French Workwear
made in France
since 1927
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FRANCE TODAY
THE BEST OF FRANCE
LIVE
BIENVENUE TO FRANCE TODAY LIVE!
We bring you the best of French lifestyle and culture…
Hosted by France Today’s Culture Editor, Sylvia Edwards Davis, France Today Live brings you live
interviews and presentations from authors and chefs and leads you on magical journeys around
museums and châteaux. Delve into French culture, travel back through history and enjoy!
IMAGES © VOYAGES PROVENCE | WIKICOMMONS, OLICLIMB | SHUTTERSTOCK
JOIN US AT OUR NEXT EVENTS FROM THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME
FABULOUS FRENCH FOOD: SPRINGTIME SPECIAL
Thursday, April 27 | 12:30 - 13.30 EST (16:30-17:30 GMT)
Spring is here and French markets are exploding
with colour and flavour! Join top food podcaster
Andrew Prior as he fills his basket with choice
ingredients to prepare a fabulous seasonal menu. As
ever, Andrew’s recipes are simply delicious and easy to replicate
at home, no matter your level of expertise in the kitchen.
SECRETS OF THE FRENCH RIVIERA
Thursday, May 25 | 12:30-13:30 EST (16:30-17:30 GMT)
Expert hikers Paul and Helen Webster, authors
of The Wild Guide to the French Alps, unveil the
best spots to visit on your next adventure, and
share their favourite hidden places and top tips
to enjoy the good life in the stunning mountains of southern
and eastern France.
CATCH UP ON ALL EVENTS COMPLETELY FREE ON OUR VIDEO HUB
francetoday.com/france-today-live
IMPROVE
YOUR FRENCH
CONVERSATION
Paris-based French
language and culture
coach Aurélie Yamazaki
shares her tried and
tested tips to take your
French conversation skills
to the next level and help
you build confidence.
A PILGRIMAGE TO
BRITTANY
Author Liz Garnett invites
us to discover the Tro
Breizh, a tour of Brittany
that passes through seven
historical bishoprics and
which was known in the
Middle Ages as ‘Tour de
Bretagne’ or ‘Pilgrimage of
the Seven Saints’.
30 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
FABULOUS
FRENCH FOOD:
TIME FOR COGNAC
Your favourite foodie
podcaster Andrew Prior
heads to Cognac country
to visit a winery, and then
it’s back to Andrew’s
kitchen for a cookalong of a truly fabulous
seasonal French dish.
AN INSIDER’S
GUIDE TO
PROVENCE
Long-time Provence
resident Keith Van Sickle
shares firm favourites and
lesser-known spots in his
glorious corner of France:
from restaurants, wineries
and outdoor markets, to
scenic cycling routes.
SECRETS OF NICE
Discover the jewel of
the French Riviera with
local travel writer Jeanne
Oliver, who shares the
highlights of the vibrant
Old Town with its alluring
maze of streets, bustling
markets and pastel
façades, plus several great
walking routes.
DISCOVER
ARMAGNAC
Dive into the beauty,
heritage, and tradition
of the proud Gascony
region, and the story and
production of Armagnac.
We learn all about the
different stages in the
process and how best to
savour the spirit.
Fluent in French legal affairs
For expert legal advice on:
• French property sales, purchases and gifts
• French inheritance law and tax
• Implications on your UK estate of French property ownership
call 0800 915 6037 or email
france@ashtonslegal.co.uk
contact@heslop-platt.co.uk
www.ashtonslegal.co.uk
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CITY FOCUS ❘ NANCY
CITY FOCUS NANCY
In the historic Duchy of Lorraine, Solange Hando enjoys
one of the finest cities in Europe, laced in Golden Gates,
medieval lanes and stunning Art Nouveau
A
fter the fall of the Carolingian Empire in the
ninth century, Lotharingia (of which Lorraine
was part) became a ‘middle kingdom’. A little
later, Lorraine went on to become an
independent Duchy, yet little is known of its
capital, Nancy, until the end of the 11th century
when the castle is mentioned as guarding a trade route from
Marseille and Lyon to Trier. Despite wars and natural disasters,
the town continued to grow with its own fortifications.
In 1477, René II, the young Duke of Lorraine, defeated
invaders led by Charles the Bold of Burgundy. Nancy flourished
as the capital of Lorraine and in the late 16th century, Duke
Charles III decided to create a New Town to the south, on a grid
pattern, and extend defences all around. The French occupied
the Duchy during the Thirty Years’ War but Lorraine regained its
independence in 1697 until further disruptions.
Then came the Age of Enlightenment and the tale of an exiled
Polish King who would become the last Duke of Lorraine and its
most illustrious benefactor. Stanislas Leszczynski was the
father-in-law of King Louis XV, who in 1737 granted him the
32 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Duchy which was to be returned to France on his death.
Despite being 60 already, for the next 29 years Stanislas cared
for the poor, soup kitchens and all, and cleared the unhealthy
marshlands between the old and new towns, linking them with a
magnificent architectural complex to express his gratitude to
the French King. What he left behind is a World Heritage site
like no other.
LA VILLE ROYALE
“In Nancy, all roads lead to Place Stanislas,” said my guide, and
there it was, a straight walk from the railway station, framed by
gilded wrought iron gates by Jean Lamour, enhanced with
emblems, crown, fleur de lys and a rooster. Stretching 100m by
125m, Place Royale (renamed Stanislas) was designed by the
architect Emmanuel Héré de Corny, the most impressive of its
classical buildings being the Hôtel de Ville, the Grand Hotel,
the Opera House and the Fine Arts Museum. Golden gates also
adorn the two fountains, by Nicolas Guibal, of Neptune and his
wife Amphitrite, near the Triumphal Arch, which glorifies the
‘Victorious and Peaceful King’. During the French Revolution,
NANCY ❘ CITY FOCUS
The truly magnificent Place
Stanislas in the heart of Nancy,
which was once the capital of
the Duchy of Lorraine
FIVE MUST-SEE SITES IN NANCY
Beyond the Royal Town, here are a few delights to explore in order to
make the most of your trip to Nancy.
BASILIQUE SAINT-EPVRE
On the old town square, this 19thcentury Neo-Gothic basilica is a
tribute from Monseigneur Trouillet, the
prêtre bâtisseur who gathered muchneeded finances, material and artists
from across Europe. ‘Dieu vous le
rendra, merci mon ami’, he would say.
See the stones from Rome’s Via Appia,
the wood panelling from Bavaria, and
the stained glass from Vienna.
saint-epvre.hautetfort.com
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, SOLANGE HANDO
FINE ARTS MUSEUM
Rising so elegantly on Place Stanislas,
the museum displays fabulous paintings
from European artists from the 14th
to the 21st centuries, including Rubens,
Matisse, Picasso and, among the locals,
Claude le Lorrain and Victor Prouvé.
But equally enticing is the Daum
exhibition on the lower ground floor,
with more than 600 items.
musee-des-beaux-arts.nancy.fr
the king’s statue was destroyed and today ‘Stanislas the
Benefactor’ looks across the square where convivial café
terraces beckon with a glass of wine or a cappuccino.
Step through the Triumphal Arch and beyond the next golden
gates, you reach Place Carrière, the former jousting ground,
now an elegant tree-lined avenue leading towards the Palace
where the French governor used to check the Duchy’s affairs.
Marvel at the classical façade, the hemicycle colonnade and
the flowing decorations. It’s a good place to sit in the shade,
away from the tour groups. One of my favourite spots is the
Place de l’Alliance, off Rue Sainte-Catherine, which is named
after a French-Austrian treaty and is the third UNESCO square
in the royal town. Graced by a ‘rivers fountain’ recalling
Bernini’s in Rome, it’s a quiet place, but peep through a window
or a half-open door and you will spot stylish stairways and
wrought iron work, especially at number 8 where Héré resided.
THE OLD TOWN
The Royal Town holds you spellbound yet just a few steps away,
the lofty basilica of Saint-Epvre stands on the medieval ❯❯
DAUM CRYSTAL
Born at the start of Art Nouveau,
Daum Crystal remains the city’s jewel
in the crown, creating beautiful art
through a unique technique known as
glass paste. See the signature shop on
Place Stanislas, with prices to match,
or head to the factory shop on Rue
des Cristalleries, which has more
affordable seconds and end of line
items for sale.
www.daum.fr/en
GODRON GARDEN
Set up by Stanislas for the Royal
College of Medicine, this garden,
labelled a jardin remarquable, was
redesigned by the 19th-century
botanist Dominique Godron. Many
collections have been transferred but
at the heart of town, at 3 rue SainteCatherine, it is a secret place, with
its neat rows of flowers and plants
framed with boxwood.
MARCHÉ COUVERT
Near Place Charles III, the central
market is a feast of colours and smells
housed in a 19th-century building.
Clothes, books, flowers and food, it’s
all there with dozens of stalls and a
few eateries where you can enjoy
a spot of people-watching as you
sample the local fare. Be sure to have
a slice of the tasty terrine and the
traditional quiche lorraine.
www.hlb-traiteur.fr
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 33
CITY FOCUS ❘ NANCY
“THE OLD TOWN HAS OTHER
SURPRISES: HERE A GURGLING
FOUNTAIN, THERE A SECRET
COURTYARD, A BURST OF FLOWERS”
private mansion to sweep you off your feet. Look out for the
U-shaped 18th-century Hôtel des Loups and Hôtel
d’Haussonville, draped in Gothic and Renaissance features.
NOUVEAU NANCY
Around 1900 a new form of art swept across the city,
galvanised by local artist and designer Émile Gallé. They called
it Art Nouveau, which, inspired by the natural world, brought
together art and industry to produce beautiful things. In the
prestigious Nancy School, members could collaborate on the
same project, each specialising in his own design or material,
Gallé for ceramics and glass, Daum for crystal, Majorelle for
furniture and so on. Some of the best examples are displayed
in the Musée de l’École de Nancy (on Rue du Sergent
Blandan), while more architectural gems greet you along the
streets around the Sainte-Marie Park and Saurupt areas (the
latter boasts Art Deco too), as well as across the town centre
at my personal favourite for décor and food, Brasserie
Excelsior, near the train station.
Worn out by all the sightseeing? Take a break along the River
Meurthe or the Canal de la Marne au Rhin, or head to the
Pépinière, the city’s largest park bordering Place Stanislas.
With a rose garden, bandstand, fountain, flowers and trees,
this ‘Royal Nursery’, created by Stanislas, is the perfect place to
relax before you leave the dazzling City of the Golden Gates. FT
NANCY ESSENTIALS
Nancy
GETTING THERE
Take the Eurostar from London to Paris Nord then
Paris Est (one metro station), then take the TGV to
Nancy, which takes just over 90 minutes.
IMAGES © SOLANGE HANDO
Clockwise from top: The imposing Porte de la Craffe, which dates
back to the 14th century; Nancy is famous for its golden gates; intricate
carvings at the Dukes’ Palace; treat yourself to something delicious
along ‘Rue Gourmande’; Nancy is bursting with numerous fine examples
of Art Nouveau
square. Wander through the winding lanes and you may find
yourself tempted by a ‘boutique lorraine’, although I prefer the
Sunday market for local cheese, honey, pastries and Mirabelles,
when in season, and the ‘Rue Gourmande’ (officially Rue des
Maréchaux) for its cosy restaurants. The humble Grande Rue
ends at Porte de la Craffe, the 14th-century gate showing the
double cross of Lorraine. Little remains of the 16th-century
Ducal Palace but on its austere façade Duke Antoine is
keeping watch. The Palace houses the Musée Lorrain, which is
currently under renovation. Don’t miss the nearby Cordeliers
Church, the resting place of ducal families, including Philippa
de Gueldres, wife of René II, whose recumbent figure was
sculpted by the famous Ligier Richier.
The Dukes always linger in the shadows but the old town
has other surprises: here a gurgling fountain, there a secret
courtyard, a burst of flowers and pots, a stylish dwelling or a
34 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
WHERE TO STAY
The charming Hôtel d’Haussonville is a historic mansion in the
Old Town, close to Place Stanislas. Beyond the delicate wrought
iron gate, a traditional courtyard leads you to reception and rooms
and suites (seven altogether) offering refinement and comfort,
each on a different theme. There’s a pleasant breakfast room and a
spacious lounge with a fireplace.
Rue Monseigneur Trouillet
Tel: (+33) 3 83 35 85 84
www.hotel-haussonville.fr
WHERE TO EAT
Brasserie L’Excelsior welcomes you with glowing BelleÉpoque décor and the convivial atmosphere of a traditional French
brasserie. Based on freshness and quality, menus vary according to
season but beyond the ever-popular seafood, local specialities have
pride of place. The two-course ‘Menu Express’ starts at €30.
Rue Henri Poincaré
Tel: (33) 3 83 35 24 57
www.excelsior-nancy.fr
TOURISM INFORMATION
www.nancy-tourisme.fr/en
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COME ABOARD FOR AN
UNFORGETTABLE RENDEZ-VOUS WITH PARIS
N°1
C R U IS E S O N
T H E R I V E R S E IN E
At the foot of the Eiffel Tower,
Port de la Bourdonnais, Paris 7ème
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BOOK YOUR LUNCH
OR DINNER CRUISE
N AT U R E ❘ F R A N C E ’ S F A V O U R I T E T R E E S
THE ROOTS OF FRANCE
The winners of France’s annual Tree of the Year competition have
been announced. Justin Postlethwaite spoke to those who proudly
nominated the winning arbres about what the trees – and the prize –
mean to them and their community
W
e all have our favourite tree – a place
of shade or shelter, a waymarker on a
preferred walking route, or un arbre
so beautiful we just stand and stare in
admiration no matter which season.
In France, they honour such natural
wonders, not simply to lavish praise on decades, centuries even,
of slow-grown elegance and beauty, but also to recognise the
place that a tree has in the hearts and minds of those who live
near it, who fondly visit it, or who protect and care for it.
Organised by the magazine Terre Sauvage and the National
Forestry Office (ONF) since 2011, L’Arbre de l’Année (Tree of
the Year) is more than just a ‘Miss France’ for fine-looking trees.
Yes, there is an aesthetic element to the contest but the trees
are also selected for their naturalist and historical
characteristics, as well as for the links they have forged with
local people over time.
Each year a jury selects a final shortlist of one candidate tree
per region (including overseas territories) from a longlist of up
to 150, each nominated locally by individuals or groups. (In the
Île-de-France region, a jury formed by L’Agence des espaces
verts (AEV) selects the tree that will represent their region.)
A Terre Sauvage photographer goes to each region to
photograph the nominated trees and an online vote opens to the
public; once counted and revealed each January, this provides
the Public Prize, won in 2022 by a magnificent hêtre pleureur
(weeping beech) in Cassel, Nord (Hauts-de-France). There
36 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
were a total of 28,536 votes, with the Cassel cracker earning
nearly 5,600 of them. At a prize-giving ceremony in Paris, two
other main prizes were handed out: the Jury Award, granted
by specialists in trees and nature from Terre Sauvage, ONF
(Office National des Forêts), association A.R.B.R.E.S., and the
LPO (League for the Protection of Birds); and the Coup de
Coeur Prize, sponsored by ecological product company l’Arbre
Vert. These prizes were won, respectively, by a beech in a
canyon at Saint-Hubert, Moselle (Grand-Est) and le ficus de
Jarry, a splendid weeping fig on the island of Guadeloupe
looked after by young people on a work insertion programme.
The French public’s Tree of the Year then has the further
honour of representing France for the following year’s European
tree competition, whose goal is clear: “The purpose of the
European Tree of the Year is to highlight the significance of old
trees in the natural and cultural heritage that deserve our care
and protection. Unlike other contests, the European Tree of the
Year doesn’t focus on beauty, size or age but rather on the tree’s
story and its connection to people. We are looking for trees
that have become a part of the wider community. An exhibition
will later present nominees in their photographed glory.”
www.treeoftheyear.org
France Today spoke with the passionate tree lovers and local
representatives whose botanical beloveds emerged as the three
category winners. Explore more, including images of all the
French competition nominees, at www.arbredelannee.com
(in French only).
F R A N C E ’ S F A V O U R I T E T R E E S ❘ N AT U R E
NAME AND POSITION
Fabrice Duhoo, Deputy Mayor of Cassel for Economic
Development, Culture and Environment.
CATEGORY WINNER
The public prize.
You must be very happy to have won?
It brings great satisfaction because we mobilised
collectively for more than a year to first nominate the
beech tree to represent the Hauts-de-France region and,
once nominated, to vote and have people vote.
Where can we find this splendid tree?
This beech tree is located at the top of Mount Cassel,
which is the highest mountain in Flanders. In the heart
of the public garden, it is next to a windmill that used
to produce flour.
Why did you choose this tree to compete?
Why is it so special?
The beech is ornamental and giant. It has been named
by the people of Cassel ‘the beech of meetings’. It has
witnessed the history of the town and the intimate
history of the Casselois because family events are
regularly immortalised on photos taken at the foot of
the tree: bachelorette parties, weddings, first kisses,
parties, family gatherings…
The local people must be proud of this tree?
The people of Cassel come to gather there, to take a
picture beneath it. Proof of their attachment to the
beech tree is that the people of Cassel mobilised
themselves so that it won the contest. They expressed
themselves differently according to their skills and talents.
Some of them have done documentary research.
Others tried to capture its image through photography,
painting, sculpture, video, time-lapse technique. The
literary ones wrote poems, stories, tales. Others have
walked the markets and the shopping malls to
encourage people to vote.
IMAGES © TERRE SAUVAGE, EMMANUEL BOITIER
Can you tell us a bit about of
the history of this tree?
We do not have any documents that allow us to date
the planting of the beech tree precisely. However,
research has allowed us to find the first thoughts of the
elected officials about developing the public garden. They
date from 1867. A photograph of Cassel notables
taken at the foot of the beech tree allow us to date its
planting to the 1880s.
It has been very lucky. In 1911, the mill less than a
hundred metres from the beech tree burned down,
but not the tree. During wartime bombing raids,
neighbouring houses were destroyed but the beech
tree survived.
This page and opposite:
The weeping beech in
Cassel and Fabrice Duhoo,
Cassel’s deputy mayor
What will the prize which you
won mean for the city/region?
Inland Flanders is particularly dynamic. The
unemployment rate is low. Apart from being able to
work there, it is an area with an exceptional setting for
those who love nature. Our ‘beech of meetings’
illustrates this well. Due to global warming, beech
trees are disappearing from France. Their image gives
meaning to the efforts required to manage waste,
reduce energy consumption and natural resources.
Can the public visit?
Yes. The public garden is open to all.You can’t pass by
without noticing it, it is so majestic. ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 37
N AT U R E ❘ F R A N C E ’ S F A V O U R I T E T R E E S
NAME AND POSITION
Delphine Stegre, president of the association Hêtre
Vit Vent.
CATEGORY WINNER
Prize of the Jury, granted by specialists in trees and
nature: Magazine Terre Sauvage, ONF (Office National
des Forêts), association A.R.B.R.E.S., LPO (Ligue pour la
Protection des Oiseaux).
Below: Saint-Hubert
mayor Sylvie Richard
with François Hirtz and
Delphine Stegre from
the association Hêtre Vit
Vent, who campaigned
successfully on behalf of
the canyon beech tree
You must be very happy to have won?
We are very happy, especially when we read the jury’s
description: “In the small forest commune of SaintHubert, by chance on a walk, hides a treasure […] The
jury’s choice fell on the canyon beech because beyond
its aesthetic characteristics, the jury was touched by its
resilience, its size and its root system embracing the
rock, giving this canyon a phantasmagorical landscape.”
So the professionals agree with us about the
uniqueness, magic, unrealness even, of the place.
Where exactly is this magnificent tree?
Chemin des Gros Trembles, 57640 Saint-Hubert,
Moselle (300m from the village). It is located on a hiking
trail of La Communauté de Communes (CDC) Haut
Chemin – Pays de Pange. The trail is known as ‘la
Source Charlemagne’, since it also passes by this spring
that the legend says was born thanks to the hoof of
Charlemagne’s horse that scratched the ground.
Why did you choose this tree to compete?
Why is it so special?
This tree is a common beech, Fagus Sylvatica being
its Latin name. It is 25m tall, has a straight trunk and
a harmonious crown.
This tree is special because it has developed on top
of a small canyon wall. Its base is therefore several
metres above the ground, above our heads when we
walk on the path. Part of its impressive root system is
visible. As it is located at the top of the path, at the
place where the rocky walls approach, it appears
immediately in our field of vision and seems majestic.
But in reality, it is the whole of the small canyon that
is impressive because many other trees (ash, beech, oak,
cherry…) grow on top of the cliffs, on both sides of the
path, creating a remarkable alley with an alignment of
trees whose roots can be admired.
Can you tell us a little of its history?
It grew on crumbly rock which is not favourable to the
growth of trees: its age is difficult to estimate – it is
about 100 years old, maybe even 150.
As for the canyon, its precise history is not recorded,
but it seems that at the base, it was a path dug in
antiquity by the Celts. It was initially not very deep but
water running down it during rainy periods carried
pieces of rock and carved its way further, thus creating
the cliffs seen today.
The local people must be proud of this tree?
Yes, because it is a symbol, it gives us a lesson of life:
even when the context is unfavourable, if we fight to
overcome obstacles, we can grow and succeed in
becoming a beautiful ‘being’.
What does the prize you won
mean for the city/region?
Our goals are to have the canyon classified as a
‘Remarkable Alley’ by the A.R.B.R.E.S. association, which
grants this label allowing a better protection of this
place and to make the Moselle department better
through its natural heritage
Can the public visit it?
Yes, it is located on a public road and easily accessible.
38 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
F R A N C E ’ S F A V O U R I T E T R E E S ❘ N AT U R E
NAME AND POSITION
Captain Laurine Crichton, communications officer,
RSMA (Régiment du Service Militaire Adapté de la
Guadeloupe).
CATEGORY WINNER
The jury’s Coup de Coeur.
You must be very happy to have won?
Yes, we are very happy to have won this prize, it is a
great reward for our young volunteers who train daily
with this tree and a recognition of the technical
know-how of our trainers.
Where is the tree located?
This 42-year-old ficus is located on La Jaille camp of the
Guadeloupe adapted military service regiment (RSMA),
more precisely within its educational farm.
Why did you choose this tree to compete in
the contest? Why is it so special?
We chose to present this tree because it is the most
emblematic tree of the regiment. It is also the oldest
tree at 42 years old, and has accompanied generations
of young volunteers in the agricultural and
environmental fields of the RSMA – it can be said that
it is an intergenerational tree within the regiment. Our
application was important to highlight the RSMA in
Guadeloupe but also the adapted military service at a
national level. Through participation in the competition,
we are highlighting the beautiful mission of the SMA,
which is to train and integrate young overseas people
aged 18 to 25 into working life.
IMAGES © TERRE SAUVAGE, AURÉLIEN BRUSINI, EMMANUEL BOITIER
It must be a source of great local pride…
Our volunteer interns are proud of this tree and of the
Coup de Coeur award. We have also received many
messages of congratulations from our partners, the
region, the ONF, the prefecture, Miss Guadeloupe,
Miss France and others.
Tell us something of the tree’s history…
This tree has been accompanying young volunteers
from Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin in their training
within the Guadeloupe adapted military service
regiment for over 40 years. Its aesthetics contribute to
their development into solid, dynamic, supportive and
generous men and women. The tree shelters a pond
with about 20 ducks and geese and two Florida turtles.
The Guadeloupe Adapted Military Service Regiment
is a socio-professional integration scheme that recruits
around 600 young people per year aged 18 to 25 who
are far from employment, preparing them for 30
professions with an integration rate of over 80%. This
tree is located within the educational farm, which is
currently being converted to organic farming, and which
hosts the volunteer trainees in the life sciences section.
This section trains trainees in different professions:
multi-purpose agricultural worker (market gardening
and animal husbandry), multi-purpose environmental
worker (pruning) and multi-purpose environmental
agent (landscaping).
From top: Some of
the young volunteers in
Guadeloupe for whom le
ficus de Jarry, a 42-year-old
weeping fig, is a valuable,
much-loved learning tool
What does the prize mean
to your community?
It brings us pride and distinction for the beautiful
archipelago that is Guadeloupe and for the Caribbean
basin. It is also a testimony to the know-how of our
trainers for more than 40 years. It brings young people
closer to their natural heritage.
Can the public visit it?
Yes, people can come and see it during the RSMA open
days on May 13 and 14, 2023. FT
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 39
W H E R E TO S TAY ❘ H I G H LY R E C O M M E N D E D
WHERE TO STAY
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40 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
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O U T D O O R F R A N C E ❘ H A U T- L A N G U E D O C
PEAK PLEASURE
W
e train our binoculars here, we train
them there, but we cannot spot les
mouflons anywhere. ‘What are
mouflons?’ you ask. They’re wild
mountain sheep that were introduced
into the Haut-Languedoc Regional
Nature Park from Corsica in 1956. But they’re somewhat
skittish, so it’s best to look for them either early in the
morning just after sunrise or in the evening when, once again,
they have the wilds of the park virtually to themselves.
It’s a shame about the sheep, but the landscape more than
compensates. It is early July and the earth, baked dry under
the midi sun, is carpeted in glorious purple heather
42 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
(bruyère) interwoven with dense patches of gorse that bloom
golden yellow in the spring. It is also studded with outcrops of
craggy, greyish-white gneiss, a type of rock speckled with
quartz. Elsewhere, there are verdant pine and oak trees, and
in the distance, jagged peaks stand sentinel over deep gorges.
Altogether, this makes the scenery strongly reminiscent of the
Lake District or the Scottish Highlands. But, as well as
boasting plenty of sunshine across the year and its own special
character, the Parc Naturel Régional du Haut-Languedoc
offers a richly biodiverse and unspoilt environment that
attracts nature lovers from far and wide, even if it remains
relatively undiscovered. Created in 1973, it covers an area of
more than 300,000 hectares, lying at the southern end of the
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, STEPHEN TURNBULL
Stephen Turnbull discovers a mountainous paradise at the
hear t of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature Park
H A U T- L A N G U E D O C ❘ O U T D O O R F R A N C E
Main image and
below: On the hunt
for the shy and retiring
mouflons who have
set up home in
Haut-Languedoc
Regional Nature Park
Massif Central and spanning the Hérault and Tarn
départements in roughly equal measure. Its many attractions
include the Cathar village of Minerve to the south, and the
gigantic, gravity-defying rocks of Sidobre to the northwest.
But arguably the most picturesque part, and certainly the
most spectacular, lies at its heart in Hérault. This is dominated
by the mighty Caroux-Éspinouse massif, where the mouflons
roam, and the River Orb, from which the Vallée de l’Orb takes
its name. The river winds its way along the valley from east to
west, then courses southwards via the historic city of Béziers,
before reaching the Mediterranean. Later, accompanied by
Jean-Christophe Mahieu from the local tourist office, we are
treated to a fascinating talk on the sheep by our guide, Olivier
Lefebvre. Fetching out some large, spiral-shaped horns from
his satchel, he tells us these belonged to adult males and
explains that their prominent ridges indicate years of growth,
similar to tree rings. He then points out that males become
increasingly solitary as they age, although, like the females,
they are quite gregarious and inquisitive in their youth. Our
mouflon ‘hunt’ over (actual hunting of the animals is strictly ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 43
IMAGES © STEPHEN TURNBULL
O U T D O O R F R A N C E ❘ H A U T- L A N G U E D O C
regulated), we trundle back to the hamlet of
Douch from where we’d set out. With its typically
rustic stone buildings, which include a communal
bread oven and several gîtes, Douch serves as an
outdoor activity hub, particularly for hikers
drawn to the many wonderful walks in the area.
The most popular of these, the Randonnée du
Sommet du Caroux, takes in the Table
d’Orientation, a superb belvedere offering
marvellous views of the Orb and Jaur valleys
below and the Mediterranean and Pyrenees
beyond. Arriving in Douch, we finally clap eyes
on a mouflon, and a magnificent male one at that
– sadly, it is in the form of a statue erected in
2019. However, this celebrates the success of the
park in enabling the species to thrive (its
population of around 2,000 is now the largest in
France) and in turning it into an instantly
recognisable emblem.
Afterwards, we take a short drive up the valley
to explore the Gorges d’Héric. Carved deep into
the mountainous rock of Caroux by the elements,
and protected as a natural site since 1993, this is
44 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Clockwise from above:
Cycling along the Passa
Païs; counting the years on
a mouflon horn; a beautiful
peak near Douch; the
mouflon statue at Douch;
one of the emerald pools
at the gorgeous Gorges
d’Héric; the picturesque
plateau du Caroux
H A U T- L A N G U E D O C ❘ O U T D O O R F R A N C E
“IT’S A TRULY BREATHTAKING SPOT, WITH A STREAM THAT
FEEDS A CHAIN OF WATERFALLS AND EMERALD POOLS”
a truly breathtaking beauty spot, with a
cascading stream that feeds a chain of waterfalls
and emerald pools. The further you go up the
gorge along the wide and gently climbing path,
which doubles as a nature trail, the more chance
you have of finding a secluded spot to enjoy a
refreshing paddle or dip and a well-earned picnic.
Not surprisingly, the site is also popular with
hikers who venture to the hamlet of Héric, about
5km upstream, and beyond, as well as climbers
and other outdoor activity enthusiasts. However,
it’s the kind of place that anyone of any age can
enjoy, although it’s better to come off-season
when it’s much quieter.
BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES
To finish off our fun-packed day as far as the
activities go, we take an e-bike ride from the
pretty village of Mons-la-Trivalle at the foot of
Caroux, down the Passa Païs. Formerly a railway
line, this is part of the Voie Verte (Green Way)
national network and stretches almost 80km from
Bédarieux in the east to Mazamet in the west. As
well as more marvellous views of the valley and
mountains, it offers plenty of cooling shade from
tunnels and overhanging trees, and unlike the
terrain in general, is mostly flat. This makes it
perfect for walking and horse riding too.
In the evening, we stroll through the pictureperfect Plus Beau Village of Olargues and take
our table at the appropriately named Fleurs
d’Olargues. The gastronomic food and excellent
service are second to none, and if there is a more
romantic setting for a restaurant anywhere in the
south of France, I have yet to see it.
The following morning we take a 20-minute
drive to Roquebrun at the southern edge of the
park. Known locally as ‘Le Petit Nice’ (because ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 45
OUTDOOR FRANCE ❘
“BEST OF ALL IS THE LONG
STRETCHES WHERE THE
SOUND OF YOUR OAR
DIPPING IN THE WATER IS
ALL YOU CAN HEAR”
and the long stretches of water where it is so
peaceful the sound of your oar dipping in the
water is all you can hear.
Later, we conclude our trip to Haut-Languedoc
with a visit to the Domaine du Vieux Chai, a
vineyard back up the valley in the charming
hamlet of Ceps which we passed earlier in the
canoe. The domaine is run by two sisters, Sophie
and Florence Jean-Laguna, the latest generation
of a long-standing family business. Their wines
are labelled as ‘haute valeur
environnementale’, which means technically
they are not organic, but they are produced
under the acclaimed Saint-Chinian AOC and,
judging from our tasting, reflect the richness of
its terroir. So the secret is out. The mountainous
heart of the Haut-Languedoc Regional Nature
Park may not be widely known, but it holds a
natural paradise with a host of attractions.
No wonder so many keep coming back. FT
From top: The
wonderfully romantic
Fleurs d’Olargues
restaurant; beautiful
Roquebrun with its ‘beach’;
Canoë Roquebrun with the
village in the background
its position looking down on the River Orb is
reminiscent of the views from the corniche on
the Mediterranean coast), this is another gem
of a village, with its Mediterranean gardens full
of exotic plants.
But its main attraction is the canoeing,
provided by Canoë Roquebrun. The company
offers a variety of trips (some lasting two to three
days) to suit all ages and abilities. And as we
soon discover, there is plentiful wonderful
wildlife as well as white water thrills to enjoy on
the river. But best of all is the glorious scenery
HAUT-LANGUEDOC ESSENTIALS
WHERE TO STAY
BY AIR
Fly direct from London Gatwick
to Montpellier via easyJet.
Ryanair also flies from several
UK regional airports to the
Occitanie region. Béziers is the
closest airport to Haut-Languedoc
Regional Nature Park but
Perpignan and Carcassonne are
within a comfortable drive too.
Maison d’Els
Charming chambre d’hôtes in the
heart of Olargues run by artist,
Els Knockaert (her studio/gallery
is on the ground floor). Three
spacious bedrooms. Guests share
the kitchen, lounge and attractive
courtyard. Doubles from around
€50 per night.
+33 (0)6 17 45 47 05
elsknockaert.com/fr/la-maison-els
TRAIN
Paris Gare de Lyon to Montpellier
takes about 3½ hours and costs
around €60 return if you buy your
ticket in advance.
46 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
WHERE TO EAT
Fleurs d’Olargues
Stunningly situated gastronomic
restaurant in Olargues offering
Mediterranean/modern French/
international cuisine. Vegetarians
and vegans are also catered for.
Mains from around €20.
+33(0)4 67 97 27 04
facebook.com/fleursdeolargues
WHAT TO DO
Happy Ride Bike
This e-bike hire in Mons-la-Trivalle
offers a choice of guided and
self-guided trips. They offer a very
friendly and efficient service and
English is spoken. Half-day hire
costs €35.
+33(0)6 85 22 64 73
www.happyridebike.com
Canoë Roquebrun
Canoeing centre in Roquebrun
with great location and service.
Snack bar on-site. Safety (helmets
strongly advised) and storage
equipment provided. Two-person
canoe 10km trip: €50.
+33(0)4 67 89 52 90
canoeroquebrun.com
TOURIST INFORMATION
minervois-caroux.com
Download the handy smartphone
app Circuits du Minervois au
Caroux on Apple and Android
(an English version is available) to
discover the trails in the area.
IMAGES © STEPHEN TURNBULL
GETTING THERE
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I N T H E F O OT S T E P S O F ❘ P I C A S S O
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF
PICASSO
Picasso was both revered and reviled in France, as
Chloe Govan discovers while marking the 50th
anniversary of the Francophile painter’s death
O
ne of Pablo Picasso’s
trademark passions in life
– alongside art and
women – was his adopted
home country of France.
By the time the Malagaborn artist (whose first ever word was
“piz”, an abbreviation of lapiz, the
Spanish word for pencil) hit his teens, his
passion for Paris had compelled him to
leave his relatively comfortable middleclass life in Spain and plunge himself into
abject poverty. From his permanent
relocation to France aged 19 until his
death in Mougins at the age of 91, he
earned himself various labels – from
“billionaire communist” to “honorary
citizen” – so it’s safe to say his profile
polarised public opinion.
POVERTY IN PARIS
Though some later regarded him as a
wealthy political oppressor, his early
beginnings were far from that; in fact,
Picasso was painfully poor and his Paris
apartment was so cold he would burn
much of his own work shortly after
creating it just to keep warm.
Later, he shared a studio with his
volatile pal Carles Casagemas, who shot
himself after being spurned by a love
interest. The scene of his suicide was
the Hippodrome Café in Paris, at 128
Boulevard de Clichy (today the Bel-Ami
restaurant and bar), the street where
Picasso had his studio, although he was
away in Madrid at the time. Picasso
honoured his late friend with a seemingly
Van Gogh-inspired expressionist painting,
The Death of Casagemas.
Picasso in his Montmartre studio in 1908
Such drama might not have seemed the
best environment to fuel his creativity,
but Picasso thrived in Paris and by 1904
he had left Spain for ever. It was at this
point that he transitioned from his Blue
Period, which channelled the angst of the
abject poverty and frustration he’d seen
around him, to his Rose Period, with art
that was more joyful and optimistic.
Having now opened multiple studios and
gained a foothold in his host city, he was
no longer feeling the blues.
He was heavily inspired during this
period by Montmartre, filling his
paintings with acrobats, harlequins and
showgirls. His studio was just doors away
from the Moulin Rouge, where
bellydancers writhed inside a giant
wooden elephant. Life saw Picasso toiling
away at his studio by day and enjoying
lavish theatrical performances of dance,
drama, cabaret and circus by night.
The saucier side of life was
immortalised in Les Demoiselles
d’Avignon, his first major foray into
Cubism. It was inspired by a visit to the
Palais du Trocadéro’s ethnographic
museum, where he was introduced to
African art and masks. Picasso later
recalled that moment, wandering, rapt,
among the artefacts, as the time when
the Demoiselles came alive, in his “first
exorcising painting” ever.
CAFÉ CULTURE
Picasso was a regular at Moulin de la Galette
48 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
He rushed home to create his
masterpiece at Le Bateau Lavoir, at 13
Rue Ravignan, where his latest studio
was located. The venue, whose name
translates to ‘laundry boat’ in a nod to
the public washing boats that were once
moored around the Seine, was popular
with artists seeking rock-bottom rental
fees. The building – recreated after a fire
in the 1970s – has since been privatised
by modern-day resident artists, although
a plaque commemorating its history
still remains there.
Picasso’s other favourite haunts
included the Café de la Rotonde (which
is still open today), where the owner
accepted artwork in lieu of payment for
coffee and cake. Here Picasso indulged
in snacks with famous pals such as
Cocteau and Modigliani.
Back in Montmartre, those following in
Picasso’s footsteps can also visit the
Moulin de la Galette, a restaurant with a
huge windmill atop its roof in a nod to
the district’s agricultural roots. Sadly
Cirque Medrano, the circus venue where
he gained inspiration for some of his
most acclaimed early work, no longer
exists. Once a visual feast of violinwielding clowns and lithe acrobats
juggling bottles beneath their feet with
astonishing speed and dexterity, it is
today the venue of a rather less exciting
Carrefour supermarket. The show, once
adored by Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir
too, now tours the country.
Picasso and pals at Café de la Rotonde in 1916
Another of Picasso’s Parisian haunts
was the Louvre – and, in 1911, he came
perilously close to being convicted of the
theft of its most famous mascot – the
Mona Lisa. Today, the masterpiece is
protected by state-of-the-art security in
its own bulletproof case – but back in
Picasso’s day, it wasn’t even bolted to the
wall, fastened instead from a few shaky
hooks. Once, in a bid to prove how dismal
the security was, a reporter even slipped
into a sarcophagus for the night – an
intrusion which went entirely
undetected. With a skeleton crew
guarding some 250,000 exhibits, it was
only a matter of time before France’s
national treasure was swiped away.
P I C A S S O ❘ I N T H E F O OT S T E P S O F
Security wasn’t always the best at the Louvre
IMAGES © WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, BENH LIEU SONG, MATHIEU BROSSAIS
DAY IN COURT
When the worst happened, Picasso
instantly became a suspect. He’d been
close to poet Guillaume Apollinaire,
whose secretary had stolen smaller items
from the Louvre previously and sold the
spoils – two Iberian sculptures – to him.
Picasso and his pal panicked and plotted
to throw them in the Seine at the dead of
night to exonerate themselves, before
having a change of heart and returning
them. Now, as he stood accused of
stealing the Mona Lisa, Picasso wept
bitterly before the judge and denied ever
having seen Apollinaire before. The case
was eventually thrown out, and an Italian
Louvre employee who’d wanted to return
Da Vinci’s work to its country of origin
was found guilty instead.
Surprisingly, Picasso and Apollinaire’s
friendship endured after the trial and the
latter was even one of the best men
(along with Jean Cocteau) at Picasso’s
1918 wedding to ballet dancer Olga
Khokhlova, held at the Russian Orthodox
Cathédrale Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky, in
the 8th arrondissement.
Picasso continued to experiment with
Cubism and Surrealism, and in 1937 he
set up a new attic studio at 7 Rue GrandsAugustins, which is now a protected
landmark. Why was this studio
significant? It was a symbol of the
Resistance movement and Picasso’s
desire to triumph against censorship
amid one of the most catastrophic wars
the world had ever seen. Within weeks of
moving in, the Spanish town of Guernica
was bombed by Nazi war planes, causing
thousands of casualties. In response,
Picasso indulged in some art therapy
– and soon, one of his most famous
paintings of all time was born. Named
after the town itself, it depicted the chaos
and carnage of war, and among the
screaming and terrified people is the
harrowing image of a dead baby.
Before long, France, too, was in the
Nazis’ clutches, and no one was safe.
Alongside human casualties, creativity
was also under threat. Picasso was
branded the “most degenerate artist in
the world”, while some around him had
their homes raided and artworks
confiscated. Picasso delivered a scathing
retort when visiting soldiers asked him of
Guernica, “Did you do that?”. “No,”
Picasso shot back. “You did.”
He refused to leave his beloved Paris –
even when Nazi occupation turned it
upside down. His books were banned,
and exhibitions prohibited, but he’d come
to Paris to be part of a movement of
freedom-loving creatives, so it was a
matter of principle for him to refuse to
abandon those values – even when many
fellow artists gave up and fled. Works
Picasso was accused of stealing the Mona Lisa
such as Weeping Woman kept his
creative spirit engaged during the war. He
also became ever more innovative, getting
bronze smuggled in by Resistance forces
so that, after the Nazis outlawed bronze
casting, he could carry on creating his
sculptures in secret.
Picasso continued to suffer in silence
until Paris was liberated, but by 1946,
he’d fallen in love with the Riviera town of
Antibes. But before leaving the capital to
follow in his footsteps south, a must on
any art lover’s itinerary is a visit to the
Musée Picasso, in Rue de Thorigny in the
Marais. Boasting 5,000 of his artworks, it
bills itself as “the world’s richest public
collection” ever created on the artist.
Setting aside a day to explore this
veritable goldmine is essential.
LIFE IN THE SOUTH
The Musée Picasso in Antibes is a far
more modest collection of his work,
but it comes with the added bonus of its
location in the Château Grimaldi – the
artist’s former home. He spent a mere
matter of months there, but donated most
of the work produced during that time to
the town. It was in Antibes where he was
awarded the official title of ‘Honorary
Citizen’ – and reportedly received a much
warmer welcome than in politically
fraught post-war Paris. Picasso then
flitted through a number of Riviera towns,
settling in Vallauris, near Nice, for several
years. There’s a museum dedicated to
him there, named the Musée national
Pablo Picasso – La Guerre et la Paix, and
true to its name, there’s an awe-inspiring
installation featuring images of both war
and peace, side by side.
Later, he settled with second wife
Jacqueline Roque, who was 46 years his
junior, in Vauvenargues, a stone’s throw
from Aix-en-Provence. The pair found a
huge château with hilltop views of Mont
Sainte-Victoire – the same picturesque
landscapes that were immortalised by
Paul Cézanne, whom Picasso openly
revered as “my one and only master”.
Finally, for the last 12 years of his life,
Picasso chose the hilltop village of
Mougins to call home. Though it was way
off the tourist radar at the time, it’s now
an obligatory hideaway for celebrities
seeking seclusion while attending the
Cannes Film Festival in the city below.
For anyone seeking their own grand
retreat in the sumptuous style to which
Picasso had become accustomed, Le
Manoir de l’Étang in Mougins ticks all the
boxes. A hilltop manor house with its
own lake set in four hectares of land and
boasting incredible views, it’s the perfect
place to base yourself for a spot of
Picasso is buried at Château de Vauvenargues
sightseeing. Mougins was Picasso’s final
port of call before he sadly succumbed to
a cardiac arrest aged 91.
Due to his communist leanings and
locals’ perceptions of his excessive
wealth, the mayor of the village
reportedly refused to bury him there, so
he was laid to rest in the gardens at the
Château de Vauvenargues instead.
Picasso was a divisive character, yet he
was intensely loved by his friends and
followers. In fact, his wife Jacqueline was
so devoted she chose suicide rather than
continuing to live without him.
With the 50th anniversary of his death
on April 8 this year, there’s never been a
better time to plan your own Picasso
pilgrimage, from his beginnings in Paris
to his final resting place in the south. FT
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 49
TA S T E T H E T E R R O I R ❘ S A I N T- P É R AY
TASTE THE TERROIR
Your monthly serving of news, views, dégustations and other titbits
from the rich larder of la Belle France
Vouvray producers adapt the style
of the wine to reflect the variable
weather conditions
STAYING POWER
Deep in the Middle Loire, Dominic Rippon discovers the secrets of Vouvray’s long-lived whites
IMAGES © ODG VOUVRAY
Visiting the vineyards of Vouvray, a stone’s
throw from the medieval city of Tours,
feels like taking a journey back in time.
They rise from the northern bank of the
Loire and perch on a sheltered plateau of
soft limestone called tuffeau. Ancient
troglodyte dwellings are cut into the small
tuffeau cliffs beneath the vines; some are
used as wine cellars, while others have
been converted into modern homes. There
are even a few atmospheric troglodyte
restaurants, where you can sip the wines
beneath the vineyards where they grew.
Vouvray is a white wine made only from
the chenin blanc grape – king of the
Middle Loire’s white varieties. The weather
here is notoriously variable, so vignerons
produce a range of styles to reflect
weather conditions during each vintage.
Perhaps ironically, the fashionable
sparkling Vouvray, made by the traditional
method, is favoured when weather is cool
and variable, and when grapes must be
picked early because of autumn rain. Years
with grey skies and uneven ripening, like
50 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
2014, favour dry wines; while the warmer
years with Indian summers make fine
medium-dry (demi-sec) and sweet
moelleux dessert wines. And in years
like 2015, for instance, when the
conditions are ideal for the development
of noble rot, the most concentrated and
sumptuous stickies are made.
Most Vouvray is blended from various
vineyards – an important option in an
unpredictable climate – but Vouvray’s
best sites, such as Le Mont, Le Haut Lieu,
and Clos du Bourg, all owned by Domaine
Huet, wear their names proudly on bottle
labels. These are some of the finest, and
age-worthy, white wines not just in the
Loire Valley, but anywhere in France.
A WINE FOR ALL SEASONS
Sparkling Vouvray, which comes in both
sec and demi-sec styles, offers delicious
apple and brioche aromas combined with
bracing, full flavours.
Dry Vouvray can be intensely mineral,
and sometimes needs a few years to show
its more flattering fruit flavours. Demi-sec
is a riper style, made from later harvested
grapes, with pear and quince aromas,
while moelleux wines show exotic,
candied fruits and, when noble rot occurs,
intensely honeyed notes. The combination
of fruit intensity and high acidity means
the best sweet Vouvrays can age gracefully
for many decades.
DOMINIC’S CHOICE
Château Gaudrelle
www.chateaugaudrelle.com
CHOICE WINE: Vouvray ‘L’Extra Brut’ NV
(sparkling)
Domaine Champalou
champalou.com
CHOICE WINE: Vouvray demi-sec ‘Les
Fondraux’ 2020
Domaine Huet
www.domainehuet.com
CHOICE WINE: Vouvray ‘Clos du Bourg’
Première Trie moelleux 2015
C AT C H O F T H E D AY ❘ TA S T E T H E T E R R O I R
CHEESE
BOARD
IMAGES © PIERRE-YVES BEAUDOUIN/WIKIMEDIA, LA PAYSANNE DES MERS/FACEBOOK, LE TRAIN BLEU, BOUILLON CHARTIER, BOUILLON RACINE
With Nick Bayne, Cheese
Specialist, at The Fine Cheese Co.
For many, the Loire Valley conjures up
images of historic châteaux atop rolling
hills, medieval townhouses in Tours,
and Sauvignon Blanc vineyards fuelled
by the Cher and Loire. For those of us
who work in cheese, however, La Loire
means one thing: chèvre. Goatherding
in this region can be traced back to
Saracen rule before the 8th century, and
over 80% of French goat’s cheese is still
made here. This is the land of young, soft
cheeses made in intriguing shapes: SainteMaure de Touraine (pictured), Selles-surCher,Valençay, Pouligny-Saint-Pierre, and
Crottin de Chavignol.
Spring is a special time for those of
us lucky enough to work with these
beautiful cheeses. Kidding season has just
ended, which means that incredible earlyseason milk is ready to show its stuff.
With higher percentages of nutrients
and an increase in aromatic compounds
from fresh forage, spring milk just begs
to be enjoyed quickly. Ripened for only
a few weeks with barely-there rinds of
wrinkly geotrichum mould, the best Loire
cheeses of April and May will tantalise
with complex, subtle, and milky flavours.
If you can’t make it to the Loire
Valley, transport yourself with a glass of
Sancerre and a perfect little fromage!
www.finecheese.co.uk
From the shores…
NAME YOUR POISSON
A firm fixture on the shores around Calais and Côte d’Opale, coastal
forager Myriam Pont has spent the past four decades hunched over mussel
banks and rock pools on the hunt for the freshest shellfish.
And discerning foodies travel from far and wide to her humble aubette
(stall), Pêche à Pied, on Calais’s quai de la Calonne, to sample her daily haul
of whelks, prawns, cockles, fresh and smoked fish.
Deeply connected to the natural world and on a lifelong mission to
protect it, Myriam, affectionately known as ‘la paysanne des mers’ (peasant
of the seas), often quips that she has two mothers: the one who gave birth
to her and the one who nourishes her every day.
“I started mussel foraging when I was seven or eight years old for pocket
money and, professionally, from the age of 15 and a half,” she recalls. “I was
not interested in school; I wanted to work with nature. I was much more
interested in the school of life.”
The mother-of-four has since turned her one-woman operation into a
family concern. In fact, her son is now in charge of the business’s website
and online shop. “The next generation of coastal foragers is picking up the
baton and building our future,” she says. “Thanks to our online shop we can
deliver a range of seafood in 24 hours anywhere in France.” Myriam and
her team are about to become a household name in France: they have just
finished filming a new TV show with chef Norbert Tarayre.
lapaysannedesmers.com
From top: Myriam Pont
fishing for mussels; Pêche à
Pied is a family business
THE ART OF DINING
THREE ART NOUVEAU DINING SPOTS – EACH A MONUMENT HISTORIQUE – IN PARIS
LE TRAIN BLEU
This iconic restaurant in the Gare de Lyon will
whisk you back to the Belle-Époque when train
travel was at its most chic. Chandeliers, gilt,
leather banquettes and a first-class menu.
www.le-train-bleu.com/en
BOUILLON CHARTIER
The Roaring Twenties attracted the best of
Bohemian society to Montparnasse. Follow in their
wake and admire the glass roof in shimmering
colours, glittering mirrors and ornate wood.
www.bouillon-chartier.com/en
BOUILLON RACINE
Created in 1906 in the heart of the Latin Quarter,
Racine was renovated in 1996. Be wowed by the
bevelled mirrors, stained glass, chiselled
woodwork, marble mosaics and gilded leaf initials.
bouillonracine.fr
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 51
BON APPÉTIT ❘ FOOD & DRINK
BON APPÉTIT
Your tasty and topical round-up of what’s cooking this issue,
plus our choice of great product and restaurant news
FESTIVE
GOODIES
Three fabulous French gourmet gifts
for treating yourself or a loved one
CORSICAN CONFITURE
Visiting Ajaccio, Corsica? Head to
Caffé de Flore 1755 – they make
some fine jams, €8 for 350g.
DRINK UP THY CIDRE
Romain and Maxime are two pals
behind Cidre Mauret, giving AngloSaxon-style cider a French twist:
‘Le Praliné’ has a tang of hazelnut…
www.pourdebon.com
LE ROI DES GASTRO-PUBS
The Best Country Pub in France, according to Le Fooding’s 2023 awards,
is – quelle surprise! – run by an Englishman. Edward Delling-Williams, who runs
Le Presbytère in Heugueville-sur-Sienne, Normandy, trained in London before
crossing the Channel to work at Le Grand Bain in Paris, where he wowed diners
with his nouveau-British cuisine, before moving on to Buffet, also in Paris.
He describes Le Presbytère as a cross between an English pub and Norman
bistro. On Sundays, you can, of course, tuck into a “Sunday Roast anglais”…
CHESSE PAIRING
Maison Lorho, Strasbourg, is run by
Cyrille and Christelle Lorho, the only
Meilleur Ouvrier de France Cheese
Refiner couple in France.
www.maison-lohro.fr
52 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
EN SAISON As well as being a
nickname for someone cute, petit
pois is a springtime favourite for chefs
and home cooks in France. Stewed
with bacon and lettuce? Yes, please!
FOOD & DRINK ❘ BON APPÉTIT
Culinary awards
A TRUE SLICE OF FRENCH LIFE
The French take their apéro time – the pre-dinner
drinks and snacks get-together for friends or family –
very seriously. Which is why a saucisson sec guillotine,
crafted in wood with a razor-sharp slicing mechanism,
is a must-have for all true apéritif aficionados. Practical
as well as being a real talking point, this elegant So
Apéro model, deemed the original in a growing
market, is widely available for around €50.
• www.guillotine-saucisson.fr
IMAGES © BOCUSE D’OR FACEBOOK
DANISH TRIUMPH
Brian Mark Hansen’s team takes
the top prize at the prestigious
Lyon cookery competition.
Denmark has won the worldfamous Bocuse d’Or culinary
competition, with Norway taking
home the silver prize and Hungary
scooping bronze. This year, the
competition had a theme of fairy
tales, and the chefs, representing
24 nations around the world, were
also tasked with including egg in
their main dishes. The honorary
president was three-starred chef
Dominique Crenn, who is based
in San Francisco, while the 2021
Bocuse d’Or winner Davy Tissot
headed up the jury.
The Bocuse d’Or, which was
founded by legendary chef Paul
Bocuse in 1987, takes place every
two years and is considered one
of the most prestigious cooking
competitions in the world.
The menu by Denmark’s Brian
Mark Hansen was inspired by
Danish fairy tale legend Hans
Christian Andersen.
USING HIS LOAF
Anthony Coëplet, a canny boulanger in Meurthe-etMoselle, has found a way of avoiding astronomical
energy bills when baking his delicious bread: he has
gone back to the old-school, traditional woodburning oven. Cheaper, yes, and the oven stays
hotter for longer. But there is one drawback:
“You always have to manage the fire,” he told
France 3. “The fire is never the same every day.”
Food history fans visiting Paris should head to the major spring exhibition at
the Conciergerie. Dedicated to French gastronomy in the arts and society over
the centuries, it features augmented reality, manuscripts and more. Until July 16.
10 YEARS AS THE BEST OF THE
BANGERS
It’s the most sumptuous pork sausage
you’ve possibly never heard of, but the
lightly smoked saucisse de Montbéliard,
pride of the Franche-Comté region, is this
year celebrating a decade as an IGP
(Indication Géographique Protégée)
product. Made since the 14th century, what
sets this curved, firm-textured gem apart is
the addition of beautiful notes of caraway,
also called ‘meadow cumin’. Try some this
summer when you visit the region or source
some at the supermarket or boucherie to
sizzle on your holiday rental’s barbecue.
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 53
FOOD ❘ FERRANDI ON CHARCUTERIE
Perfect pies and pâtés
The mouthwatering new volume from the esteemed Ferrandi School
of Culinary Arts pays homage to charcuterie in all its forms
RABBIT RILLETTES
Serves 10 | Active time: 2 hours |
Cooking time: 1½ hours | Chilling time:
24–36 hours | Storage: 8 days in the
refrigerator
EQUIPMENT
Fine-mesh sieve
Terrine mould in the size and capacity of
your choice, or small cast-iron Dutch oven
INGREDIENTS
Rabbit rillettes
1 carrot
1 onion
5¼ oz (150 g) smoked bacon
Scant 1/3 cup (70 ml) olive oil
9lb (4kg) rabbit, preferably Rex du Poitou,
skinned and cut into 8 pieces
3 tbsp (1¾ oz/50 g) wholegrain mustard
1½ cups (350 ml) Sauvignon Blanc
About 4 cups (1 litre) white chicken stock
½ calf’s foot
2 sprigs thyme + 1 bay leaf
2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped chervil
1 tbsp finely chopped tarragon
Salt and freshly ground pepper
TO SERVE
10 slices toasted country bread
2 oz (50 g) lightly dressed mesclun greens
METHOD
Preparing the rabbit rillettes
1 Preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C/Gas
Mark 3).
2 Peel and quarter the carrot. Peel and finely
chop the onion. Cut the bacon into lardons.
3 Warm the olive oil in a Dutch oven over
high heat and, when hot, brown the rabbit
pieces all over. Add the carrot, onion, and
lardons, reduce the heat, and cook until the
vegetables are softened. Add the mustard
and cook until lightly browned. Deglaze with
the wine and reduce by a third. Add enough
chicken stock to just cover the meats and
vegetables and bring to a boil. Add the calf’s
foot, thyme, and bay leaf. Cover and cook in
the oven for 1½ hours.
4 Carefully transfer the rabbit pieces to a
plate and discard the aromatics and calf’s
foot. Strain the pan juices through the
fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and skim the fat
off the surface (see Chef's Note). Taste,
reduce the juices further if necessary, and
season with salt and pepper as needed.
5 Remove the rabbit meat from the bones,
then shred it twice making sure all of the
small bones have been removed. Place in a
bowl and stir in the parsley, chervil, and
tarragon until well mixed. Taste and adjust
the seasoning if needed.
6 Spoon the rillettes into the terrine and
cover with the pan juices. Cover and let set
in the refrigerator for 24–36 hours.
To serve
Serve on toasted country bread, topped with
lightly dressed mesclun greens.
Chef’s Note
To remove the fat more easily, chill the sauce so
that the fat solidifies on the surface, then scoop
it off using a spoon.
PORK LIVER PÂTÉ
Serves 12 | Active time: 1 hour |
Marinating time: 24 hours | Infusing
time: 20 minutes | Cooking time: 2¼
hours | Chilling time: 2 hours | Storage:
10 days in the refrigerator
EQUIPMENT
Meat grinder + plate with 1/8 in (3 mm) holes
Instant-read thermometer
54 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
FERRANDI ON CHARCUTERIE ❘ FOOD
Food processor
Terrine mould in the shape of your choice,
with a capacity of approximately 5 cups (1.2
litres)
INGREDIENTS
14 oz (400 g) pig’s liver
1½ tbsp (22 g) fine salt
1¾ tsp (4 g) ground white pepper
1½ packed tsp (6.5 g) muscovado sugar
¾ tsp (2 g) smoked paprika
Scant ½ tsp (1 g) quatre-épices spice mix
Scant ½ tsp (1 g) ground nutmeg
Scant ½ tsp (1.5 g) ascorbic acid
2½ tbsp (40 ml) Madeira wine
1¾ oz (50 g) onion
Scant 2½ cups (600 ml) whole milk
1 bouquet garni
2 lb (900 g) soft fat from pork belly (gras de
mouille de porc)
2/ cup (5 oz/150 g) lightly beaten egg (about
3
3 eggs)
Lard
7 oz (200 g) jellied broth (optional)
METHOD
Preparing the pâté (start 1 day ahead)
1 Remove the veins and connective tissue
from the liver and cut into approximately 1½
in (4 cm) pieces. Season with the salt, pepper,
sugar, smoked paprika, quatre-épices, nutmeg,
and ascorbic acid. Add the Madeira, press
plastic wrap over the surface, and let
marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
2 The next day, peel and finely chop the
onion. Place in a large saucepan with the milk
and bouquet garni and bring to a boil, stirring
to prevent the milk from sticking to the pan.
Immediately remove from the heat, cover,
and let infuse for 20 minutes.
3 Cut the pork belly fat into 1½–2 in (4–5
cm) pieces and blanch in a saucepan of
boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and grind
through the meat grinder fitted with the plate
with 1/8 in (3 mm) holes.
4 Remove the bouquet garni from the milk
and let cool or reheat as needed to reach
140°F (60°C).
5 Place the liver and eggs in the food
processor and process for 2 minutes. Add
the pork belly fat and process for 1 minute.
Pour in the milk and onions and process to
obtain a smooth mousse-like texture,
ensuring the temperature of the mixture
does not exceed 113°F (45°C).
Assembling the pâté
6 Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C/Gas
Mark 3). Grease the inside of the mould with
a thin layer of lard and fill with the pâté. Bake
in a bain-marie for 15 minutes, then lower
the oven temperature to 185°F (85°C/Gas
on lowest setting) and continue to bake for
about 2 hours, or until the temperature in the
centre of the pâté reaches 167°F (75°C).
7 Let cool to room temperature, then chill
for 2 hours before serving. If you wish, you
can glaze the pâté with jellied broth heated
to 167°F (75°C), before chilling.
PORK, POTATO, AND
MOREL MUSHROOM PIE
Serves 6 | Active time: 3 hours |
Soaking time: 15 minutes | Cooking
time: 1 hour | Cooling time: 1 hour |
Chilling time: 45 minutes | Storage: 4
days in the refrigerator
EQUIPMENT
10 in (25 cm) baking ring, 4 in (10 cm) deep
Meat grinder + large plate
Steam oven
8 in (20 cm) baking ring, 4 in (10 cm) deep
8 × 12 in (20 × 30 cm) sous vide bag +
vacuum sealer machine (optional, see
Chef's Note)
Box cutter
INGREDIENTS
Pastry
2¼ lb (1 kg) quick puff pastry dough (p57)
Morel mushroom layer
7 oz (200 g) dried morel mushrooms
1¾ oz (50 g) shallots
2 tsp (10 g) butter
Scant ½ cup (100 ml) vin jaune
Potato layer
1 lb 2 oz (500 g) large Charlotte potatoes
Coarse grey sea salt
Pork farce
3 oz (80 g) shallots
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 lb 2 oz (500 g) upper pork shoulder
7 oz (200 g) fresh pork belly
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Egg wash and glaze
2½ tbsp (40 ml) heavy cream, min. 35% fat
1¾ tsp (10 g) egg yolk (about ½ yolk)
Melted butter, to glaze
METHOD
Preparing the pastry
Roll the pastry to a thickness of 1/8 in (3 mm)
and cut out 2 disks using the 10 in (25 cm)
baking ring. Chill until assembling.
Preparing the morel mushroom and the potato
layers
1 Soak the morels in lukewarm water for ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 55
FOOD ❘ FERRANDI ON CHARCUTERIE
15 minutes. Trim the bases and cut the
mushrooms in half lengthwise to be sure
they are thoroughly clean.
2 Peel and finely chop the shallots and sweat
them in a skillet with the butter over low
heat. Add the morels, cover, and cook for 15
minutes. Deglaze with the vin jaune.
3 Peel and rinse the potatoes and cut them
lengthwise into ¼ in (5 mm) slices. Blanch in
a large saucepan of boiling water with grey
sea salt until they are just tender but still firm.
Preparing the pork farce
4 Peel and finely chop the shallots and garlic.
Wash and finely chop the parsley.
5 Cut the pork shoulder and belly into
pieces and grind twice through the large
plate of the meat grinder into a bowl.
6 Add the shallots, garlic, and parsley and
season with salt and pepper. Using your
hands, mix until well combined.
Assembling the pie
7 Preheat the steam oven to 185°F (85°C/
Gas at lowest possible setting). Line the base
of the 8 in (20 cm) baking ring with potato
slices. Cover with half the farce, followed by
half the mushroom mixture. Repeat the
layers, finishing with the mushrooms.
8 Slide the ring into the sous vide bag, if
using, and vacuum seal. Cook in the steam
oven for 50 minutes, then let cool for 1 hour
in the bag. Remove the bag and blot off
excess moisture using paper towel.
9 Place one of the puff pastry disks on a pie
plate or baking sheet lined with parchment
paper and set the filled ring on it. Remove
the ring and cover with the second puff
pastry disk. Using your hands, gently smooth
the pastry over the filling to remove air
bubbles, dampen the edges with a little
water, and press down on them to seal. Use
the larger baking ring to cut off the excess
pastry and obtain a clean circle.
10 Using the box cutter, cut out equal-sized
triangles around the circumference, then
make a small cut in the centre of each tip.
Chill for about 30 minutes.
Baking the pie
11 Preheat the regular oven to 350°F
(180°C/Gas Mark 4). Whisk together the
cream and egg yolk to make the egg wash.
12 Remove the pie from the refrigerator and
score decorative lines on top from the centre
to the edge and make a hole in the centre.
Brush with two layers of egg wash, then chill
for another 15 minutes. Brush once more
with egg wash and bake for 35 minutes, then
lower the oven temperature to 285°F
(140°C/Gas Mark 1) and continue to bake
for an additional 15 minutes. As soon as you
remove the pie from the oven, gently brush it
with a little melted butter to glaze.
Chef’s Note
You can steam bake the pie filling without using
a sous vide bag and vacuum sealer. This extra
step is designed to concentrate the flavours.
BEEF WELLINGTON
Serves 5 | Active time: 45 minutes |
Cooking time: 40 minutes | Cooling
time: 15–20 minutes | Chilling time: 2
hours | Freezing time: 15 minutes |
Storage: 3 days in the refrigerator
EQUIPMENT
Skillet
Fine-mesh sieve
Lattice dough cutter
Instant-read thermometer
INGREDIENTS
Beef tenderloin
1 tbsp (20 g) butter
1½ lb (750 g) centre-cut beef tenderloin
Mushroom duxelles
2¾ oz (75 g) shallots
1/
5 oz (5 g) garlic
1½ lb (750 g) button mushrooms
2 tbsp (1 oz/30 g) butter
Generous ¾ cup (200 ml) white chicken
stock (fond blanc de volaille)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
To assemble
1¾ lb (800 g) quick puff pastry (SEE RIGHT)
3 oz (90 g) thinly sliced dry-cured ham
7 oz (200 g) mushroom duxelles
1 egg + 2 egg yolks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
To serve
Fresh basil leaves
Fleur de sel and crushed black pepper
METHOD
Preparing the beef
1 In a skillet with the butter, sear the beef
tenderloin until well browned on all sides.
Season with salt and pepper. Let cool on a
rack for 15–20 minutes, then cover in plastic
wrap and chill until assembling.
Preparing the mushroom duxelles
Peel and finely chop the shallots. Peel the
garlic, remove the germs, and finely chop.
Wash the mushrooms, cut off the bases, and
finely chop the tops.
Sweat the shallots and garlic in a skillet with
the butter, then add the mushrooms and
stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover
and cook over low heat for 15 minutes.
Drain in the fine-mesh sieve, pressing down
gently to remove excess liquid.
56 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
FERRANDI ON CHARCUTERIE ❘ FOOD
Assembling and baking the beef Wellington
2 Divide the dough into 3 pieces to make
one large, one medium-size, and one smaller
rectangle. Roll the largest piece into an
approximately 14 × 17¾ in (35 × 45 cm)
rectangle, 1/8 in (3 mm) thick, for the top. Roll
the middle piece into an approximately 8 ×
12 in (20 × 30 cm) rectangle, 1/8 in (3 mm)
thick, for the base. Roll the smallest piece
into an approximately 6 × 12 in (15 × 30
cm) rectangle of the same thickness for the
decoration. Cover all three with plastic wrap
and chill.
3 Spread a piece of plastic wrap across a
work surface and cover with dry-cured ham
slices, for rolling up the beef. Spread the
mushroom duxelles into a thin, ½in (1 cm)
layer over the ham. Remove the plastic wrap
from the beef and place over the duxelles.
Using the plastic wrap, roll the beef up
tightly. Close the ends and freeze for 15
minutes to firm up the roll.
4 Whisk together the egg and egg yolks to
make an egg wash. Place the middle-sized
pastry rectangle (the base) on a baking sheet
lined with parchment paper. Brush around
the edges with egg wash, making a 1½ in (4
cm) border.
5 Remove the plastic wrap from the beef
roll and place in the centre of the pastry.
Cover with the largest pastry rectangle and
smooth it over so that it follows the
contours of the beef. Gently press around
the edges to seal. Trim the edges to obtain a
clean rectangle with a maximum border of
1¼ in (3 cm). Brush all over with egg wash.
Roll the lattice dough cutter over the final
QUICK PUFF PASTRY
Makes 1½ lb (675 g) | Active time: 30
minutes | Chilling time: 1¾ hours |
Storage: 2 days, well wrapped (but best
used on day it is made)
INGREDIENTS
2 cups (9 oz/250 g) strong white bread
flour, sifted
1 tsp (5 g) salt
½ cup (125 ml) water
1¾ sticks (7 oz/200 g) butter, well
chilled, cut into 1 in (2 cm) dice
METHOD
1 Shape the flour into a mound on a cool
work surface and make a well in the
centre. Dissolve the salt in the water and
pour it into the well, and then add the
diced butter.
2 Working with your fingertips, draw the
flour gradually into the well. Continue
pastry rectangle, open it out carefully to
reveal the lattice pattern, and place over the
Wellington. Brush with egg wash and pierce
around the border with a wooden toothpick
to seal. Chill for 2 hours.
6 Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C/Gas
Mark 6). Remove the Wellington from the
refrigerator and brush again with egg wash.
Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the oven
working with a pastry scraper to combine
the ingredients into a rough dough. The
pieces of butter should marble the dough
and they should still be cold. Shape the
dough into a ball.
3 Lightly dust the work surface with flour
and roll the dough into a rectangle.
4 Fold the dough in 3 to bind the
ingredients together. Cover the folded
dough in plastic wrap and chill for 20
minutes.
5 Remove from the refrigerator and begin
rolling out the dough.
6 Roll the dough into a rectangle
measuring 10 × 28 in (25 × 70 cm).
7 Fold the shorter ends of the dough
toward the centre, one-third of the way
down from the top and two-thirds up
from the bottom, then fold the dough in
half (double turn).
8 The dough now has 4 folds. Cover the
dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30–40
temperature to 350°F (180°C/Gas Mark 4)
and continue to bake for an additional 30
minutes, until the temperature at the centre
reaches 113°F (45°C).
To serve
Cut into slices, garnish with basil leaves, and
sprinkle the serving plates with fleur de sel
and crushed black pepper. FT
minutes.
Repeat steps 5–8 twice more. Cover in
plastic wrap and chill for 30–40 minutes.
9 Give the dough one final single turn
(folding it in 3) before using.
Chef’s Note
Mark the dough lightly with your finger after
each turn, so you can keep track of how
many turns you have made.
Quick puff pastry is ideal to make when
time is short. It can keep for up to 2 days,
but is best used soon after it is made.
Recipes taken from
Charcuterie: Pâtés,
Terrines, Savoury Pies:
Recipes and Techniques
From the Ferrandi
School of Culinary Arts
by Ferrandi Paris
(Flammarion, 2022)
Photography by Rina Nurra
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 57
À L A C A RT E ❘ TO P TA B L E S
FRESH PERSPECTIVE
Alexander Lobrano visits addresses across France that are
putting the finest produce centre front of their ethos
From top: Shoulder
of lamb with chipotle
and carrots; Fernando
de Tomaso and Violetta
Hernandez at Blanca
BLANCA, PARIS
It was when I was growing up in a small town in
New England that I first discovered restaurants
could be a way of travelling huge distances
without buying a plane ticket. West Lake, the
Chinese restaurant in downtown Westport,
Connecticut, was a Cantonese restaurant so good
I’d happily test the mettle of my gastronomic
memory of its food again against a knowledge of
‘real’ Cantonese cooking if it hadn’t long since
gone out of business. The Apizza Center cooked
superb pizzas in a volcanically hot coal-burning
oven, which sent me to Naples years before I first
glimpsed Vesuvius, and Gold’s Delicatessen gave
me a fledgling taste of Eastern Europe long
before the Iron Curtain was finally raised.
I thought of this the other day when I met a
friend for lunch in an intimate – only 14 seats
– Argentinian restaurant about a five-minute walk
from the Place de la Bastille and the Opéra
Bastille in Paris. Coming through the door into
this pretty little place with Spanish tiles and
leather banquettes was like suddenly finding
myself in a well-run neighbourhood restaurant in
Buenos Aires, a city I like enormously.
“I could have opened a second restaurant a few
years earlier, but I waited because I wanted it to
have a soul,” says Argentine chef Fernando de
Tomaso of his diminutive new address. “I found
this in my childhood memories of my
grandmother Blanca Villanueva’s cooking. She
was Basque, and as children she cooked us the
most delicious food – piperade with slices of
grilled ham, gâteau Basque, her cooking was
absolutely delicious and always an expression of
love.” De Tomaso opened Blanca with his sister,
Violetta Hernandez, seven years after he first
arrived in France and opened the excellent
Biondi, a restaurant that seduced Parisians with
the succulence of South America.
On a rainy winter day, it was a pleasure to tuck
into some croquetas filled with wild mushrooms
and served with black garlic mayonnaise, an
assortment of beautifully-made empanadas
stuffed with Beaufort, Comté and onion
“IT WAS A PLEASURE TO TUCK
INTO CROQUETAS FILLED
WITH WILD MUSHROOMS
AND SERVED WITH BLACK
GARLIC MAYONNAISE”
empanadas and a superb tuna ceviche with
guacamole and grilled maize. Next, a juicy
Argentine entrecôte with baby potatoes and
chimichurri sauce for me, and yellow pollack with
girolles and cockles for my friends. Both dishes
were generously served and absolutely delicious.
Made according to a recipe by the siblings’
grandmother, the flan with dulce de leche was
excellent. They also serve a terrific assortment
of South American, French and Spanish wines
by the glass.
34 rue Keller, 11th arrondissement, Paris. Tel. (33)
06 03 60 07 98, Lunch menu €18.50, average à la
carte €35, www.restaurantblanca.fr
LA DAME DE PIC, MEGÈVE
Lovely Megève in the French Alps has become as
much a destination for food-lovers all year round
as it is for skiers during the winter and hikers in
summer. This pretty, plummy little town of 3,200
residents has a Michelin three-star (Les Flocons
de Sel), a Michelin two-star (La Table de
l’Alpaga), a Michelin green-star (for an especially
good and notably environmentally sustainable
restaurant) for Le Toit du Monde, just on the
edge of town, and a charming Michelin one-star,
La Dame de Pic, by France’s most famous female
chef, Anne-Sophie Pic.
Pic, whose main table is in Valence and who
also has a Michelin two-star in Lausanne, loves
the Alps and this is reflected by her intriguing
use of Alpine produce at this beautiful dining
room with a cathedral ceiling, a picture-window
58 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
IMAGES @ LE PHOTOGRAPHE DU DIMANCHE, FRED JAGUENEAU, FOUR SEASONS, JF MALLET, MAISON PIC
BY ALEXANDER
LOBRANO
TO P TA B L E S ❘ À L A C A RT E
wall overlooking the surrounding mountains, and
wooden panels and finishes that recall Japanese
ryokans. Joining friends who were staying at the
hotel for lunch in March, we opted for the Menu
Pic, a seven-course sampler that put Pic’s
gastronomic imagination deliciously on display.
We began with berlingots, which are usually a
type of hard candy, but here are lozenges of
delicate green pasta stuffed with Brie from the
Rothschilds’ Domaine des 30 Arpents outside
Paris (the Rothschilds are partners in the hotel,
which was built on their land in Megève) in an
umami-rich broth of kombu, or Japanese kelp.
This pairing was intriguingly inspired, because
the subtle mushroomy, bloomy taste of the
cheese met the ruddy sea vegetable so brilliantly.
Next, Pic’s riff on one of her father’s most
emblematic creations, sea bass with caviar in
Champagne sauce. Her version respects the
luxurious succulence of the original dish but
brightens and amplifies it by adding sake to the
sauce along with an almost invisible garnish of
granulated Japanese lemon. A serving of
impeccably roasted poularde de Bresse stuffed
with tarragon and served with a bergamot-spiked
sauce suprême, an offal tartlette, kohlrabi and
pickled pine-tree buds was a magnificent
demonstration of Pic’s exacting culinary
technique and unbridled gastronomic
imagination, as was a dessert of Comice pear
roasted with Madras curry and served with
rose-bud-infusion ice cream.
Service throughout this meal was gracious,
good-humoured and impressively precise, and
the sommelier did a fine job with the wine pairing
we chose to accompany our meal. Whatever the
season, this excellent restaurant is very much
worth seeking out for an exultantly good
contemporary French meal of the highest calibre.
373 Chemin des Follières, Megève. Tel. (33) 04 50
78 62 65, www.fourseasons.com. Prix-fixe menus
€270, €190 (lunch), average à la carte €185, (closed
from April 2–June 15).
Clockwise from main:
La Dame de Pic in Megève;
Anne-Sophie Pic; those
witty berlingots savoyards
RÔTISSERIE DE LA TOUR D’ARGENT, PARIS
Across the street from the mothership in the
Latin Quarter, this Seine-side brasserie has
always been a cheerful and pleasant place for a
meal. Acquired in 1989 by the late Claude Terrail,
the legendary playboy charmer and owner of La
Tour d’Argent, it fast became a local institution
and has been a hit with tourists ever since. ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 59
À L A C A RT E ❘ TO P TA B L E S
Below: The Rôtisserie de
la Tour d’Argent; light and
fluffy quenelles de brochet
Usefully, it’s also open seven days a week and on
holidays, too. I hadn’t been there for a while, but
when friends started cooing about the new chef,
Jean-Philippe Tuccillo, I booked for dinner with
another anglophone in Paris, a lovely food-loving
woman from the American Deep South, who’s
lived in Paris even longer than I have.
She always appreciatively describes this place
as being old-school, by which I think she means
profoundly French, with brisk, precise service
and warm hospitality. The décor of red-checked
table cloths and red moleskin upholstered
banquettes with brass rails also speaks of the sort
eternal vision of Paris favoured by filmmakers
such as Woody Allen and teeth-gnashing
television series like Emily in Paris.
Once seated, one of the first things I noticed on
the menu is that they still serve pots, thickbottomed 50cl glass flagons, of two reds, a white
and a rosé wine, for a very reasonable price – €20
for the very pleasant Côtes de Blaye I’ve been
drinking here for years. These friendly wine
prices ensure that this rôtisserie remains a local
favourite, preventing it from becoming a tourist
table with a wilted ambience.
Given its location and the quality of the
produce used by the kitchen, it is actually good
value for money across the board, since half a
rôtisserie chicken with potato purée runs to
a reasonable €28.
“How lovely to have some good old-fashioned
French food without a chef who’s trying to prove
he’s Albert Einstein,” my friend said when she
looked up from the menu. Well, Chef Tuccillo
may not be Einstein but he’s an excellent cook,
as I discovered when my oeuf en meurette came
to the table.
For anyone who’s not as obsessed by this
Burgundian classic as I am, it’s a coddled egg in a
reduced sauce of red wine, mushrooms, onions
and bacon. This latter potion serves as an umami
thunder bolt in relation to the innocence of the
egg in such a way that I always think this
preparation might be subtitled ‘the sacred and
the profane’. In any event, Tuccillo’s version was
unctuously and viniferously excellent, as were
the pillowy quenelles de brochet (pike perch
dumpling) in a sauce rich with cream,
mushrooms and chestnuts that my friend had.
Leaving the chicken to my companion – since
she lives alone and doesn’t cook, roast chicken is
a treat she seeks out in restaurants – I had the
navarin (stew) of Limousin lamb with carrots
and tiny, meaty, mauve-coloured Taggiasche
olives. Ruddier than the printanière (vegetablerich springtime version), I often cook at home
around Easter, it was a richly-flavoured
“I HAD THE NAVARIN (STEW)
OF LIMOUSIN LAMB WITH
CARROTS AND TINY,
MEATY, MAUVE-COLOURED
TAGGIASCHE OLIVES”
concoction with a jaunty Mediterranean
personality that met our Côtes de Blaye perfectly.
“This bird is always so juicy,” said my friend, “and
the purée is heavenly.”
Since portions here are generous, we dithered
over which dessert we’d split and settled
eventually on the beautifully made crème
caramel (the chocolate mousse is also excellent),
a perfectly Gallic conclusion to a wonderfully
old-school French meal.
19 Quai de la Tournelle, 5th arrondissement, Paris.
Tel. (33) 01 43 54 17 47, tourdargent.com. Average à
la carte €55.
LE GARDE CHAMPÊTRE, GYÉ-SUR-SEINE
Just a few miles outside Troyes, one of the most
charming and under-the-radar art cities in
France, this enchanting auberge was created
from a former train station by a group of friends
who share the same good taste in food, wine and
everything else. Notable among them are Miami
native Juan Sanchez, who runs the excellent
wine shop, La Dernière Goutte, and three
restaurants – Fish, Freddy’s and Semilla – in
Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris; Peter
Lippmann, a photographer; and winemakers
Émilie and Cédric Bouchard, and Jean-Pierre
and Véronique Josselin.
60 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
TO P TA B L E S ❘ À L A C A RT E
“WE TUCKED INTO STEAMED
COD WITH GRILLED LEEKS
AND CANDIED GARDEN
TOMATOES IN A
CALDEIRADA SAUCE”
IMAGES © GERALDINE MARTENS, LE GARDE CHAMPÊTRE
The name of the restaurant is the French term
for a guardian of the countryside, or someone
officially charged with observing and protecting a
swathe of rural land, a job that’s a combination of
a forest ranger, game warden and code
enforcement officer. The last Garde Champêtre
for Gyé-sur-Seine was a certain Monsieur Droze,
who receives an affectionate and respectful tip of
the hat on the restaurant’s website.
“I was sort of craving the country,” says Juan
Sanchez about the genesis of this project, “and I
was dreaming about having a big vegetable
garden.” This pastoral yearning has now been
accomplished with a two-and-a-half acre organic
vegetable and herb garden just down a path from
the restaurant’s kitchen. This allows head chefs
Sayaka Sawaguchi and Gil Nogueira to offer
seed-to-plate menus that change almost daily
according to what’s ripe and in season.
Their proximity to a source of such spectacular
produce informed one of the dishes I ate here
when I stopped for lunch with friends last
October. It was a yellow squash – almost laser
fine vertical slices of raw squash – sauced with
a superb tonnato. Its simplicity, with a wick of
brilliant inspiration, was what made it so good,
and this continued throughout our meal, which
was truly delightful.
“This is the sort of place one just dreams of
finding in the French countryside,” said one of
my friends from Bristol, and she was right.
All of us liked it as soon as we stepped in the
door, too, since it titillated for being both Gallic
rustic and mid-century modern at the same time,
a space with a vaulted ceiling of exposed wooden
beams and a sleek terrazzo floor, the likes of
which you might expect to find in a 1960s coffee
shop in Miami’s Little Havana.
The young staff were warm, welcoming and
multilingual, and the lunch menu was
outstanding. After the yellow squash tonnato,
which was served with a basket of house-baked
and very moreish sourdough bread, we tucked
into steamed cod with grilled leeks and candied
garden tomatoes in a caldeirada sauce, and finally
a floating panna cotta flavoured with an infusion
of freshly-mown hay paired with poached
peaches. An excellent selection of wines by the
glass was on offer, too, and on a chilly day, the
crackling fire in the huge fireplace brought on a
deep sense of well-being.
The French couple at the table next to us told
us we had to come back for the grilled citrusmarinated artichokes with an almond purée, salsa
verde and wild oregano, and seared squid with
tonkotsu, sorrel and mustard flowers. If we do,
next time round we’ll book a night or two at the
River House, the restaurant’s beautifully
decorated three-bedroom guesthouse, so that we
can eat both lunch and dinner and explore the
vegetable garden between meals, and enjoy the
excellent wine list, including many small grower
Champagnes, with abandon.
20a Rue de la Gare, Gyé-sur-Seine. Tel. (33) 03 52
96 00 06, Lunch: Wednesday to Friday, €25, threecourse fixed menu. Dinner: Thursday, Friday, Saturday
and Sunday lunch: a choice of sharing dishes between
€6 and €19 or Menu Gallopant €42. Sunday lunch,
Menu Gallopant only. legardechampetre.fr FT
Clockwise from top:
A ray of light illuminates
Garde Champêtre; produce
comes direct from the
restaurant garden; pâté
de tête
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 61
L U X U RY F R A N C E ❘ PA R I S I A N PA L A C E S
A PERFECT DOZEN
Jennifer Ladonne explores the luxury stays available at Parisian
Palaces – the crème de la crème of hotels in the French capital
P
aris’s legendary art de vivre comes vividly alive
in its 12 Palace hotels – a distinction beyond a
five-star and a benchmark in luxurious
excellence, where the expression ‘queen for a
day’ takes on a whole new meaning.
For the rest of the world, ‘five-star hotel’
conjures up the pinnacle of world-class lodging – but leave it
to Paris to set the bar a notch higher. Even in the luxury
capital of the world it’s an achievement to check off most of
the 243 items required to enter the five-star ranks. In 2010,
Atout France, the government agency charged with developing
French tourism, introduced the exclusive ‘Palace’ designation,
expanding the rigorous five-star classification as a way to
showcase ‘excellence à la française’. At the designation’s
inception, only four Parisian five-stars qualified (the Plaza
Athénée, Le Bristol, Le Meurice and the Park Hyatt Vendôme)
62 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
and the ranks have grown gradually – as of January 2023 only
12 Parisian hotels have applied for and earned the distinction.
For the discerning client this translates to a level of luxury,
elegance, service, dining, historic interest and all-around
pampering that exceeds what you’d find in a five-star. For the
hotels it means clearing a number of mandatory hurdles in
order to apply for Palace status. According to Atout France,
once a hotel’s application is accepted, a panel of “12
distinguished members from the worlds of culture,
architecture, luxury tourism industry, gastronomy and the
high-end travel sector” will decide whether or not to grant
Palace status, based on “strictly qualitative criteria… related
to the exceptional nature of the establishment”.
These criteria include such attributes as location,
architecture, elegance of the interiors, room size, history and
distinct personality, excellence of the staff, state-of-the-art
PA R I S I A N PA L A C E S ❘ L U X U RY F R A N C E
IMAGES © ERIC CUVILLIER, BOBY ALLIN, ROMAIN REGLADE, ROMÉO BALANCOURT, DORCHESTER COLLECTION, PENINSULA
Clockwise from left: Le Crillon, a stately 18th century mansion facing Place
de la Concorde; The Peninsula’s L’Oiseau Blanc at night; soak up the sights at
the Shangri-La; the world-renowned Le Bristol Paris; the dining room at Plaza
Athenée, whose gastronomic reputation is second to none
technology, distinctive (largely Michelin-star) dining and bars
and, more recently, sustainability. The hotels must also offer a
top-notch spa, often with customised products or services
unique in Paris, a fitness area and a sizeable pool. Some offer
guests a personal butler for the duration of their stay and an
exclusive range of customised services. All of this adds up to a
palpable feeling of cosmopolitan sophistication the minute you
walk through the door. On top of these exacting standards,
each Palace must also distinguish itself from the competition,
navigating a tricky balance between meeting Palace standards
while projecting a DNA unique enough to appeal to a
pernickety high-end clientele – and keep them coming back. ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 63
L U X U RY F R A N C E ❘ PA R I S I A N PA L A C E S
“THE HOTELS GO TO GREAT
LENGTHS TO REMEMBER
GUESTS’ CHOICES TO BETTER
CUSTOMISE THE EXPERIENCE”
IMAGES © ADRIAN HOUSTON, ZOÉ FIDJI, ROMEO BALANCOURT, JACQUES PEPION, GREGOIRE GARDETTE, MICHEL REYBIER, DORCHESTER COLLECTION, THE PENINSULA, GRAND CONTRÔLE, LE BRISTOL PARIS, MANDARIN ORIENTAL, ADRIAN HOUSTON
12 HOTELS, 12 PERSONALITIES
What clients will never see is the monumental
effort behind the magic, where everything you
could want or need seems to materialise out of
thin air. It’s not unusual for a Palace to number
four to six personnel per guest, requiring an
almost balletic precision to convey an
effortlessness that is anything but. Though
expert in discretion, the hotels go to great
lengths to remember guests’ choices to better
customise the experience and to anticipate their
wishes for the next time.
What you will never see is a worn carpet, scuff
mark or any of the wear and tear associated with
repeat usage. But you will find all the little
touches: fresh flowers, pastries from a signature
pastry chef, and your room magically refreshed
when you return from dinner. Many hotels offer
exclusive experiences, like Le Royal Monceau –
Raffles Paris’s exclusive ‘Love is in the Arc’
offering atop the nearby Arc de Triomphe outside
tourist hours to watch the sunset or sunrise over
Paris with a romantic apéritif or breakfast.
“We want to create that special emotion,” says
Nicolas De Gols, general manager at Le Royal
Monceau – Raffles Paris, which earned Palace
status in 2013. “It’s all about personalising the
experience. We know the guests’ preferences, we
always give them the same suite, we prepare it as
they like and we put everything exactly as they
left it so when they return they have the feeling
they never left the hotel.”
Le Royal Monceau – Raffles Paris cultivates an
arty, bohemian atmosphere, in-keeping with its
Philippe Starck interiors, which feels warm, chic
and buzzy in contrast with its austere patrician
address. “Here, you’re just absorbed by the
ambience, the feeling and all of the things that
make it super comfortable and welcoming to
everyone,” adds Nicolas.
Though walking into a Palace can be an
intimidating experience, the hotels practise a
kind of ‘democracy of the privileged’ – if you get
that far, who cares if you’re wearing head-to-toe
Chanel or ripped jeans and Uggs? Palaces pride
themselves on treating every guest as honoured
and valued, extending the kind of extravagance
and discretion demanded by celebrities –
common habitués of the Palaces – to everyone.
SINGULAR HISTORIES
All but one of the 12 Palaces are clustered in
swanky neighbourhoods on Paris’s Right Bank
and all are housed in majestic buildings – often
historic palaces or mansions – near the city’s
64 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Clockwise from above: Les Ambassadeurs is the famous
bar at Le Crillon; a dip in Le Bristol Paris’s rooftop
pool;the Duc de Morny Library at La Réserve Paris;Le
Dalí restaurant at Le Meurice, a favourite haunt of the
artist; the penthouse suite at the Mandarin Oriental; a
guest bathroom at Le Meurice; Suite Necker at Le Grand
Contrôle; the courtyard garden at Plaza Athenée; Nicolas
De Gols general manager at Le Royal Monceau - Raffles
Paris; one of the stylish rooms at Le Royal Monceau –
Raffles Paris; a stunning bathroom at Le Crillon
most prestigious shopping streets, lined with the
glittering flagships of top fashion houses. The
Lutetia, the only Left Bank Palace, remains the
haunt of Saint-Germain-des-Prés artists, writers
and politicians, the cosmopolitan elite who have
populated the hotel since Samuel Beckett,
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Henri Matisse, Isadora
Duncan, Pablo Picasso, Josephine Baker, James
Joyce (who wrote part of Ulysses at the bar) and
Charles de Gaulle (who received the call that the
Nazi’s were approaching Paris while dining here)
made it their second home. The Lutetia reopened
in 2016 after a sleek four-year makeover by
architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte, perfectly suited
to its downtown DNA.
The Hôtel de Crillon reopened at around the
same time after a four-year restoration which
brought the stately 18th-century mansion – one
PA R I S I A N PA L A C E S ❘ L U X U RY F R A N C E
of two historic twin buildings facing Place de la
Concorde – gorgeously into the 21st century. The
hotel’s sumptuous Marie Antoinette suite is not
mere brand appropriation: the teenage queen
took piano lessons here some 20 years before she
was guillotined in front of the building. Named a
Palace in 2018, the hotel mixes the classic and
contemporary in art-filled rooms and a handful of
signature suites designed by the late Karl
Lagerfeld. Les Ambassadeurs, the Crillon’s
soaring gilded bar, is a listed historic monument.
A PERSONAL CHOICE
At this level, choosing which Palace in which to
lay your head is like choosing a favourite colour:
it all comes down to personal taste and nuance.
Seeking contemporary classic? Try Le Royal
Monceau – Raffles Paris, Lutetia, Mandarin
Oriental (with star chef Thierry Marx and an
exceptional spa), the Peninsula, Park Hyatt
Vendôme or La Réserve – a romantic enclave
with only 44 rooms and a cosy, intimate setting.
For more traditional elegance, head to Le Bristol,
where three-star chef Éric Fréchon presides over
its lovely garden restaurant; Le Meurice, the
Shangri-La or the Four Seasons George V. Or
perhaps a mix of both at Le Crillon or the
exceptional Plaza Athénée.
Le Meurice’s unobstructed views over the
Tuileries gardens and the Louvre lend an almost
bucolic air, but for the Eiffel Tower glittering in
the distance – Paris’s most sought-after view,
which every one of these hotels offers. For a
more intimate look at the Iron Lady, the ShangriLa – once the private mansion of Roland
Bonaparte, nephew of the emperor – is the ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 65
L U X U RY F R A N C E ❘ PA R I S I A N PA L A C E S
“AT THE WORLD-FAMOUS
RITZ THERE’S NOTHING
QUITE LIKE SIPPING
CHAMPAGNE IN THE
OPULENT PROUST SALON”
rooftops from its two-Michelin star restaurant
L’Oiseau Blanc make it a favourite haunt of
Parisians in the neighbourhood.
What will this all set you back? Prices start at
around €1,500 (£1,300; $1,600) a night and can
go as high at €30,000 a night for a magnificent
apartment suite – which all of the hotels offer.
FIVE-STAR GEMS:
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
From top: The Shangri-La
is housed in the former
home of Roland Bonaparte,
nephew of the emperor;
the Ritz Club & Spa is ideal
for a spot of pampering
closest Palace to the tower, and more than half of
its guest rooms face the iron icon, making a
dramatic first impression when you step into
your room. The Shangri-La’s Shang Palace
restaurant is the only Michelin-starred Chinese
restaurant in Paris, and the hotel’s pool is bathed
in natural light, with an outdoor sunning lawn,
which is a rarity in the capital.
The shimmering Peninsula reopened in 2014
after a nearly €500m restoration, but it retains its
storied history. The Paris Peace Accords of 1973,
which ended the Vietnam War, were signed in the
hotel’s elegant wood-panelled Bar Kleber.
Stunning views of the Eiffel Tower and the Paris
Though not holding Palace status, the ultraglamorous Ritz and La Grande Contrôle Versailles
can compete with the best. At the world-famous
Ritz there’s nothing quite like sipping champagne
and nibbling madeleines in the opulent Proust
salon, while the new Ritz Bar, across the hall
from the legendary Hemingway Bar, offers
scintillating cocktails. The Ritz spa and pool are
absolute standouts in Paris.
Care for a bath, drawn by your personal valet,
while overlooking Versailles’ Orangerie gardens?
At Le Grand Contrôle you can experience
château life as the courtiers themselves did, in 14
opulent rooms housed in a historic 17th-century
building within the formal grounds of Versailles.
Guests can revel in the royal experience: a stay
includes private after-hours visits to the gardens,
Domaine de Trianon, and Versailles palace,
including areas normally closed to visitors. FT
For those seeking a top-notch experience on a ‘budget’ (half the price of a Palace or less), these standout five-stars
offer views, pools, superb décor, gastronomic dining and cosmopolitan chic'…
SAINT JAMES PARIS: Set back
from the hustle and bustle in a 19thcentury mansion surrounded by two
acres of manicured private gardens,
this hotel’s gorgeous décor (recently
revamped by interiors star Laura
Gonzalez), Michelin-star restaurant,
Guerlain spa, sprawling garden
terrace and superb library bar offer a
deliciously pampered experience.
www.saint-james-paris.com
66 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
SO/ PARIS: Opened in October,
this glittering newcomer offers arty
sophistication along with 360° views
of Paris and the Île Saint-Louis from
its perch on the Seine-side of the
Marais. With its oh-so-chic rooftop
bar and restaurant Bonnie, it’s made
serious waves among international
fashionistas. The proof? Emily in Paris
staged a romantic encounter here.
soparis.com/en
MADAME RÊVE: This longawaited opening, set in Paris’s
historic former central post office,
offers stunning panoramas from the
heart of the city and an extensive
roof garden complete with private
terraces. Wood-panelled, artworkfilled rooms, a soaring café and a
penthouse restaurant are the icing
on the gâteau.
madamereve.com
IMAGES © JEROME GALLAND, SHANGRI-LA HOTEL PARIS, SAINT JAMES PARIS, SO/ PARIS, MADAME RÊVE
HALF THE PRICE, ALL THE CHIC
S L OW TO U R I S M ❘ TA R N - E T- G A R O N N E
Take it slow in
TARN-ET-GARONNE
Slow
TOURISM
With restful, rural breaks in France very much de rigueur for 2023,
Justin Postlethwaite heads to the Tarn-et-Garonne countryside
where the pace is slow, the views are sublime and the food is superb
W
hat better place to kick off a ‘slow
holiday’ exploration of the western
side of Occitanie in Tarn-et-Garonne –
the department due north of Toulouse –
than at the stunningly restored Abbaye
de Beaulieu-en-Rouergue, a Cistercian
abbey founded in 1144 by the Bishop of Rodez, nestled in a
wooded nook alongside the River Seye?
On a crisp Saturday morning in early spring, I soon discover
that the abbey in the commune of Ginals is perfectly named
– Beaulieu means ‘beautiful place’. If it’s quiet introspection
you need, it’s available here in gentle abundance – as you
explore the spruced-up Gothic architecture and upgrades from
the 17th and 18th centuries, informative, interactive panels and
screens depict the monks’ daily life of contemplation and
activity, at turns introspective (prayer) and productive. The
68 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
latter mainly meant gardening – the crafty monks cleverly
diverted the Seye’s course, to provide water for the monastery
and grounds – and today those grounds boast some 1,000 rose
bushes, planted amongst perennials to honour the late Master
Rosarian, André Eve and Geneviève Bonnefoi (see below).
But there’s much more to the abbey: now under the Centre
des Monuments Nationaux (CMN) umbrella of prized public
buildings, following substantial work to transform it into a
major cultural centre, it houses an extensive collection of
post-war French art, generously bequeathed to the state by
collectors Pierre Brache and Geneviève Bonnefoi, along with
the building itself, which they’d purchased in the 1950s.
Bonnefoi passed away in 2018, at which point the last of
the couple’s 1,300 amassed works moved to CMN ownership,
and entire rooms on the first floor are devoted to the likes of
Hungarian-born Simon Hantaï and Jean Dubuffet. In short,
TA R N - E T- G A R O N N E ❘ S L OW TO U R I S M
the abbey has become Occitanie’s go-to modern art destination
for 2023, a sublime amalgamation of ancient stone walls that
talk, and prized modern art.
Continuing the ‘slow’ theme, I follow some up-hill, downdale, tree-lined winding roads (D33-D84-D20) for half an hour
towards my lunch destination, Les Sens, in another perched
gem, Puylaroque. Here things remained beautifully slowpaced, as they need to when the menu dégustation is
presented dish-by-dish over about three hours! Chef Thierry
Pszonka is a Maître Cuisinier de France, a committed organic
chef with his own potager (vegetable garden) to draw upon,
and he is clearly a passionate advocate of local produce (this
tasting menu is liberally sprinkled with local Quercy ‘black
gold’, the truffle). Each course is a wild ride of invention and
technical skill, paired cleverly with local wines (more of which
later). I especially loved the duck and mushroom combination
and his zingy, pretty-as-a-picture take on a fruit salad to close
the meal. The super-relaxed atmosphere is largely down to
the excellent table service and what appeared to my eyes to
be a (packed) room full with repeat diners, all clearly on
to something good.
NATURE’S SLOW-GROWN BOUNTY
Normally after a lengthy lunch, all one craves is a hammock
and forty winks but Les Sens’ cuisine was light and elegant,
so there was no excuse for missing my next appointment –
hardly a hardship: wine-tasting with the local wine-producing
❯❯
collective, Les Vignerons du Quercy. It is situated on the
IMAGES © CDT TARN-ET-GARONNE
Clockwise from far left: The Abbaye de Beaulieu-en-Rouergue is a
haven of tranquillity; the abbey has become Occitanie’s go-to centre for
modern art; the impressive abbey walls; take your time to absorb the
atmosphere of this historic building, which dates back to the 12th century
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 69
IMAGES © CDT TARN-ET-GARONNE, LEZBROZ
S L OW TO U R I S M ❘ TA R N - E T- G A R O N N E
outskirts of the cute village of Montpezat-deQuercy, which is lined with colombage (wood
and stone façade) charmers and home to a
collegiate church, built in the 14th century in
the Gothic style. (I remind myself to explore
two other recommended villages, Montjoi and
Lafrançaise, another time.) Back to the wine:
four co-operatives supply the grapes gathered
from 24 families of growers, to be painstakingly,
lovingly fermented into reds, whites or rosés in
90 giant cuves (vats) ranging from 50 to 500
hectolitres in size. The flagship AOP Coteaux du
Quercy features Cabernet Franc as the main
cépage, blended variously with Tannat, Malbec
and Merlot grapes. Inelegantly eschewing the
spittoon, I heartily sup their classic lighter ‘630’
red, ideal as an apéro, and then select their
powerful Le Mas red – great to drink now but
also a keeper for up to 15 years – as my favourite.
The grape is just one of nature’s slow-grown
bounties that Tarn-et-Garonne generously offers
both locals and visitors. Juicy, perfumed Melons
du Quercy boast an IGP (Indication
70 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Géographique Protégée) label, while in spring
the paysages are dotted with cherry trees in
blossom – these will later yield fine Moissac
cherries – with exceptional varieties of
strawberry to enjoy too, Gariguettes, Cléry and
Mara des bois among them. The department
grows no fewer than 50 types of apple, and come
September, everyone craves the extraordinarily
delicious eating grapes, AOP-labelled Le
Chasselas de Moissac. Then there are apricots,
peaches, kiwis… the list of fine fruits is endless.
PLUS BEAU, TAKE IT SLOW
Next day is Sunday and that means one thing:
market day. And one market trumps them all:
medieval charmer Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, sat
snug in a gorge of the Aveyron River. It’s all you
could want from a French market: lively and
good-natured, with rows of stalls snaking through
narrow streets, emerging onto placettes,
proferring not just the best seasonal fruit and
veg, but also a rich array of producteur goodies
such as saucisson, goat’s cheese and local sweet
Clockwise from above:
The gorgeous gorges
of Tarn-et-Garonne;
Montpezat-de-Quercy’s
14th-century church; inset,
elegant dining at Les Sens;
be sure to sample some
Quercy wines; Chasselas
grapes are made to eat
rather than for producing
wine; Saint-Antonin-NobleVal market is a must
TA R N - E T- G A R O N N E ❘ S L OW TO U R I S M
“ THE VILLAGE OF MONTPEZAT-DE-QUERCY IS LINED WITH
COLOMBAGE (WOOD AND STONE FAÇADE) CHARMERS”
specialities, plus more hip offerings from young
torrefacteurs (coffee roasters) and the like.
This market is a treat for all the senses.
For lunch on warm days, snaffle some picnic
goodies and head riverside, or do as I did on this
chilly day – retreat to L’Auberge des Sens on the
main road along the river, to be regaled with a
super €35 Sunday lunch menu of langoustine
ravioli, followed by fillet steak and a chocolate
pudding with vanilla ice cream.
After lunch, from Saint-Antonin I shadowed
the ribboning Aveyron in a northeasterly
direction on the D115, past signs for historic
perched village Penne, and took the turning up
to the vertiginous village of Bruniquel, one of
Tarn-et-Garonne’s Plus Beaux Villages – the
prestigious label given to certain rural outposts
blessed with both aesthetic and historic appeal
as well as a minimum standard for visitors in
terms of facilities such as parking. Bruniquel
is one of three Plus Beaux Villages to be found in
Tarn-et-Garonne, the others being Auvillar, which
overlooks the Garonne river valley and boasts a
sublime triangular main place and an iconic
circular grain hall; and the very easy-on-the-eye
medieval bastide, Lauzerte.
Strikingly set in this land of forests and caves,
the cloud-splitting perched beauty Bruniquel is
well known by many French cinema fans as being
the atmospheric location for Le Vieux Fusil
(called The Old Gun in English), a classic war
film (pretty brutal, no happy ending) made by
Claude Sautet in 1975 and starring legendary
actors Philippe Noiret and Romy Schneider.
The village is not so much a location, as one of
the key players in the film, as its side-streets,
bridges, gardens and iconic châteaux play such
a key role in the main character’s fate.
❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 71
S L OW TO U R I S M ❘ TA R N - E T- G A R O N N E
other from the 15th century; both visible from
the valley below) but its quaint streets and
stunning medieval façades. The steepish yomp
up to the castles (mind those steps!) is not for
the faint of heart but the rewards are rich –
and what’s the hurry anyway? Drink in the
historical ambience and fine views over the
verdant valley below, as well as two permanent
exhibitions, one on the shooting of Le Vieux
Fusil, the other on stone and sculpture with a
little prehistoric context of the surrounding area
thrown in for good measure.
A gentle stroll around stunning, lofty Bruniquel
is a perfect way to conclude a slow, relaxing
exploration of Tarn-et-Garonne. FT
“STRIKINGLY SET IN THIS LAND OF
FORESTS AND CAVES, IS THE CLOUDSPLITTING PERCHED BEAUTY BRUNIQUEL”
72 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
TARN-ET-GARONNE ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
Fly to Toulouse-Blagnac airport from various UK
airports. The capital of Tarn-et Garonne, Montauban, is
around 50 minutes due north on the A62. For SaintAntonin-Noble-Val from there, take the D115/D958.
WHERE TO STAY
Justin stayed at Le Couvent de Neuviale, a
delightful four-bedroom chambres d’hôtes in a
renovated convent in the hamlet of Neuviale near
Parisot, 20 minutes north of Saint-Antonin-NobleVal. Friendly hosts Marc and Lieve (English speakers)
offer a warm welcome, splendid breakfasts and
fine table d’hôte meals upon request. Book at
www.lecouventdeneuviale.fr/en/welcome-1.htm
CONTACTS
www.tourisme-tarnetgaronne.fr/en;
south-west.tourism-occitanie.co.uk
IMAGES © CDT TARN-ET-GARONNE, LEZBROZ; ELSA &CYRIL
Clockwise from top: The
belfry at lofty Bruniquel;
gravity-defying Bruniquel
castles, perched high on
the rocks; Le Couvent de
Neuviale is a great place
to stay; one of Bruniquel’s
picturesque streets
It is the tale of a surgeon (Noiret) who secretes
his wife (Schneider) and daughter away from the
Nazis in 1944 in the family castle after the
Germans have entered nearby Montauban
(capital of Tarn-et-Garonne). But when he goes
to see them a week later, he discovers that the
Nazis have herded all the locals into the church
(the tale echoes the tragic Oradour-sur-Glane
massacre) and his family have been killed. He
seeks vengeance with the titular ‘Old Gun’ he
used for hunting as a child and aims to pick off
the Nazis one by one, using his knowledge of the
castle and village streets to lay traps, hide out
and wreak his revenge. Thankfully, the only
danger one faces these days in Bruniquel is being
caught up in a battle of toddlers as they play at
medieval chevaliers, clashing swords and shields
bought from one of the village’s memento shops.
The joy of Bruniquel lies not merely in its lofty
location and its two distinct, cliff-clinging
châteaux (one from the 12th/13th century, the
HAUTE-GARONNE
© Loïc BEL
© Prochains Détours
GERS - GASCONY
TARN
TARN-ET-GARONNE
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON PLANNING YOUR ESCAPE IN SOUTHWEST FRANCE,
VISIT SOUTH-WEST.TOURISM-OCCITANIE.CO.UK
© LezBroz
© Loic Lagarde
Every season in the South-West of Occitanie is worth time exploring.
Come to live a real gastronomic adventure, only two-hour flight away.
STRANGE BUT TRUE ❘ WEIRD WILDLIFE
SOMETHING IN THE WATER
Anna Richards explores the weird and wonderful wildlife of France’s
waterways, some of which is down to the exotic pets of the past
P
ythons in the Seine and crocodiles in the Rhône:
the wildlife found in France’s rivers could give
the Amazon basin a run for its money. The
French have a history of keeping exotic pets,
but what happens when they escape?
A killer whale is the last thing you expect to
see as you flâne lazily along the banks of the Seine. A romantic
break in Paris in spring as the cherry blossom starts to bloom
sounds idyllic, but what if there was a testicle-ravaging fish
lurking in the water below the Pont des Arts, ready to rob you
or your partner of your chance to procreate? Or if your
sightseeing tour aboard a bateau mouche revealed views not
only of the turrets of the Palais de Justice and scaffolded spires
of Notre-Dame, but of passing crocodiles too?
It may sound sensationalist, but fact has a tendency to be
stranger than fiction. The curiosities fished out of France’s
waterways far outstrip a borrowed Vélib’ or supermarket
shopping trolley (although there are plenty of those in France’s
rivers too). With more than 100 rivers, four of which are over
500km in length, France has plenty of biodiverse waterways,
74 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
including lakes and streams
which are home to coypu,
dragonflies, frogs (bien sûr),
many species of fish, beavers,
otters and – sometimes –
rather larger creatures.
In France, the penchant for
keeping exotic pets is nothing
new. Long before Tiger King’s
Joe Exotic flaunted his
collection of big cats to a
(literally) captive audience
during lockdown, Salvador Dalí
was taking his pet ocelot,
Babou, to see exhibitions in Parisian art galleries. Josephine
Bonaparte, wife of Napoleon, was the original cool cat ahead of
Carole Baskin, and among her coterie of exotic pets were emus,
kangaroos and an orangutan called Rose. Rose reportedly wore
white dresses, learned to eat with a knife and fork, and even
slept in the marital bed with Josephine and Napoleon.
WEIRD WILDLIFE ❘ STRANGE BUT TRUE
Clockwise from this image: Eleanor the crocodile was
found living off rats in Paris’s sewers; Salvador Dalí had
a pet ocelot; a drawing by Daniel Thouroude de Losques
of Marguerite Durand and her lion called Tiger
Charlemagne had a pet elephant, Francis I had a snow leopard
that slept at the foot of his bed, and actress, journalist and
suffragette Marguerite Durand kept a lion that went by the
name of Tiger – the list goes on.
UNDOMESTICATED PETS
While today’s exotic pet owners might keep their unusual
animal companions better hidden than in Dalí’s day, the trade
for exotic animals in France is booming, making up 20% of all
animal sales. Although it must be noted that an ‘exotic’ animal is
defined as anything that isn’t a dog, cat or farm animal, meaning
that a goldfish has the same classification as a wolverine.
In 2009, a snapping turtle, native to North America, was
discovered in the Seine, assumed to be a domestic pet.
Fortunately, although snapping turtles may look and
sound dangerous, they rarely attack and are actually
pretty docile. Less docile, though, was an unexpected
bycatch made by a Parisian fisherman in 2013.
Disentangling what he first thought was a carp or a
catfish from his fishing tackle, he found that it sported a
IMAGES © OLIVER GEE , THE EARFUL TOWER; NYWTS LIBRARY OF CONGRESS/ROGER HIGGINS, WIKIMEDIA
“IN 2009, A SNAPPING TURTLE,
NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA, WAS
DISCOVERED IN THE SEINE, ASSUMED
TO BE A DOMESTIC PET”
double row of gleaming teeth, which, it turned out, belonged to
a pacu, a South American fish from the piranha family. Pacus
generally feast on nuts which have fallen into the river, but have
been known to mistake their regular nut-based diet for the
human kind. Fishermen have bled to death after having their
testicles devoured by a short-sighted pacu. Authorities believed
that this too had been a pet. As if nuts-nibbling fish and a
snapping turtle weren’t enough, in 2016, Paris River Police were
surprised to spot a large snake floating along the River Seine.
Retrieving it from the water, they found it to be missing its head
(an enemy of the Revolution perhaps?) but even so, it measured
a whopping 3m and weighed 40kg. They suspected it had grown
too large for its owners to cope, especially in the average
shoebox-sized Parisian apartment.
A MONSTER IN PARIS?
One of the most famous and bizarre discoveries in France’s
waterways was a crocodile named Eleanor. Eleanor was found
in Paris’s sewers in 1984 when she was still very young, dining
on rats. A crocodile living wild in central Paris was considered ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 75
STRANGE BUT TRUE ❘ WEIRD WILDLIFE
IMAGES © OLIVER GEE, THE EARFUL TOWER; SHUTTERSTOCK
Eleanor the crocodile was rescued and lived a long and happy life
somewhat dangerous, so rather than launching a trophy hunt as
in the Vanessa Paradis film, Un monstre à Paris, Eleanor was
transferred to an aquarium in Vannes, Brittany, where she lived
until she was transferred to a crocodile farm in Pierrelatte,
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, where she died last year. Aquarists in
Vannes even decorated Eleanor’s enclosure to resemble a
Parisian sewer so she’d feel at home.
Surprisingly, if the legends of the Rhône crocodile are to be
believed, this isn’t the first time a crocodile has found its way
into France’s waterways. The story goes that in 1745, a
crocodile was terrorising the inhabitants of Lyon. Lurking under
the Guillotière Bridge in the city centre, the crocodile delighted
in overturning passing boats, feasting on the unfortunates who
plunged into the water. It was thought that it had escaped from
a boat in Marseille. The reasons for the crocodile being on the
ship in the first place are unclear, but it’s likely it was en route
to become a pet for someone wealthy. From Marseille, the
crocodile swam the not insignificant 300km or so upstream to
take up residence in Lyon. The local authorities despaired until
two local men who had been sentenced to death for their crimes
saw an opportunity: they pledged to capture the crocodile if
their death sentence would be revoked as a result. Seeing two
criminals as a lesser threat than a giant, man-eating reptile, the
authorities agreed. The men were successful and the crocodile’s
skin was hung proudly in the Grand Hôtel Dieu, which today
houses one of the finest hotels in Lyon, alongside boutique
shops and a covered food market.
Increasingly, reports of unusual wildlife in France’s waterways
come not from escaped pets, but from marine life native to the
Arctic Circle getting lost or migrating due to melting ice caps. In
2021, the infamous Wally the Walrus visited France on his grand
European tour, which saw him pass by Ireland, Wales, Spain and
Iceland, before spending a prolonged spell on the Isles of Scilly.
Wally holidayed in La Rochelle, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, and while
his antics provided photo opportunities for tourists, the reality
of seeing walruses and orcas so far south is much more sinister.
Since 1900, sea temperatures in the Arctic have risen by over
2ºC, causing sea ice to retreat and destroying habitats.
Where climate change isn’t the cause, human interference has
had a role to play. In May 2022, an orca was found dead in the
Seine near Rouen, in Normandy. “There’s a wind turbine park
being built in Courseulles-sur-Mer,” says Lamya Essemlali,
president of NGO Sea Shepherd France. “When orcas hear loud
noise anywhere within a 15km radius it can disorientate them
and we think that the construction work confused this young
orca and caused it to get lost. At the time of death, it hadn’t
eaten for three weeks, so it must have separated from the pod
around then. It’s very worrying and although this is the first time
this has happened in France, orcas have been disorientated by
wind turbine construction in other countries, so we need to
ensure it doesn’t happen again.”
ENDEMIC SPECIES RETURNING
It’s not all doom and gloom on France’s waterways, though:
two species that were on the brink of extinction have been
reintroduced with great success. The Eurasian beaver had all
but disappeared from the country by the 1960s after being
hunted extensively for its pelt. Nationwide reintroduction
projects have seen numbers rise astronomically, and now Alsace
alone numbers some 400 beavers. Otters are on the rise too,
slowly but surely. Hunted for their fur, there were only around
1,500 otters in the whole country by the end of the 1970s,
but this figure has since doubled, with particularly significant
populations on the Breton coast. An altogether more welcome
sight on France’s waterways than an escaped crocodile. FT
THREE PLACES TO SPOT FRANCE’S AQUATIC LIFE
Paddleboard, canoe or kayak in the Gorges du Tarn to
spot beavers.
Various options available, from €23pp.
www.canoeblanc.com/en
Follow the tracks of otters along Brittany’s pink
granite coast.
Self-guided walks, gpx files available through the website.
www.bretagne-cotedegranitrose.com
Hire a péniche (barge) to spot flamingos on the Camargue
Boat hire from Arles starts from €1,057 per week for a péniche for five
people.
www.locaboat.com/en/boating-holidays/france/canal-du-midi
Want to get involved in cleaning up France’s waterways?
Lyon-based Diving for Future organises diving trips to fish waste out of
the river. At Au fil de l'Orne, Caen, Normandy, borrow a kayak for free if
you’re undertaking a river clean.
www.divingforfuture.fr
aufildelorne.fr
76 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Clockwise from top: Kayaking on the River Tarn; flamingos on the
Camargue; the otter population in France is slowly increasing
L O V E F R A N C E ❘ C A R O L D R I N K WAT E R
SOUTHERN DELIGHTS
Carol tells us why she prefers some of the lesser-known sights on the French Riviera
T
BY CAROL
DRINKWATER
he French Riviera is brimming with natural
secrets, but unless you know where to visit
along a coastline that winds its glorious
path towards Marseille, the best can be
overlooked. All our house guests head to Cannes,
Grasse, Monaco, and perhaps Saint-Paul de
Vence for their day trips. I have nothing against
any of these spots: each has something of
interest, although I can never forget writer
Somerset Maugham’s observation on Monaco: “A
sunny place for shady people.” Grasse, of course,
has its perfume factories and the fabulous history
that accompanies it – everyone returns from the
distilleries laden with smelly soaps and perfumes.
And the Colombe d’Or auberge and restaurant at
the entrance to the hilltop village of Saint-Paul is
a must-see, especially if you are excited by
modern art. This village was the most famous of
all artists’ colonies during the 20th century.
OTHER LESS URBAN DELIGHTS
Sitting right on our doorstop is L’Esterel. A little
background information: the Massif d’Esterel is a
coastal mountain range covering 320km2, almost
half of which is protected forestland, full of oak
“IF YOU FANCY A DIP AND PICNIC,
PARK UP AT ONE OF THE DOZENS
OF COVES, KNOWN AS CALANQUES,
WHERE YOU CAN SIT AND MEDITATE
UPON THE DISTANT HORIZON”
IMAGES © CAROL DRINKWATER
From top: The view out
to the Massif de l’Esterel;
Château de la Napoule, in
Mandelieu-la-Napoule, is a
classified historical landmark
with a jardin remarquable
ravines, mountain pines and evergreen shrubs.
Its peak point is Mont Vinaigre (Mount Vinegar)
which, at 641m, might not be so high but, my
word, the views from it are mind-blowing. Trek
there for sunrise – it is, as the French say,
inoubliable (unforgettable).
The region’s soil, one of the reasons the
geography here is so spectacular, is rusty red. It
is volcanic and made of an igneous rock known as
rhyolite. I am not a geologist so cannot say more
about this except that it contains lots of mineral
crystals. But just picture in your mind’s eye that
combination of deep red earth set against the
evergreens and sea blue. A heady palette.
The area is very rugged and ideal for cycling or
hiking along the rocky tracks. Otherwise, take
your car and cruise the coastal road, the
Corniche d’Or: the beauty of every bend and bay
will leave you breathless. If you fancy a dip and
picnic, park up at one of the many dozens of
coves, known as calanques, where you can sit
and meditate upon the distant horizon. Or jump
in the sea for a refreshing snorkel. Watch out,
you might bump into a dolphin or a bronzed local
snorkelling for his supper. The water is another
excellent way to discover the Esterel. Go to one
of the nearby towns, such as Mandelieu-La
Napoule or Saint-Raphaël, and book a boat trip
around the coast, gazing inland at this
remarkable landscape. Don’t forget your sun hat!
If you are a scuba diver, as I am, you might
want to plunge deeper into our blue sea. Cap
Roux is an underwater reserve and fishing is
prohibited here so there are plenty to be spotted:
stingrays, groupers, sea urchins (a gastronomic
delicacy down here I have yet to appreciate).
THE SIGHTS OF THE SEA
And here’s a little-known fact: this entire sea area
from Toulon eastwards to Genoa in Italy and all
the way south past Corsica to Sardinia,
(87,500km2) forms the Pelagos Sanctuary, the
only sanctuary in the Mediterranean dedicated to
the protection of marine mammals. From the
coast you might be lucky to spot pods of
dolphins, and if you venture out to sea, there are
fin and sperm whales. What a thrill to see a whale
as it leaps out of the water. Take a deep salty
breath, and exhale. This sure beats millionairespotting in Monaco. FT
Carol Drinkwater is an award-winning actress and
the best-selling author of The Olive Farm series. Her latest
work is An Act of Love, a story of bravery and courage in
WWII France
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 77
L A N G U A G E ❘ PA R A L L E L T E X T
Parallel text
MAY FLOWER
IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK
On May 1, the French gift each other little bouquets of tiny, bell shaped white flowers.
Sophie Gardner-Roberts finds out where this lovely tradition comes from
Les Romains célébraient déjà, au début du
mois de mai, les Florales, en l’honneur de
Flora, déesse des fleurs. En Grèce, on suspend des
couronnes de fleurs à l’entrée des maisons.
En France, il est de coutume d’offrir un brin de
muguet à ses proches et amis le 1er mai.
Mais pourquoi cette fleur en particulier ? Arrivée
en Europe au Moyen Âge, cette fleur odorante aussi
appelée lys des vallées est originaire du Japon.
Symbolisant le retour du printemps et des beaux
jours, elle est même synonyme de porte-bonheur
dans certaines cultures. Dès le Moyen Âge, dans la
campagne française, on offrait quelques branches de
muguet pour chasser l’hiver.
C’est au XVIe siècle que la tradition d’offrir du
muguet est née. Ayant reçu du muguet lors d’une
visite dans la Drôme, le roi Charles IX fut séduit et
décida, le 1er mai 1561, que dorénavant, les dames
de la cour recevraient cette fleur à clochettes
blanches tous les ans.
Le muguet a gagné en popularité au fil des siècles,
très présent dans les défilés de mode et les parfums.
Christian Dior en a fait sa fleur fétiche et le club de
rugby toulonnais l’a inclus sur son écusson après
qu’un chanteur de la ville ait porté un brin de
muguet pour se porter chance lors de sa première
représentation à Paris.
Traditionnellement, on offre trois brins de muguet
composés, si possible, de 13 clochettes pour porter
chance à celui qui reçoit le bouquet.
Et y-a-t-il un lien avec la fête du travail, célébrée le
même jour ? Peut être bien. Lorsque le maréchal
Pétain instaure officiellement le 1er mai comme « la
fête du Travail et de la Concorde sociale »,
l’églantine rouge, associée à la gauche, est alors
remplacée… par le muguet.
78 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
The Romans already celebrated, at the
beginning of May, the Florales, in honour of
Flora, goddess of flowers. In Greece, wreaths of
flowers are hung at the entrance of houses. In
France, it is customary to give a sprig of lily of the
valley to loved ones and friends on May 1. But why
this particular flower?
Arrived in Europe in the Middle Ages, this fragrant
flower is native to Japan. Symbolising the return of
spring and sunny days, it is even synonymous with
good luck in some cultures. In the Middle Ages, in
the French countryside, a few branches of lily of the
valley were gifted to wish the winter away.
It was in the 16th century that the tradition of
offering lily of the valley was born. Having received
lily of the valley during a visit to the Drôme, King
Charles IX was seduced and decided, on May 1,
1561, that from now on, the ladies of the court would
receive this little flower with white bells every year.
Lily of the valley has grown in popularity over the
centuries, featuring heavily in fashion shows and
perfumes. Christian Dior made it his favourite flower
and the Toulon rugby club included it on its crest
after a singer from the city wore a sprig of lily of the
valley for luck during his first performance in Paris.
Traditionally, three sprigs of lily of the valley –
made up, if possible, of 13 bells – are given to bring
luck to the recipient.
And is there a link with Labour Day, celebrated on
the same day? Maybe. When Marshal Pétain officially
established May 1 as ‘Labour and Social Harmony
Day’, the red rosehip, associated with the left, was
then replaced… by lily of the valley.
Next issue: The history behind the Rouen Armada
PUZZLES ❘ JEUX
WORDSEARCH AU JARDIN!
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Gardening (jardinage), spade (bêche),
compost (terreau), watering can
(arrosoir), vegetable patch (potager)
Jardin (garden), fleurs (flowers), graines
(seeds), terre (soil), verres de terre
(worms)
J
CHERCHEZ
L’INTRUS
Vinyles, cassette,
CD, bandes
✽
Claude Monet,
Eugène Delacroix,
Edgar Degas,
Paul Cézanne
✽
Chien, poisson
rouge, éléphant,
chat
DEVINETTE
Je ne fais pas de bruit et pourtant je réveille tout le monde
Virelangue
Le poivre
fait fièvre à
la pauvre
pieuvre
Qui suis-je?
Je suis une femme politique française née le
juillet 13 1927 à Nice
J’ai été ministre de la Santé, Présidente du
Parlement Européen et membre du Conseil
Constitutionnel
Une loi baptisée à mon nom a été votée en
1975 et a rendu l’avortement légal en France,
permettant une avancée majeur pour les
droits des femmes.
Je suis… ?
❯❯
ANSWERS Cherchez l’intrus: Bandes, Eugène Delacroix, éléphant Qui suis-je?: Simone Veil Devinette: Le soleil
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 79
JEUX ❘ PUZZLES
MOTS CROISÉS
To enter this issue’s crossword, complete the grid (answers in French) and note all the letters in the grey squares.
Read from left to right, top to bottom to find the name of a French town.
Visit francetoday.com/competitions/guess-the-french-town-crosswords to enter,
as well as to see last issue’s answers.
1
2
8
3
4
5
6
7
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
21
23
20
22
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
ACROSS
32 currently, nowadays (12)
15 funny, comical (5)
8
‘I dare’ - ‘J’…’ (3)
34 bear (animal) (4)
16 leather (4)
9
bras (8-5)
35 get rid (of), offload (2,11)
18 places (5)
36 guy, bloke (3)
19 God (4)
11 ‘a blade of grass’ - ‘un … d’herbe’ (4)
12 unfortunate, unhappy (fem. plural) (12)
22 to be sorry (9)
13 thunderbolt, flash (of lightening) (6)
DOWN
24 thieves (fem) (8)
14 certainty (9)
1
crook, swindler, cheat (6)
25 salmon (6)
17 flat (e.g. a not hilly) (4)
2
good value (3,6)
27 soldier (6)
20 flat (musical note) (5)
3
useful (5)
28 fever (6)
21 grocer (7)
4
revered, worshipped (6)
30 to squeeze, to clutch (6)
23 novel, new (fem) (5)
5
spirit (6)
31 ‘supposed to be’ - ‘… être’ (5)
25 his - ‘le …’ (4)
6
carpet, carpeting (8)
33 key (4)
26 explosive (plural) (9)
7
aged - ‘… de’ (fem) (4)
29 red-headed, red-haired (fem) (6)
10 high up (2,4)
The winner of this month’s crossword competition will win an online French language course from French Truly worth
£115. Run by French teacher Virginie, French Truly runs language courses around the world. Winners choose from Virginie’s
Perfect Pronunciation, French in 600 Words or Dictée courses. • Discover more at www.frenchtruly.com
80 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
HÉLÈNE
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L’ABUS D’ALCOOL EST DANGEREUX POUR LA SANTÉ, À CONSOMMER AVEC MODÉRATION
READER PRIZE DRAW
WIN A MUSEUM PASS FOR BAYEUX AND
A STAY AT CHÂTEAU DE MONTCAUD
WIN
PASS FOR
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’S
BAYEUX RTH
WO
€64
WIN AN OVERNIGHT STAY AND DINNER FOR
TWO AT THE CHÂTEAU DE MONTCAUD
Located in the heart of a large park and surrounded by 100-yearold trees, Château de Montcaud is an oasis of greenery and
tranquillity, the perfect hideaway for your next holiday in Provence
Occitane. In the recently-renovated rooms and suites, comfort
meets elegance and authenticity. Designed to allow you to relax
and escape from the urban frenzy, they offer spectacular views of
the park, with great attention to detail.
Food-lovers will appreciate the extraordinary gastronomy at both
the bistro and gourmet restaurant. Here you can expect traditional
French cuisine but prepare to be surprised by the twists Chef
Matthieu Hervé adds to classic recipes.
The prize includes a one-night stay in one of the château’s
comfortable rooms, dinner for two at the gastronomic restaurant
Le Cèdre de Montcaud (four courses, excluding drinks) and a
sumptuous buffet breakfast the next morning.
This prize is available depending on availability, excluding summer
season and bank holidays.
www.chateaudemontcaud.com
WIN
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WIN A FAMILY PASS FOR FOUR PEOPLE
TO THREE MUSEUMS IN BAYEUX
In Normandy, the charming medieval city of Bayeux is centred
around its majestic cathedral, and there are three key museums
which reveal its rich and fascinating past.
The Museum of the Bayeux Tapestry invites you to step into
the engrossing story of the conquest of England by William,
Duke of Normandy in 1066, as told in this astonishing, 70m-long
embroidery which was created in the 11th century. With a
visit to the museum, you can study it close up without causing
damage to it, and understand its history and how it was created
thanks to an audio-guide commentary available in 16 languages.
A commentary for children is available in English.
Located at the gateway to the D-Day beaches, Le Musée
Mémorial de la Bataille de Normandie is the only museum
which presents all of the military operations which took
place on Norman soil over the summer months of 1944.
It offers a captivating insight into those decisive days and
weeks of the Second World War.
The Musée d’art et d’histoire Baron Gérard and its collections
are located inside the former episcopal palace dating from the
11th to 16th centuries, next to Bayeux cathedral in the heart of
the historic town centre. Set out in 14 sections, the museum’s
exceptional collections cover all aspects of European artistic
endeavour, from Prehistory to the 20th century, against the
background story of the town itself.
www.bayeuxmuseum.com
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82 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
L O V E F R A N C E F❘ IJLOMISE ❘ DREE VVIIE
VW
RE
S
REVIEWS
Our pick of the very best books and most marvellous movies to come out of la belle
France, from old favourites to new releases
I N S P I R AT I O N
TONIE MARSHALL
Meet the only woman ever to win a César Award for Best Director
The absence of female nominees in the best director category at
this year’s Césars has prompted fury and accusations of sexism.
In a year which saw some highly acclaimed movies by women, it
was, said Guslagie Malanda, the star of Alice Diop’s Saint Omer,
“embarrsassing”. Well, plus ça change: in its 48-year-history,
there has only ever been one female winner in the best director
caetgory – Tonie Marshall, for Vénus Beauté in 2000. So what
did Ms Marshall have that, it would seem, no other woman
director has? Let’s take a look…
Vénus Beauté tells the story of Nadine and her team of three
young beauticians who run a local beauty parlour where women
go to iron out not just their worry lines but the worries
themselves. It won four Césars including Best Director and Best
Film and it launched the career of Audrey Tautou.
“I hit the jackpot,” Marshall said. “Success felt good
considering so many people had spat on this film for so long […]
It’s a lottery. But being the only woman to get Best Director can
be embarrassing when you think of the talent out there. There
are so many great female directors in France.”
IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK
10-SECOND
CV
A screen star’s
life in one take
Name: Tonie Marshall
Born: November 29,
1951 to the American
actor/director William
Marshall and French
actress Micheline Presle.
Early career
Marshall started out
acting on TV and in
film with numerous
Marshall was born in 1951 to American actor/director William
Marshall and French actress Micheline Presle, whose seemingly
glamorous life the young Tonie decided she wanted for herself.
She started out acting in movies and on TV in the early 1970s
but didn’t make her debut behind the camera until 1989, with
the comedy Pentimento, which she also wrote. Her next outing
as director (and writer) was 1994’s Pas très Catholique, which
was selected for the Berlin International Film Festival. But it was
Vénus Beauté in 1999 that truly put her on the map as one of
France’s best women filmmakers.
Marshall died of lung cancer on March 12, 2020, at the age of
68. As well as putting strong female characters at the core of her
work, she is remembered for speaking out against an industry
rife with chauvinism.
Her final film, Numéro Une (2017) about a brilliant female
engineer trying to break through the glass ceiling, was, it seems
apt. “If there were more women in preponderant positions,
things could change, move along,” she said at the time of its
❯❯
release. Just a thought.
roles throughout the
1970s and 1980s. Her
first appearance was in
1970’s Les Saintes chéries.
Marshall directed her first
film, Pentimento, in 1989,
and gave Eurotrash star
Antoine de Caunes his
first movie role.
Which of her films
will I have I seen?
You’ve probably seen
Vénus Beauté, a moving
comedy set in a beauty
parlour and starring
Nathalie Baye.
What else should I
put on my watch list?
Check out Numéro Une,
the story of brilliant
engineer Emmanuelle
Blachey who seems to
be smashing it in a man’s
world… or is she?
C’est pas vrai!
Marshall signed the
petition to ‘Free Roman
Polanski’ following the
film director’s arrest in
Switzerland in 2009.
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 83
REVIEWS ❘ FILMS
BOX
OFFICE
IMAGE ©MUSIC BOX
The top 10
hit films in
France
CINÉ
HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
À PLEIN TEMPS
Director: Éric Gravel Starring: Laure Calamy, Anne Suarez, Geneviève Mnich
From the get-go, this movie pulls you along, heart
pounding and breathless, in its wake – it is a film
you experience rather than just watch.
Writer-director Éric Gravel’s frenetic drama
unfolds over a week in the life of divorced working
mother Julie (beautifully played by Laure
Calamy), who works hard as head chambermaid
in a luxury Paris hotel. The daily commute from
her far-flung suburb into central Paris is made
near-impossible by widespread public transport
strikes, and soon the challenges of juggling
childcare, work responsibilities, a social life,
her finances and interviews for a new job begin to
ramp up the pressure.
Literally running from dawn to dusk to get to
her job and back home in time to fetch her
children, you get the impression Julie is on the
verge of a breakdown, although her ability to
retain (mostly) her cool despite becoming ever
more frazzled is impressive. When she finally gets
a job interview for a position more suited to her
skill set, Julie has to walk a very tightrope between
keeping her current job, and sneaking out while
calling on co-workers to cover for her, as more
obstacles pile up in front of her.
Irène Drésel’s pulsating score won this year’s
César for Best Original Music, while Mathilde van
de Moortel won the César for Best Editing. The
movie is Gravel’s second directorial outing, putting
him at the forefront of France’s most promising
new directorial voices, while confirming Laure
Calamy as one of the most gifted French actresses
of her generation. No surprise that it won the Best
Director and Best Actress awards at the Venice
Film Festival: it’s a superb, high-energy slice of life
that will have you on the edge of your seat.
PETITES
ARRÊTE AVEC TES MENSONGES
Director: Julie Lerat-Gersant
Starring: Pili Groyne, Romane Bohringer
Director: Olivier Peyon
Starring: Guillaume de Tonquédec, Victor Belmondo
Pregnant 16-year-old Camille is
placed in a home for teen mothers
by a family court judge. Separated
from her own loving yet toxic
mother, she strikes up a friendship
with Alison, another rather
immature under-age mother, and
rebels against the social worker
Nadine, a passionate, albeit blasé authority figure. All of
these encounters will radically change her destiny. Director
Julie Lerat-Gersant was inspired by her experiences of
conducting writing workshops in teenage pregnancy centres,
where she was struck by “the disarming combination of
carefree adolescence coupled with parental responsibilities.
The reality of life there is harsh”.
Novelist Stéphane Belcourt
(Guillaume de Tonquédec) agrees
to be the brand ambassador for a
famous cognac which is
celebrating its bicentennial and
returns to his hometown for the
first time in many years. There he
meets his first love’s son, Lucas
(Victor Belmondo), and memories come rushing back to
him: irrepressible attraction, the heat of desire, a passion
that can never be revealed… His first love’s name was
Thomas and they were 17. Adapted from Philippe Besson’s
award-winning semi-autobiographical book, this is a deeply
moving, tender film, exquisite in its honesty, with fine
performances from all its actors.
84 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
1 Alibi.com 2
Philippe Lacheau
2 Astérix et Obélix:
L’Empire du
milieu
Guillaume Canet
3 Ant-Man
et la Guêpe:
Quantumania
Peyton Reed
4 The Fabelmans
Steven Spielberg
5 Les Choses
simples
Eric Besnard
6 Sacrées momies
Juan Jesús García
Galocha
7 Avatar: la voie de
l’eau
James Cameron
8 Pattie et la colère
de Poséidon
David Alaux, Eric Tosti,
Jean-François Tosti
9 Un homme
heureux
Tristan Séguéla
10 Le Chat Potté 2:
la dernière quête
Januel P. Mercado, Joel
Crawford
CLASSIC
FILM
BEAU TRAVAIL
Claire Denis’ 1999
masterpiece is loosely
based on Billy Budd,
the Herman Melville
novella (and it uses
Benjamin Britten’s
opera of the same name
on its soundtrack).
Former Foreign Legion
officer Galoup is proud
to lead the troops
in Djibouti,under
the command of
Commandant Bruno
Forestier, whom he looks
up to. Life is orderly and
contented – until a new
recruit called Sentain
arrives and a jealous
game begins, with
tragic consequences.
L O V E F R A N C EBF❘ OIJO
LOM
KISE ❘ DREE VVIIE
VW
RE
S
A JEWISH GIRL IN PARIS
TRAVELS WITH A BROMPTON
In the Cévennes & other regions
LIBRARY
NUMÉRO DEUX
David Foenkinos
(perhaps best known
outside his native France
for The Mystery of Henri
Pick) turns his attention
to the life of the also-ran.
It is 1999 and casting
has begun to find the
young boy who will
play Harry Potter and,
in turn, become world
famous: out of hundreds
of hopefuls, two remain.
This novel explores life
for the one who was
not chosen: can he ever
stop asking himself why
he lost out? What are
the effects of rejection
on the psyche? And how
does he cope, growing up
and eventually becoming
an adult in a world
where Harry Potter
is everywhere?
Sue Birley
£10.99 Cranthorpe Millner
Melanie Levensohn, translated by
Jamie Lee Searle
£9.99 Pan Macmillan
“There were vultures circling above us
and I was told to keep moving in case
they thought I was dead… “ - which
just goes to show slow tourism is not
without its excitement! This sparkling
narrative about the adventures of an
English couple and their folding
bicycles over nearly 30 years of
exploring France is a wine-fuelled account of sweaty
pedalling and hard-earned free-wheeling via cols, war
memorials, lavender fields and vineyards. A travel guide
for those who long for two-wheeled trips in France and a
lively read for the armchair traveller who chooses sofa
over saddle, Birley’s book really is a delightful celebration
of cycling – and of France. “We are able to demonstrate
the robust and compact nature of these folding bikes, and
the comfort of the ride even if it is a bit slow. But who
wants to be in a hurry in France?” she asks. Not us,
that’s for sure!
Inspired by a true family story, this novel
takes us to Paris in 1940, a city under
German occupation. A young Jewish girl,
Judith, meets a young man, the son of a
wealthy banker and Nazi sympathiser
– his family will never approve of the
girl he has fallen in love with. As the
Germans impose more and more
restrictions on Jewish Parisians, the
couple secretly plan to flee the country. But before they
can make their escape, Judith disappears… Fast forward to
Washington DC in 2006, where Jacobina’s search for an
older half-sister she never knew has languished for 25 years.
Then she meets Béatrice, a French woman who works for
the World Bank. Spurred on by her younger friend, the two
women soon discover a dark family secret, stretching over
two continents and six decades, that will change their lives
forever. This heart-breaking yet hopeful novel tells a story
filled with love and new beginnings.
HIGHLY
RECOMMENDED
BOOKS
BEST
SELLERS
1 Les Douleurs
fantômes
Mélissa Da Costa
2 La Toute Petite
Reine
Agnès Ledig
3 Le Grand Monde
Pierre Lemaitre
4 Jamais plus
Colleen Hoover
5 Le Silence et la
Colère
Pierre Lemaitre
6 Captive, tome 2
Sarah Rivens
7 À tout jamais
Colleen Hoover
8 Les Promises
Jean-Christophe
Grangé
9 Kilomètre zéro
Maud Ankaoua
10 Captive, tome 1
Sarah Rivens
IMAGE © MONICA FOGGIA, VALERIA QUATTROCCHI
The top 10
books in
France
NIKI DE SAINT PHALLE: The Story of Her Life
Monica Foggia, with illustrations by Valeria Quattrocchi £18.99 Prestel
Few artists’ lives are as inspiring as that of Niki de Saint Phalle. Starting out
as a fashion model, a subsequent breakdown led to her taking up painting as
therapy. Entirely self-taught, Niki spent the rest of her years devoted to art
that was based in emotional truth and a feminist point of view. This graphic
novel follows her extraordinary career, from her early ‘shooting pictures’, in
which she fired bullets at bags of paint, through her collaborations with her
husband Jean Tinquely, her assemblage, performance art, installations, and
her work in film, theatre, and architecture. It tells the story of a woman who
fought for a fairer world and who made a name for herself in the maledominated art world of the day to become one of our greatest artists.
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 85
C A P I TA L V E N T U R E ❘ PA R I S O N A B U D G E T
PARIS ON A BUDGET
With the cost of living on everyone’s minds, here’s our guide
to enjoying the City of Light without breaking the bank.
Caroline Harrap is watching her cents…
This means it’s often feasible to go on
foot between the main tourist sites,
discovering more authentic parts of the
city along the way.
IMAGES © CAROLINE HARRAP, LE PETIT BOUILLON PHARAMOND/FACEBOOK, SHUTTERSTOCK
The Picasso Museum is one of many that offers free access at certain times
VISIT A MUSEUM FOR FREE
Fancy soaking up some culture at one of
the capital’s world-famous museums?
Well, the good news is that you can do
so without spending a cent. For a start,
many of the museums offer free entry
on the first Sunday of the month,
including such cultural behemoths as
the Musée d’Orsay, the Pompidou
Centre and the Picasso Museum.
Even better, several others have free
admission all year-round, including the
Musée Carnavalet, the Petit Palais and
the Musée de la Vie Romantique. Just be
aware that pre-booking is sometimes
required – and the temporary
exhibitions often have an entrance fee.
SEE THE EIFFEL TOWER SPARKLE
One of the great joys of being in Paris is
the sense of anticipation as your watch
edges closer to the hour and the Eiffel
Tower suddenly lights up like a giant
Christmas tree. Seeing the wrought-iron
structure illuminated by some 20,000
twinkling light bulbs is quite something.
Among the best places to watch the
magic are the wide-open plaza at
Trocadéro, the roof terrace of Galeries
Lafayette or, for a nicely-framed street
view, looking along Rue SaintDominique. The light show takes place
on the hour from nightfall until 11pm
and lasts just five minutes, so cameras
at the ready!
86 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
BE A FLÂNEUR FOR THE DAY
The French noun flâneur means a
person who strolls aimlessly while
observing the world around them.
Popularised in the 19th century, the
word became synonymous with Paris –
and, to this day, there is no better way
to explore the city than by wandering
along the wide Haussmannian
boulevards, climbing the steep steps of
Montmartre or getting lost in the maze
of streets across the Marais. One of the
great things about Paris, of course, is
that it’s small enough to walk from one
end to the other in two or three hours.
ENJOY A PANORAMIC VIEW
OVER THE CITY’S ROOFTOPS
As one of the highest points in the
capital, the area in front of the SacréCœur offers a spectacular vista. The
only thing missing is the Eiffel Tower,
which is further to the right, but head
over to the little dog park and it can be
spotted from around there. Also, for a
modest fee, you can climb up to the
dome of the Sacré-Cœur for a 360° view
– Eiffel Tower and all – that is one of the
best in Paris. For other free viewpoints,
try the aforementioned Galeries
Lafayette rooftop – an Instagrammer’s
heaven – or the Parc des ButtesChaumont looking out towards
Montmartre. Back at ground level, the
forecourt of the Louvre is also freely
accessible, providing a striking
perspective on the pyramid.
WATCH THE TANGO DANCERS
BESIDE THE SEINE
Come the summer, one of the favourite
activities for locals is to head to the
banks of the Seine, or one of the canals,
with a bottle of wine or some beers. It’s ❯❯
Paris is ideal for exploring on foot, with handsome streets such as the Rue des Rosiers at every turn
PA R I S O N A B U D G E T ❘ C A P I TA L V E N T U R E
Clockwise from
above: The spectacular
view from the dome
of the Sacré-Cœur;
spring is a great time to
explore on foot; the hilly
district of Montmartre
is a lovely spot for a
stroll; Le Petit Bouillon
Pharamond; the banks
of the Seine come alive
during the summer
months; the city is filled
with street art; pilots
mark Bastille Day, July
14th; the Sacré-Cœur
offers a great view of
the city; Montmartre
is always an interesting
place to explore
he cathedral rises
majestically out of the
rocky landscape; the
legendary crocodile on
the cathedral wall
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 87
C A P I TA L V E N T U R E ❘ PA R I S O N A B U D G E T
“STEP BACK IN TIME
AT ONE OF THE 19THCENTURY COVERED
PASSAGEWAYS THAT
CRISSCROSS THE CITY”
certainly far less expensive than
spending (we use the term advisedly)
an evening at a bar – and what can be
lovelier than sitting by the water as the
sun sets? Best of all, though, is when the
tango dancing by the Seine begins. Just
hearing those first bars of the music is
enough to send shivers down the spine,
but watching the dancers strut
seductively across the quayside is pure
spectacle. Channelling the spirit of the
old guinguettes, the Saint-Bernard quay
in the 5th is a great place to experience
the sultry magic.
HAVE A PICNIC IN A PARK
While Paris’s parks tend to be quite
manicured, with the grassy areas often
refined atmosphere, there is no better
place to bag a bargain than one of the
second-hand stores of Emmaüs, which
raises money for good causes, or those
of Guerrisol. Local garage sales, known
as vide-greniers, can also be a veritable
treasure trove and fun to browse.
Main image and above: The Palais Royal
gardens and the Jardin des Tuileries
off limits, they nonetheless make an
enchanting setting for a picnic or a
packed lunch. Just get there early
enough to secure one of the iconic green
benches and settle down to enjoy the
scene. From pocket-sized parks such as
the Jardin des Abbesses in Montmartre,
brimming with medicinal plants, to the
formal splendour of the Jardin des
Tuileries, once the gardens of a royal
palace, to the renowned Jardin du
Luxembourg, a favourite with families,
there are some 500 parks and gardens
from which to choose. For the best deals
lunch-wise, stock up at the local market,
or look out for the special formule
offers at the boulangerie.
WANDER THROUGH THE
HISTORIC SHOPPING ARCADES
There is nothing like stepping back in
time at one of the 19th-century covered
88 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Indulge in some shopping at the atmospheric
arcade of Galerie Vivienne in central Paris
passageways that crisscross the city.
Filled with a mix of shops, galleries,
ateliers, cafés and restaurants, each
arcade has its own character but most
feature a combination of a gorgeous
glass roof, wrought-iron metalwork and/
or decorative tiling. This makes strolling
through them a joy in itself, even if only
window shopping. At the other end of
the scale, for actual shopping in a less
VISIT SAINT-OUEN FLEA MARKET
There are few better ways to spend a
Sunday than sauntering around Le
Marché aux Puces, the flea market at
Saint-Ouen, even if just for the
atmosphere. One of the largest
concentrations of antiques and secondhand dealers in the world, it’s like a
giant open-air museum, with everything
from ancient maps, crystal chandeliers
and Art Deco furniture to sunburst
mirrors, scientific instruments and
vintage fashion. For the best deals,
check out the street-side vendors, delve
into the stalls that look less curated and
brave the outer edges of the Puces
where anything goes. Just be sure to
keep valuables close – and take cash:
some traders don’t accept cards and
there’s always a queue for the ATM.
FOLLOW IN EMILY’S FOOTSTEPS
Love it or hate it, there is no doubt that
Emily in Paris shows off the city at its
finest – and, for fans of the series,
following in the footsteps of their
PA R I S O N A B U D G E T ❘ C A P I TA L V E N T U R E
The splendid interior of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France
masterpiece of the late 19th century,
the main library room is jaw-droppingly
beautiful. Set beneath an enormous
glass-panelled ceiling, the cavernous
space is lined floor-to-ceiling with some
20,000 books. Freely accessible to
visitors, it does fill up quickly, however,
so get there early to secure a spot.
Elsewhere in the complex, there is also
a museum showcasing priceless items
from the collections, although that
incurs an entrance fee.
IMAGES © CAROLINE HARRAP, SHUTTERSTOCK
You can pick up some real treasures at markets
such as the Marché aux Puces at Saint-Ouen
EXPLORE SOME OF THE
CITY’S CEMETERIES
Oases of calm in the capital, and home
to a surprising diversity of fauna and
flora, the city’s cemeteries are
fascinating places to explore. The
largest and best known is Père Lachaise,
the final resting place for such famous
names as Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and
Edith Piaf, and home to a family of
foxes. For a more intimate experience,
head to the Cimetière de Montmartre,
where the graves of Edgar Degas,
François Truffaut and Dalida can be
found, along with a clowder of stray
cats. Alternatively, for one of the
lesser-known cemeteries, venture to the
smaller still Cimetière de Saint-Vincent,
hidden away at the back of Montmartre.
DISCOVER PARIS’S STREET ART
Paris is renowned for its street art and,
whether on a budget or not, it’s worth
making time to see some of these
striking visuals. From graffiti tags and
political statements to fantastical
frescoes and monumental murals, there ❯❯
heroine is an essential part of any trip.
From the grounds of the Palais-Royal,
where Emily first meets Mindy, to
Gabriel’s restaurant, a ‘real life’ Italian
called Terra Nera in the 5th, to the
Samaritaine department store, the place
to go for an extravagant shopping trip,
there is no shortage of scene-stealing
spots to seek out. The Paris tourist
office, Paris je t’aime, has compiled a
handy guide to some of them on its
website (bit.ly/3Xw3zyH). Alternatively,
have fun compiling your own equally
stylish itinerary – and remember
to Instagram everything.
GO TO THE (HUGE!) LIBRARY
Reopened just a few months ago
following a renovation spanning more
than a decade, the Richelieu site of the
Bibliothèque Nationale de France is a
book-lover’s dream. An architectural
This image and above: The famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, home to the tomb of Jim Morrison
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 89
C A P I TA L V E N T U R E ❘ PA R I S O N A B U D G E T
Enjoy a reasonably-priced yet delicious supper
at Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond
cheaper to consume a coffee at the bar.
Conversely, sipping an expresso en
terrasse can bump up the bill, so the
choice of spot is everything. When it
comes to dining out, a cost-effective
option is to head to one of the
modernised bouillons. Dating back to
the late 1800s, these brasserie-style
dining rooms were named after the
broth, or bouillon, which was served as
an affordable meal for workers. Today,
with a rather wider choice, try the Petit
Bouillon Pharamond in the 1st or
Bouillon République in the 3rd. Lastly,
it’s worth knowing that some bars offer
complimentary dishes, such as
couscous, with the purchase of drinks.
IMAGES © CAROLINE HARRAP, LE PETIT BOUILLON PHARAMOND;/FACEBOOK, SHUTTERSTOCK
Above and right: The city is full of street
art everywhere you look, such as this
enchanting scene in the Marais; President
Emmanuel Macron taking part in a Bastille
Day parade on the Champs-Élysées
is a plethora of artistic treasures to be
found. The tourist office has put
together a list of the best spots
(bit.ly/3EwMka3). Otherwise, look out
for the creations of the iconic French
artist Invader, whose mosaic-style Space
Invaders can be spotted on street
corners across the city.
ATTEND ONE OF THE MANY
FREE SEASONAL EVENTS
There’s a whole host of free events
throughout the year in Paris, so check
with the tourist office website to see
what’s coming up. One of the undoubted
highlights is the annual Nuit Blanche,
where contemporary art installations
take over the city for one night. This
year it takes place on June 3. Another
big date in the calendar is the Fête de la
Musique, on June 21, when music of
every kind fills the streets all evening
90 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
long. Then there’s the famous fireworks
display for Bastille Day on July 14;
European Heritage Days, on the third
weekend in September; and, of course,
the Christmas illuminations and markets
throughout the city. For a range of free
cultural events, including talks,
screenings and performances, head to
The Dissident Club in the 9th
(thedissidentclub.org).
KNOW (EXACTLY) WHERE
TO EAT AND DRINK
When visiting a café, it’s worth
remembering that it can often be
SEEK OUT A GOOD PLACE
TO REST YOUR HEAD
In terms of accommodation, the best bet
for those on a budget is often to book an
Airbnb or an apartment-hotel, as this
also enables visitors to cook their own
meals. The key here is to book early and
to be as flexible as possible with dates.
Otherwise, the new-generation hostels,
such as Generator Paris or Joe & Joe,
offer good-value stays in modern and
stylish environments. Finally, it could
also be worth considering one of the
home-swap websites, as these can make
a trip far more affordable all round.
BONUS TIP!
To save money at a host of top
attractions, pick up an official city pass:
en.parisinfo.com/discovering-paris/
paris-passlib. It covers all types of
activities, from Seine cruises to bike
hire to VIP experiences. FT
Live the unforgettable
experience in the heart
of the Eiffel Tower
DISCOVER
MADAME BRASSERIE
www.ma dam ebrasserie.com
@madamebrasserietoureiffel
G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S ❘ I N L A N D N O R M A N DY
Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei
nestles on the banks
of the Sarthe river
92 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
I N L A N D N O R M A N DY ❘ G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S
Inland
NORMANDY
With its lush landscape, rich history and easy driving,
inland Normandy makes for a classic French road trip.
Gillian Thornton gets behind the wheel ❯❯
IMAGE © SHUTTERSTOCK
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 93
G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S ❘ I N L A N D N O R M A N DY
“THIS AREA OF FOREST,
FARMS AND SMALL VILLAGES
SHAMELESSLY TEMPTS DRIVERS
TO ABANDON THE CAR AND
EXPLORE ON FOOT”
N
ormandy’s varied coastline is a
huge draw for holidaymakers of
all ages, but turn your back on
the shoreline and the interior of
this historic region serves up an
equally rich menu of delights,
whether you hanker after heritage towns and
villages, outdoor activities, or simply want to
experience the authentic Norman lifestyle.
Distances are modest, roads are quiet, and it’s
easy to avoid motorways with their mounting
tolls, so I planned a motorised meander around
inland Normandy. With agriculture still dominant,
every bend in the road reveals a new view, from
the marshland of the Cotentin peninsula to the
orchards of the Pays d’Auge and the rocky crags
of the Suisse Normande to the bocage landscape
of hedgerow-lined fields.
DEEP SOUTH
Two tranquil Regional Nature Parks cover a large
part of southern Normandy. In the centre, the
Normandie-Maine Parc Naturel Régional (PNR)
includes Domfront with its ruined medieval
castle, the floral spa town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne,
and the imposing Château de Carrouges. I stop
off at Alençon, famous since the 17th century for
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, GILLIAN THORNTON
its high-quality lace-making, and at Saint-Cénerile-Gérei, classified amongst France’s Plus Beaux
Villages, before passing seamlessly into the
Perche PNR. This area of forest, farms and small
villages shamelessly tempts drivers to abandon
the car and explore on foot, bike or – even better
– four-legged horsepower.
As a lifelong rider, I jump at the chance to see
the countryside from a carriage drawn by two
beautiful Percheron heavy horses, a breed once
used widely for agricultural work but now
maintained only thanks to a band of enthusiasts.
Ask at local tourist offices or at the delightful
Maison du Parc beside the 15th-century Manoir
de Courboyer in Nocé.
The former seat of the Counts of Perche, the
market town of Mortagne-au-Perche was strongly
fortified during the Hundred Years War against
the English. Today the ramparts are mostly gone,
but fine buildings still dot the streets: just follow
the numbered panels to discover the stories
behind the turrets, towers and hidden cloisters.
And for a true taste of the town, be sure to try
one of the many variations on black pudding,
the local speciality.
94 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
I N L A N D N O R M A N DY ❘ G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S
Clockwise from this image: The floral spa
town of Bagnoles-de-l’Orne; castle ruins at
Domfront; Bellême in the Perche PNR; the
Château de Carrouges; driving through the
Perche PNR with Percheron horses; Alençon
is famous for its lace-making; the Notre-Dame
d’Alençon Basilica is reflected in the river
The Perche PNR is a popular weekend
destination for Parisians, so expect pretty tea
rooms, craft shops and antiques dealers at
villages such as Bellême and La Perrière, both
justifiably labelled Petites Cités de Caractère by
the Orne department.
CHEESE AND CIDER COUNTRY
I indulge in a different kind of horse heaven as I
head north through the Orne towards cheese and
cider country. Le Haras du Pin stud farm –
dubbed ‘the Versailles of the Horse’ – was built
by order of Louis XIV and now hosts around 100
days of national and international events every
year, as well as guided and self-guided visits.
At nearby Gacé, I drop in at Les Vergers de la
Morinière where Astrid and Rudolph Hubert are
the fifth generation of cider and calvados
producers on the 60-hectare family farm that lies
at the southernmost point of this famous Pays
d’Auge cider region. And I’m really glad I left
room in the boot for some liquid souvenirs!
My GPS is set for Camembert, home of some of
France’s best-known cheeses, but first I make a
small detour to Mont-Ormel, where a hilltop ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 95
I N L A N D N O R M A N DY ❘ G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S
“HEAD WEST AND YOU HIT
A UNIQUE AREA WHERE THE
RIVER ORNE CUTS THROUGH
A GRANITE MASSIF TO CREATE
THE SUISSE NORMANDE”
memorial and museum show how the Battle of
Normandy unfolded in the days and weeks after
the D-Day landings of June 1944. As the
daughter of a D-Day veteran, I am humbled to
discover how the conflict progressed inland.
Then it’s on to the tiny hamlet with an
international reputation. There are barely half a
dozen houses in Camembert: the rest of the
200-or-so residents live at outlying farms and
houses. A sign at the entrance to the village
points to Normandy’s three other PDO cheese
villages – Livarot, Pont-L’Evèque and Neufchâtelen-Bray. But Camembert truly is the big cheese
here, in every way: find out why (and have a
taste) at the Maison du Camembert.
Normandy’s interior is deliciously undulating,
but head west from Camembert through the
heritage town of Falaise, birthplace of William
the Conqueror, and you hit a unique area where
the River Orne cuts through a granite massif to
create the Suisse Normande. If canoeing or
paragliding seem a tad too adventurous, take a
gentle walk and then settle down with a picnic of
local cheese and cider to watch the fun.
SEINE VALLEY
Of Normandy’s five departments,
only Eure has no coastline, but
it does boast one mighty river,
which wiggles its way west from Paris
in huge loops. Artists have always
been attracted to the natural
scenery and man-made architecture of the Seine
Valley, but it was Claude Monet who put the
Seine Valley firmly on the international art map.
So I head next to Giverny on Normandy’s
easternmost border with Île de France.
Monet moved here in 1883, half way through
his long life, and set about creating his ideal
garden, including that famous lily pond, the
subject of so many large-scale works. Giverny
attracts visitors from all over the globe and is a
favourite with river cruise itineraries, so visit
early or in low season for the most intimate
experience. But if you love Monet, you won’t ❯❯
From top: Claude
Monet’s famous lily pond
in his stunning gardens at
Giverny; inside Monet’s
home in Giverny; the
statue of William the
Conqueror in Falaise
KNOW YOUR NORMAN CHEESE
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, GILLIAN THORNTON
All four of Normandy’s PDO cheeses are also villages linked by the Normandy Cheese Route.
CAMEMBERT
Legend has it that in 1791, a
visiting priest gave a recipe
for Brie to local cheesemaker
Marie Harel who adapted it
to create Camembert. Discover
the full story at the Maison
du Camembert.
www.maisonducamembert.com
LIVAROT
Wrapped in five strips of raffia,
low-fat Livarot is nicknamed ‘The
Colonel’ as the bands that hold it
together are similar to those on
a French army colonel’s uniform.
Buy all four Norman cheeses
at Graindorge Dairy in Livarot.
www.graindorge.fr
PONT L’EVEQUE
Recognisable by its rectangular
shape, creamy Pont-l’Evêque is
covered by a distinctive redstriped rind produced by red
bacterium which is added in the
washing process. Made from
cows’ milk, its soft interior is pale
yellow in colour.
NEUFCHATEL
The oldest of Normandy’s cheeses
and the only one not produced in
the Pays d’Auge, this heart-shaped
soft cheese with a white rind
was offered by local dairymaids
to English soldiers during the
Hundred Years War as a token
of their affection.
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 97
G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S ❘ I N L A N D N O R M A N DY
“HERE, WEST OF ROUEN, THE
RIVER MEANDERS THROUGH
THE BOUCLES DE LA SEINE
NORMANDE PNR IN HUGE,
SWEEPING LOOPS”
ROUEN
No tour of inland Normandy would be
complete without a stopover in Rouen,
Normandy’s regional capital. The Radisson Blu
Rouen Centre has its own underground car
park on the edge of the historic centre, so I
abandon the car to soak up this lovely city on
foot. Many years on from my last visit, I find
that Rouen is now very foot-friendly with a
substantial pedestrianised area linking the
major heritage sites and shopping area. Still in
Monet’s footsteps, I head first to the cathedral
to soak up that flamboyant sculpted façade, ❯❯
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, GILLIAN THORNTON
Clockwise from top:
The Seine at Les Andelys,
as seen from Château
Gaillard; beautiful Lyons-laForêt; the Seine glimpsed
from Château Gaillard;
Rouen Cathedral
want to miss the dramatic splurges of seasonal
colour that combine to create new Impressionist
scenes for today’s garden visitors.
A short drive from Giverny, don your stout
shoes to tackle the uneven paths to the hilltop
ruins of Château Gaillard, Richard the Lionheart’s
strategic riverside fortress outside Les Andelys.
Then drive through the forest to Lyons-la-Forêt,
a gorgeous mix of half-timbered and brick-built
buildings around a triangular ‘square’ complete
with wooden market hall.
Back by the Seine, I watch the river traffic over
an apéro in the garden of Hostellerie SaintPierre. Ocean-going vessels can cruise 120km up
river to Rouen, but the Seine is navigable far
beyond Paris by commercial barges and river
cruisers. Here, west of Rouen, the river meanders
through the Boucles de la Seine Normande PNR
in huge, sweeping loops (boucles) that offer
drivers a chain of themed routes, first Abbeys,
then Fruit, and finally Thatched Cottages, en
route to Le Havre and the sea.
98 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Photos © RMN-Grand Palais / D. Arnaudet. © Musée d’Orsay, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / P. Schmidt.
Venez visiter
la maison et les jardins
de Claude Monet
à Giverny
Maison et Jardins Claude Monet-Giverny
Ouvert tous les jours du 1er avril au 1er novembre 2023
de 9 h 30 à 17 h 30 • T.02 32 51 28 21
www.claude-monet-giverny.com
G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S ❘ I N L A N D N O R M A N DY
“DON’T MISS THE MODERN
ARCHITECTURE OF THE JOAN
OF ARC CHURCH NEAR
THE SPOT WHERE SHE WAS
MARTYRED IN 1431”
From Rouen, I take the scenic route southwest
towards Caen and my return ferry from
Ouistreham, stopping on the way to visit Le
Bec-Hellouin, another stunning half-timbered
village which grew up around a major abbey with
some impressive alumni. In the 11th and 12th
centuries, three of its abbots were appointed
Archbishop of Canterbury, three became Bishop
of Rochester, and others headed up abbeys
across the UK, from Westminster to Chester.
Like so many places in inland Normandy,
the abbey precincts are an unexpected delight –
the very best kind of holiday surprise. FT
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, GILLIAN THORNTON
Clockwise from top:
Half-timbered buildings
add to the charm in Rouen;
the Modernist exterior of
the Joan of Arc Church in
Rouen; Le Bec-Hellouin
is home to an important
abbey; the Joan of Arc
Church in Rouen
painted by the great man almost 30 times in a
variety of different lights. Eleven versions were
completed in a room over what is now the
Tourist Office but was then a clothing shop.
The heart of Richard the Lionheart lies within
Rouen Cathedral, while the rest of his remains
are interred at Fontevraud Abbey with his
Plantagenet parents, Eleanor of Aquitaine and
Henry II of England. Don’t miss the modern
architecture of the Joan of Arc Church in Old
Market Square near the spot where she was
martyred in 1431. I’m not a fan of the concrete
exterior, but the medieval stained glass inside is
stunning. I also recommend an hour on a multimedia journey through the excellent Joan of Arc
Historial in the Archbishop’s Palace where Joan’s
trial took place. Not far from Joan’s church, the
iconic Great Clock spans a busy shopping street.
Head inside the bell tower for a closer look but
leave time for the outstanding Impressionist
collection at the Fine Arts Museum, one of eight
free city museums.
100 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
I N L A N D N O R M A N DY ❘ G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S
A DOZEN MUST-SEE PLACES IN NORMANDY
IMAGES © CDT ORNE, GILLIAN THORNTON
Twelve towns, villages and beauty spots you won’t want to miss on your travels
For more
places to visit,
go to www.
normandietourisme.fr
ROUEN
Stroll beneath half-timbered
façades and down narrow
medieval alleys. Explore Rouen’s
churches, the riverbank and the
Saint-Maclou cloister built
around a 16th-century mass
grave for plague victims.
www.rouentourisme.com
LE BEC-HELLOUIN
Named after the Bec stream and
the abbey founder, Hellouin, this
Plus Beau Village has been rebuilt
several times across the centuries.
It was liberated by Canadian
troops in 1944 and rebuilt
again in the 1950s.
tourisme.bernaynormandie.fr
HARAS DU PIN
Meet horses from many breeds
and maybe catch one of the
equestrian shows (April – Sept;
limited programme Oct – Nov).
Enjoy horse-drawn vehicles, a
historic tack room, and a guided
visit of the 18th-century château.
www.haras-national-du-pin.com
FALAISE
Visit the ducal castle, birthplace of
William of Normandy; walk the
2km trail around the ramparts;
and tour the Museum of
Automata to see animated scenes
from the Christmas windows of
Parisian department stores.
www.falaise-suissenormande.com
SAINT-CÉNERI-LE-GÉREI
Nestled in a bend in the Sarthe
river and founded by the monk
Saint-Céneri, this delightful village
attracted painters Camille Corot
and Eugène Boudin. Drop into
their favourite watering hole, the
Auberge des Soeurs Moisy.
www.saintceneri.org
CHÂTEAU GAILLARD
This ruined hilltop fortress built
by Richard the Lionheart at Les
Andeleys has sweeping views
over the river east of Rouen. Free
to visit the ruined chapel; small
charge for bailey and keep.
www.nouvelle-normandietourisme.com
CAMEMBERT
Discover the story of the
famous cheese at the Maison du
Camembert in the heart of this
tiny village. Watch AOP cheese
being made and finish with a
tasting to compare handmade and
factory-produced varieties.
www.maisonducamembert.com
CAEN
Just eight miles from the ferry
port of Caen-Ouistreham,
William of Normandy’s ducal seat
is well worth a stop for its castle,
men’s and women’s abbeys,
and eclectic mix of ancient and
post-war architecture.
www.caenlamer-tourisme.com
BEUVRON-EN-AUGE
This village in the pretty Pays
d’Auge flourished in the 14th
century thanks to the resident
Harcourt family. Restored covered
market, craft barn, cafés and
boutiques add a contemporary
buzz to this Plus Beau Village.
www.beuvron-en-auge.fr
MONET’S HOUSE AT
GIVERNY
Claude Monet lived in Giverny
from 1883 to 1926. Visit his pink
house with its distinctive green
shutters, walk the paths of his
beloved garden and stand beside
his famous lily pond.
www.fondation-monet.com
LYONS-LA-FORÊT
Surrounded by beech forest on
the banks of the Lieure with halftimbered and pink-brick buildings;
the substantial covered market
is still in regular use. Composer
Maurice Ravel was a frequent
visitor to this Plus Beau Village.
www.lyons-andelle-tourisme.com
JUMIÈGES ABBEY
Ecclesiastical ruins don’t come
more atmospheric than Jumièges
with its white towers nearly
50m tall. Abandoned in 1790, it
was used as a stone quarry until
bought by a private owner in
1853 and the State in 1946.
www.abbayedejumieges.fr ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 101
G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S ❘ I N L A N D N O R M A N DY
THINGS TO SEE AND DO IN NORMANDY
Our pick of the many delights and distractions you’ll encounter in Normandy
The glorious Jumièges Abbey along
La Route des Abbayes
Jumièges or Saint-Martin-deBoscherville with its terraced
gardens. Closer to the sea, La
Route des Chaumières is
dotted with postcard-pretty
villages of half-timbered houses
with thatched roofs. www.pnrseine-normande.com
OUTDOORS IN THE
SUISSE NORMANDE
You can explore a network of
walking and cycling trails through
gorges and forests, farmland and
villages – details are available
from any local tourist office.
For an adrenaline rush, head to
the gorges of Roche d’Oëtre,
the viaduct at Clécy, or Pontd’Ouilly, capital of water sports.
102 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
The striking Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville along La Route des Abbayes
Or just sit quietly with rod and
line beside the water and soak up
the heavenly tranquillity.
north of the region, Forges-lesEaux is listed amongst Michelin’s
Plus Beaux Détours de France.
TOWN TOURS
Inland Normandy offers a number
of modest-sized towns that are
well worth a stopover. On the
road from Avranches to Caen,
Villedieu-les-Poêles in Manche
owes its name to the local
industry in cooking pots; browse
the pot shops and visit the bell
foundry. In the south of the region,
expect period villas around a
lake in the floral spa town of
Bagnoles-de-l’Orne.
Lisieux in Calvados is a place
of pilgrimage thanks to 19thcentury saint Thérèse Martin
(who was canonised in 1925,
just 28 years after her death); visit
the vast 20th-century basilica and
more modest medieval cathedral.
And in Seine-Maritime in the
CASTLES AND GARDENS
Discover Falaise Castle,
birthplace of William the
Conqueror, through augmented
reality and digital tablets. www.
chateau-guillaume-leconquerant.
fr Explore the hilltop ruins of
Château Gaillard at Les
Andelys, completed in 1198
for Richard Coeur de Lion and
besieged in 1204 by French
troops, ahead of the Duchy
of Normandy becoming part
of France. www.nouvellenormandie-tourisme.com
Have some fun on the water in
beautiful Suisse Normande
Spring along La Route des
Chaumières (thatched cottages)
In Eure, Champ de Bataille
is a gem of 17th-century
architecture, with magnificent
rooms, a unique private collection
of artefacts, and gardens recreated
from a design by André le Nôtre.
www.chateauduchampdebataille.
com ❯❯
IMAGES © GILLIAN THORNTON
DRIVING ROUTES
Wind along the way-marked
Route du Cidre through the
orchards of the Pays d’Auge. The
trail passes through Cambremer,
Bonnebosq, and half-timbered
Beuvron-en-Auge, and there are
tastings and visits to be enjoyed
along the way.
Cambremer is home to one of
the largest producers of Calvados,
Pierre Huet, open for tours all
year round. www.calvados-huet.
com But many producers are
small family businesses like Les
Vergers de la Morinière,
further south at Gacé, who also
offer a farm site for campervans
through France Passion. www.
lesvergersdelamoriniere.com
www.france-passion.com
North of the Pays d’Auge,
La Route des Fruits hugs the
meanders of the Seine in the
Regional National Park of the
Boucles de la Seine Normande,
overlapping with La Route des
Abbayes. Stop off at the roadside
between June and October to
buy seasonal fruit. And take in
an abbey such as picturesque
For more
travel inspiration
visit www.
francetoday
.com/travel-infrance
Le Manoir de Courboyer in the Perche PNR
Unique
FRENCH IMMERSION COURSES
Helping Adults to Learn French - Naturally
FROM THE NORMANDY BEACHES
TO THE HEART OF PARIS
xpfrance.net
Hear French, Experience French, Speak French!
Phone UK: +44 7788413871
Email: info@xpfrance.net
G R E AT D E S T I N AT I O N S ❘ I N L A N D N O R M A N DY
For more
hotels and
restaurants, visit
www.francetoday.
com/food-anddrink-france
WHERE TO STAY AND EAT IN NORMANDY
Where to rest and refuel as you soak up the natural wonders and historic hotspots of Normandy
HOTELS
Hostellerie Saint-Pierre,
Saint-Pierre-du-Vauvray
Traditional half-timbered AngloNorman Logis de France with
15 rooms, a lovely garden beside
the Seine, and restaurant using
seasonal produce.
www.hostelleriesaintpierre.com
Au P’tit Normand, in Cambremer,
is on the Cider Route
Old meets new at Hôtel de l’Abbaye in Le Bec-Hellouin
The Moulin de Connelles is situated
on a private island in the Seine
4-star Moulin de Connelles,
Connelles
Half-timbered 18th-century mill
on a private island in the Seine.
Twelve bedrooms and suites,
outdoor pool, 3-hectare park and
gastronomic restaurant.
www.moulin-de-connelles.fr
Radisson Blu Rouen Centre
Modern hotel, conveniently
situated on the edge of the
historic district and retail area
with own parking and renowned
restaurant Le Jehanne.
www.radissonhotels.com
IMAGES © GILLIAN THORNTON
Hôtel du Tribunal,
Mortagne-au-Perche
Charming hotel with gourmet
restaurant under chef Vincent
Biset, Maître Cuisinier de France,
using produce from local suppliers.
www.hotel-tribunal.fr
The Hôtel du Tribunal in Mortagneau-Perche showcases local produce
104 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
La Licorne, Lyons-la-Forêt
A 17th-century property in the
heart of the village with 20 rooms
and Spa NUXE. Michelin-starred
restaurant La Licorne Royale, plus
Bistrot du Grand Cerf.
www.hotelicorne.com
3-star Hôtel de l’Abbaye,
Le Bec-Hellouin
Old and new styles mix seamlessly
together within this 18th-century
half-timbered house with 10
bedrooms and Auberge de
L’Abbaye gourmet restaurant.
www.hotelbernay.com
Best Western La Mare
Ô Poissons, Ouistreham
Riva-Bella
Modern hotel just five minutes’
drive from the Brittany Ferries
terminal with 30 rooms including
family rooms and two rooms for
guests with disabilities.
www.lamareopoissons.fr
EAT
Café Hamlet, Rouen
Popular bistro in the atmospheric
surroundings of the Aître SaintMaclou cloister. Tables inside and
out, daily specials and à la carte.
www.cafe-hamlet.fr
Dame Cakes, Rouen
Pretty tea room with rear garden
between the cathedral and SaintMaclou Church. Open 10am to
7pm for breakfast, light lunches,
and scrumptious cakes.
www.damecakes.fr
Treat yourself to some sweet delights
at L’Antre de Cloches
L’Antre de Cloches,
Le Bec-Hellouin
Tea room with a chocolate and
biscuit shop. Inside seating and
outdoor tables, too, overlooking
the village centre.
Au P’tit Normand,
Cambremer
A cosy, family-run restaurant on
the Cider Route. Typical regional
dishes using local produce.
www.auptitnormand.com
La Voile Blanche,
Ouistreham Riva-Bella
Seafront restaurant serving
produce from land and sea with
spacious interior and outside
terrace. And if you don’t feel like
cooking, takeaway dishes for
savvy self-caterers can be
collected from the restaurant.
www.lavoileblanche-ouistreham.
fr
CHAMBRES D’HÔTE
Domaine des Thomins,
Cisai-Saint-Aubin
This tranquil early 20th-century
property is 25 minutes from
lace-making capital Alençon. It
has a large garden, five bedrooms
and table d’hôte dining is available
by reservation.
www.lesthomins.fr
Domaine des Thomins is the perfect
base from which to explore Alençon
NORMANDY ESSENTIALS
GETTING THERE
Sail to Normandy with Brittany
Ferries from Portsmouth,
Plymouth or Poole to Le Havre,
Caen-Ouistreham, or Cherbourg.
Or do as I did and take their
overnight crossing to Saint-Malo
in neighbouring Brittany for easy
access to southern Normandy.
www.brittany-ferries.co.uk
TOURIST INFORMATION
www.normandie-tourisme.fr
Rouen
Camembert
ARMADA 2023 | LE DÉPARTEMENT DE LA SEINE-MARITIME PRÉSENTE
dimanche
Retrou vez tou tes
l es i nform ati on s
s u r b o uj o u76.fr
LES INFOS ❘ GREEN FRANCE
GREEN FRANCE
Eco-tourism and green living in France is endlessly evolving – here
we bring you the latest news and developments in tourism
In brief
RURAL STAYS PAYOUT
Airbnb paid over €148m of tourist
tax to more than 23,000 French
municipalities on behalf of its guests
in 2022, with nearly 30% of the tax
going to rural communities with
fewer than 3,500 inhabitants. “Rural
destinations continue to benefit
from travellers’ infatuation with
green tourism,” said Airbnb.
TAKING IT SLOW
Calling all two-wheeled sightseers! Spanning 350 short
kilometres from Dordogne (new in 2023) to the island of
Aix in Charente-Maritime, La Flow Vélo is a bike route that
can be enjoyed in its entirety (decent cyclists will need
about a week), or by opting for short escapes over a long
weekend. After crossing the Périgord-Limousin regional
natural park, passing castles and villages of character along
the Dordogne, the route goes on to Angoulême, Cognac,
Saintes and Rochefort, ending at the Atlantic beaches.
Sections can be picked according to a preferred theme,
be it local gastronomy (Périgord truffle, Pineau des
Charentes), cultural heritage, natural wonders or artistic
installation pieces (Les Lapidiales, Port d’Envaux, above).
www.laflowvelo.com
CLASSIC CAR RULES
HEAVY TOLL Companies that run France’s autoroute
network will need to “contribute financially to the ecological
transition”, Minister of Transport Clément Beaune told Le Monde.
“We will discuss this in the coming months, without any taboos,
including on the tax front. We need to build another model,” he
said about current concessions, due to end in 2030.
106 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Classic car owners can benefit
from a deal made by the French
Federation of Vintage Vehicles
regarding driving in les zones à
faibles émissions (low emission
zones). Owners will need to obtain
a collector’s registration card –
the car must be over 30 years
old, 100% original, and have an
up-to-date contrôle technique to be
updated every five years.
IMAGES © AURELIE STAPF, PORTEURDESONGE.COM – CHARENTES TOURISME; SLOW VILLAGE, PIXABAY
Go with the bucolic flow…
Slow Village is a small but growing
chain of campsites, holiday villages
and eco-friendly hotels. Its
Biscarrosse site is the latest
to obtain a European Ecolabel,
awarded for a commitment to
reducing environmental impact by
promoting the use of renewable
energy sources, saving energy and
water and reducing waste.
Explore at www.slow-village.fr/en
1 day
A new way to
DISCOVER PARIS!
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S T E P H E N C L A R K E ❘ H O W T O B E A PA R I S I A N
A PONT TOO FAR
Stephen shares his tips on negotiating those long weekends so beloved of the French
IMAGE © MARIE LISS
I
BY STEPHEN
CLARKE
t’s spring and to your average Parisian that
means long weekends. And this year is ideal
for long weekends. Well, almost.
One of the first New Year’s messages I received
was from a gleeful French friend announcing,
“2023, c’est une année à ponts”– a ‘bridge’ year.
No, it’s not a gap year. A French ‘pont’ is also the
‘bridge’ between a weekend and a midweek day
off. And ‘faire le pont’ may sound like a yoga
exercise but it means to take off the ‘bridge’ day,
thereby creating an extra-long weekend with
minimal loss of paid holiday. For example, if May
1 falls on a Thursday, you take the Friday off and
hey presto, a four-day weekend.
The promise of these ponts brings huge
pleasure to the French, and if you’d taken a
survey on January 1, mentioning the upcoming
long weekends, I’m sure that a vast proportion
of the population would have predicted an
exciting year ahead.
HOLIDAYS GALORE
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK
Below: Take advantage
of the long weekends to
enjoy the quieter side of
Paris; Honfleur is a popular
destination for weekenders
If you google ‘ponts 2023’ you’ll find a swathe of
magazines, newspapers and websites explaining
how to make the most of the months to come.
And you can bet that on the first Monday of
January, HR departments all over France were
deluged with requests for specific days off,
reaching as far ahead as November.
But as I said above, 2023 is only almost ideal
because the tally of ponts is not quite as high as
it could be. May 1 and May 8 are on Mondays, so
the French can take ‘only’ a three-day weekend.
Similarly, July 14 is on a Friday.
However, Ascension Day (May 18), Assumption
Day (August 15) and All Saints’ Day (November
1) will all produce generous ponts.
This is all excellent news for your average
Parisian office worker, but to me, a freelancer, it
implies something different: I’ve made a note to
avoid at all costs travelling on the first and last
days of those long weekends. Traffic in and out of
the city will be like wildebeest migration time.
Long-distance trains will be sausages stuffed with
humans, pets and luggage.
If you’re visiting the city, you might decide, in a
spirit of innocent cultural exploration, ‘Oh, I’ll be
in Paris in mid-May, maybe I’ll hire a car and
drive up to Honfleur for the day’. It’s an attractive
idea – a seafood lunch on the quayside, a stroll
around the Eugène Boudin museum (dedicated
to the greatest painter of Impressionist beach
scenes), a musical trip through the birthplace of
composer Erik Satie…
“I RAN INTO A TRAFFIC JAM THAT
HAD ME CRAWLING TOWARDS THE
CAPITAL SO SLOWLY IT WOULD
HAVE BEEN FASTER TO RIDE ON
THE BACK OF AN OYSTER”
Excellent in theory, but one sunny Sunday in
May, at the end of a pont, I drove out of Honfleur
around 6pm en route for the Paris autoroute and
ran into an immediate traffic jam that had me
crawling towards the capital so slowly it would
have been faster to ride on the back of an oyster.
After an hour of going nowhere, I took the first
opportunity to exit the autoroute and return to
the coast. There I joined all the other Parisians
who were lucky enough not to have bosses
waiting for them next morning.
LIFE IN THE SLOW LANE
I found a room in a half-empty hotel, enjoyed a
relaxed dinner on the seafront at Trouville, and
spent the following morning in the glorious 50m
seawater swimming pool in Deauville before
cruising towards Paris in the mid-afternoon,
along motorways littered with cars that had
suffered damage when post-pont drivers had
given into frustration and accelerated to a wild
10kph, straight into the car in front.
All in all, my advice to travellers this spring and
summer would be simple: consult one of the
many calendars of the French ponts to come,
and plan to remain in Paris on those days. The
city will be gloriously empty and wonderfully
relaxing – well, as relaxing as this beehive of
activity ever gets. FT
Stephen Clarke’s latest novel is The Spy Who Inspired
Me, a James Bond spoof set in Occupied France in 1944.
108 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
F R E N C H S T Y L E ❘ Y V E S S A I N T L A U R E N T AT H O M E
The legendary Château
d’Yquem is a miracle of
nature made possible
by the dedication of
experienced harvesters
110 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Y V E S S A I N T L A U R E N T AT H O M E ❘ F R E N C H S T Y L E
AN INSTINCT
FOR BEAUTY
A dazzling new book by Jacques Grange
takes readers on a dizzy tour of the
homes of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre
Bergé. Photographer Marianne Haas
reveals how she came to snap the
dazzling abodes
This image and above:
The dacha in Deauville – the
cushion in the foreground
embroidered with gold thread
is originally from the 12thcentury Château de Grignan;
Jacques Granges with Yves
and his French bulldog Moujik
in the winter garden of
Château Gabriel in 1982
IMAGES © MARIANNE HAAS, JACQUES GRANGE
Y
ves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé were
world-builders of an unparalleled calibre; true
taste-makers who approached each interior
project with imagination and rigour, crafting
grand spaces infused with personality and
provenance. Connoisseurs in every sense of the
word with a deep knowledge and appreciation for art and
interior design, the two built and lived among a spectacular
and carefully-considered collection. In close collaboration with
world-class designer Jacques Grange, they crafted private
spaces full of wonder and enchantment.
In a fabulous new glossy volume by Grange, readers are
invited to discover the couple’s savoir-faire through the most
exquisite photographs of the interiors and gardens of Yves’s
Château Gabriel, the dacha in Deauville; the Villa Majorelle in
Marrakech; the apartment on Rue de Babylone; and his
maison de couture on Avenue Marceau. With photographs by
Marianne Haas, and texts and special contributions from
Jacques Grange, Catherine Deneuve, Betty Catroux, Laurence
Benaïm, Louis Benech and other members of Yves’s tribe, the
creative couple’s legacy lives on.
Marianne Haas was born in Sursee, Switzerland, and is based
between Paris and Zurich. She specialises in portraits of artists
and designers, and interiors and gardens. Her work has
appeared in Elle Décor, Elle Decoration, Elle, Vogue, Paris
Match, Madame Figaro and Architectural Digest. Here she
introduces the book…
1982
I had hardly been back in Paris after five years in the States
when the telephone rang. It was Jacques Grange, asking ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 111
F R E N C H S T Y L E ❘ Y V E S S A I N T L A U R E N T AT H O M E
“BERNARD TOLD ME WITH A
MISCHIEVOUS SMILE THAT HE HAD
A MESSAGE FROM MONSIEUR SAINT
LAURENT… IT WAS A SCOLDING”
me to meet with Pierre Bergé, who needed someone to
photograph the pieces in their collection for insurance
purposes. Not quite the dream job, but as I was completely
broke and Jacques insisted, I met Pierre.
He showed me the apartment on Rue de Babylone, with its
incredible collection. It looked more like a museum than a
residence. I pointed out that I didn’t have the right cameras.
“No problem,” he replied. “Buy what you need.”
In addition to photographing the small items, we installed a
studio on the top floor, with an elevator. My assistant, Jacques
Pepion, and I spent three months photographing it all.
One day I was carrying an alabaster cup filled with
necklaces, and it suddenly broke apart into four pieces. I went
down to the apartment, where I met Bernard, the valet, who,
with malicious joy, called out, “Monsieur Saint Laurent, she
broke something!”. In a flash, Yves arrived, assessed the
damage and discovered that the cup had previously been
broken and glued.
I enjoyed going to work there every day. I learned how to
photograph bronze sculptures, paintings, crystals and more,
which helped me a lot later on when I photographed interiors
for famous designers.
One morning I arrived at the apartment as usual, when
Bernard told me with a mischievous smile that he had a
message from Monsieur Saint Laurent for me. It was a
scolding. The day before, we had photographed a sculpture by
Constantin Brancusi that was perched high above the fireplace
on a base, reachable only with a ladder. It was comprised of
three pieces that fit together, which we disassembled and
re-assembled in the studio to photograph, before putting the
sculpture back in its place. What made Monsieur Saint Laurent
so angry was that we had re-assembled the pieces in the
wrong formation, but the sculpture had looked okay to us. It
was always tricky to move an object, even a centimetre: he
Above and below: Château Gabriel’s sumptuous interiors inspired
by L’Innocent by Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti; three paintings by
Fernand Léger hang on the wall at 55 rue de Babylone: ‘Le Profil Noir’,
‘The Yellow Checkerboard’ and ‘Composition dans l’usine’
saw any error immediately, and it drove him crazy. Eventually
we bought a Polaroid SX-70 for scouting, which saved us
from further blame.
One day Pierre came home for lunch and called Bernard to
tell him that he had some great news: he had just bought a
grave for him. Bernard protested and said he already had one,
and that he wanted to be buried in his family’s plot in the
countryside. “But,” Pierre protested, “I bought this tomb for
you and you will go there.” I don’t know the end of the story.
SOME YEARS LATER...
“As a child I dreamed of having a cabin,” said Pierre Bergé.
“After we came back from a trip to the USSR, where we visited
Moscow and Leningrad, we remained immersed in the Russian
spirit. During the trip we had bought a 19th-century book on
Russian wooden architecture, which inspired the idea of
building a luxury cabin, a dacha, and with a little help from our
friend Jacques, this dream came true.”
To photograph the garden, Pierre gave us the keys to the
gate with the permission to come and go as we pleased. We
made several trips, depending on the blooms and the weather.
Sometimes Pierre would call me to say certain plants were in
bloom and that I had to come. To create this garden, Pierre
and Yves were greatly inspired by English landscapers and
Impressionist paintings. Yves also loved to populate the garden
with statues, as did Cocteau, mysteriously.
To photograph the pond, we set up the camera a day early,
facing the sun. It was still dark when we arrived. We waited for
the sunrise, “and here comes the sun… Sun, sun, sun, here it
112 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Y V E S S A I N T L A U R E N T AT H O M E ❘ F R E N C H S T Y L E
comes”. It was a rush to take the photo in the perfect glow
before the sun appeared and ruined the light. Photographing
the Château Gabriel was like working on a Luchino Visconti
film set. At any given moment Helmut Berger, Alain Delon or
Claudia Cardinale could appear at the door. There were
enough bedrooms for these prestigious guests, and all the
bedrooms were named after the characters in Marcel Proust’s
novel, In Search of Lost Time. Baron de Charlus, Charles
Swann, Prince de Guermantes, Basin, Oriane de Guermantes.
The rooms still await guests.
IMAGES © MARIANNE HAAS
PART III
Immediately off to Marrakech. After our flight landed, we
collected our bulky luggage and were instantly stopped by a
customs officer, who asked for our permission documents for
the equipment. There was a problem with the forms, and our
materials were confiscated.
After a few days we had the right forms. We went to the
customs office at the airport, but it was closed. It had been a
week, and we still hadn’t gotten the equipment back. On top of
it all, they had closed the roads because King Hassan II was
supposed to leave on a trip. Finally, after more than a week,
we were able to recover our equipment –but with a deposit
check of 20,000 francs (about $3,000). Amid all of this, we
were living with Jacques Grange and Pierre Passebon at the
Villa Dar es Saada, the “house of happiness”. It was once the
Clockwise from above left: The bathroom at Château Gabriel;
Andy Warhol’s portrait of Yves’s French bulldog, Moujik, at 55 rue de
Babylone, Paris; the winter garden at Château Gabriel, home to exotic
flowers, palm trees and ferns, where Yves liked to entertain his guests
residence of Yves and Pierre before they acquired the
Majorelle Garden, with its workshop and villa. The Majorelle
estate, abandoned since the death of painter Jacques
Majorelle, required major restoration. Once restored, it was
renamed Villa Oasis.
When Yves discovered Marrakech in 1966, it was love at first
sight. At the same time, a certain architect named Bill Willis
arrived in Marrakech, accompanied by Paul and Talitha Getty,
never to leave again. He was eccentric and very chic, and had
the look of a pop star. His visual aesthetic, his creativity and
his inventiveness made him one of the greatest modern
Moroccan architects of his time.
Yves and Bill became friends. They shared the same
passions, and naturally Pierre and Yves asked him and Jacques
to restore the Villa Oasis. It was the Marrakech years.
The Palmeraie was still wild, there was no golf or swimming
pools, and almost no one had a telephone. You needed
messengers to communicate. To invite a friend for dinner you
sent a messenger with a note, and they would come back with
the answer. This way of living allowed an escape from
everyday life, from the hustle, and a devotion to creative
activities and leisure. Five years later the villa was restored,
respecting the Majorelle spirit, in an Indo-Moorish re-creation.
It was magnificent.
PART IV
We took possession to photograph the estate. Every morning
we went to the garden through the Bab Doukkala Gate in 20
minutes. Fatima prepared a picnic for us, which we savoured
at the kiosk in the middle of the water lily pond. Who could
dream of a better job?
PART V
Back in Paris, we went to see Yves to show him the photos.
I had mounted the Ektas in a black frame. He liked it very
much. We drank champagne late into the night, and Pierre
drew cards for everyone. All’s well that ends well. FT
Yves Saint Laurent at Home
Words by Jacques Grange
Preface and photography by Marianne Haas
Introduction by Laurence Benaïm
Published by Assouline, €105
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 113
LES INFOS ❘ REGIONS
REGIONAL NEWS
From new attractions to special events, we look at the latest in
culture and tourism across La Belle France
In brief
HIGH LUXE
Saint-Martin-de-Belleville welcomed
the brand new 5-Star M Lodge,
a short walk from the slopes in one
of the gateways to Les 3 Vallées,
the world’s largest ski area with
600km of skiable pistes.
mlodge.fr
DECONSTRUCTED
VALUE
For the fourth time in a row, Alsace has earned the top spot as the Most Welcoming Region
in France, according to a traveller survey by booking.com. Last year 46m overnight stays were
booked via the website in this picturesque corner of France, and visitors were nothing short
of delighted. What makes Alsace so special? Starting with its rich cultural, architectural and
historical heritage, the picture-perfect villages, the diversity of the landscape and the world-class
gastronomy and wine, there is no arguing with Alsace’s attributes – but the secret ingredient
is its people. Travellers remarked not just on the charm and professionalism of hosts at
hotels and B&Bs, but most of all, on the warmth and friendliness of Alsatians in general.
Marc Levy, the director of Alsace Destination Tourisme (ADT), said in an interview that
“it is not unusual for locals to notice a visitor who seems lost, stop and offer to help with
directions – without waiting to be asked”. It’s the little things.
www.visit.alsace
HIGH LOW Truffle growers in Alpes-Maritimes said that
despite irrigation efforts, the drought resulted in a drop of 70%
in production last season. Le Figaro reported that early this
year the prized nuggets were already trading at an average
of €1,200 per kilo, compared with around €800 last year.
114 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
PRIVATE HAVEN
Clos l’Abbé is a unique venue
providing the ultimate boutique
luxury experience in Normandy,
combining your own 5-star private
mansion, world-class spa
and concierge service.
www.closlabbe.com
IMAGES © ADT-INFRA, M LODGE, GOGAILLE, CLOS L’ABBÉ
You’re welcome
Concept hotel and restaurant
Gogaille, with its unstructured
sites, staffless reception and
flexible check-in/out, opened its
second address in Tours, after
its inaugural success in Limoges.
New locations are planned in
Orléans and Poitiers.
www.gogaille.fr
REGIONS ❘ LES INFOS
176,672
IMAGES © J.B. RABOUAN, LOIRE VALLEY LODGES/FACEBOOK, BONVOL/WIKICOMMONS, TOURISME OCCITANIE, PXHERE
The number of British
expats living in France
according to Statista
(latest figures,
from 2019)
DEEP FOREST
MEDIEVAL MAKEOVER
For something off the beaten path,
next time you are headed for the
magnificent châteaux of the Loire
Valley, Bloomberg Pursuits’ ‘21 top
places to go in 2023’ recommends
a visit to the Loire Valley Lodges,
where you can pick from 18
treehouses deep in a lush, 750-acre
forest. You can have spa treatments
on your very own terrace before
enjoying a gourmet meal at the
in-house Ardent restaurant, where
produce from the kitchen gardens
is lovingly highlighted.
loirevalleylodges.com
FORTIFIED SPLENDOUR
The Château de
Suscinio has been
given a loving refurb
The Château de Suscinio, built in the 13th century, stands as a
majestic witness to the shared heritage of Brittany and France.
Classed as an historical monument in 1840, the site has had many
lives as a medieval fortress, a private estate, and a prison. This year
sees the culmination of decades of major restoration to return it
to its full glory for visitors to go back in time to the Middle Ages.
Rediscover this exceptional castle, the most visited in Brittany, in a
fascinating blend of architectural heritage, thematic attraction and
classified nature site, with the addition of sound and light shows in
the summer, as well as nature walks and guided tours.
Reopening April 2023
www.suscinio.fr
RETIRE ON THE MED
Le Figaro has published a ranking of the sweetest spots on the Mediterranean for the over-60s, comparing safety,
healthcare, shops, leisure activities, real estate, clean air and year-round lifestyle. www.lefigaro.fr
LE LAVANDOU
First place goes to this beauty in
the Var. With its lush vegetation
and fine sandy beaches, it ranked
highest in healthcare, shopping
and convenience.
ww.ot-lelavandou.fr
BANYULS-SUR-MER
The runner up is nestled at the
foot of the Pyrénées, where a
beautiful beach, pretty port
and swathes of vineyards offer
an unbeatable combo.
www.banyuls-sur-mer.com
COLLIOURE
Straight out of a postcard, this
gorgeous fishing port (famous for
its anchovies) near the border
with Spain earned a
well-deserved third spot.
www.collioure.fr
CANET-EN-ROUSSILLON
Not just a pretty seaside resort
but also a ‘real-life’ authentic
village, here you can build a
comfortable life to enjoy the
mild Mediterranean climate.
www.ot-canet.fr
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 115
E X P L O R E T H E R E G I O N S ❘ T E N R E A S O N S TO V I S I T
Enghienles-Bains
10 reasons to visit
ENGHIEN-LES-BAINS
At only 15 minutes by train from Paris Nord Station, this charming
and unusual city is an ideal place to stay when you visit the capital,
and it hosts the only spa resort and casino in the Paris region
1
CLOSE TO PARIS
Only 15 minutes away from Paris
by train (Gare du Nord), Enghien-lesBains is an ideal place to easily reach the
main tourist sites of the capital. It is also
an easy 30-minute journey from RoissyCharles de Gaulle airport, and 14km from
the Champs-Elysées.
2
CENTURIES OF BEAUTY
Built around a lake, Enghien-lesBains became famous during the 18th
century for its sulphur thermal baths.
With a significant cultural heritage, the
city inspired many artists, politicians and
IMAGES © NICOLAS LAVERROUX, THIERRY STEFANOPOULOS
GASTRONOMY
Enghien-les-Bains offers a wide
variety of sophisticated restaurants. In
the Barrière Resort, Le 85 Restaurant
serves a simple and healthy yet gourmet
cuisine, while Fouquet’s, a pavilion on the
lake, offers a bistronomic menu designed
in collaboration with world-famous,
three-Michelin-star chef, Pierre Gagnaire.
intellectuals during the Belle Époque.
Nowadays the lake is an attractive place
for inhabitants and visitors to relax and
soak up the atmosphere, and a popular
place for sailing.
CASINO GLAMOUR
The town is home to the greatest
Casino in France. From the outside, the
Casino boasts a Belle-Époque style
façade, a shell of glass, with a terrace
extending towards the lake. It offers the
widest selection of games in France: slot
machines, table games, electronic games
and poker. Also its theatre is reminiscent
of Paris’s most legendary theatres, in an
Italian-style layout, with a programme of
comedy and music.
4
dedicated to relaxation, beauty, energy
and serenity. The contemporary thermal
baths offer a complete medical centre
for the treatment of ENT complaints
and adult airways.
5
2
3
Centre des arts is a place dedicated to
digital arts, live performances and
exhibitions. It also pilots a programme of
artistic residencies in contemporary
creation: dance, music and visual arts.
And just 2km from the city centre, the
Enghien-Soisy racecourse is a must-see.
5
BARRIÈRE RESORT AND
THERMAL BATHS
Facing the Casino and the lake, the
Barrière Resort offers high quality
accommodation with the 4-star Grand
Hotel and the Spark, a wellbeing area
116 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
6
AN OASIS OF PEACE
At just 1.77km2 (0.68 sq mi) in size,
Enghien-les-Bains is practically a village.
Secure and calm, the city offers a
relaxing holiday setting. On the edge of
the Montmorency forest, the town
benefits from a green lung, with its lake
and its parks.
7
ECLECTIC ARTS SCENE
Besides the Casino Theatre,
Enghien-les-Bains has a vivid cultural life
– as befits the birthplace (in 1875) of the
legendary singer/dance Mistinguett. At
the crossroads of arts and sciences, the
3
8
SHOPPING
Whatever your taste – fashion,
food, restaurants, brasseries– the town
benefits from a wide range of shops, with
around 300 stores, plus a local food
market held three times a week.
9
9
YEAR-ROUND APPEAL
In the spring and summer time, the
city comes alive with concerts, especially
on the floating stage, which is the biggest
on a lake in Europe. This is where the
much-loved Barrière Enghien Jazz
Festival is held. During the Christmas
season, Enghien-les-Bains lights up, with
monumental screenings projected on to
the town’s buildings, as well as the
Christmas Village, complete with a little
cottage and ice-skating rink, a Christmas
market and activities for children.
10
NEARBY ATTRACTIONS
The city is also surrounded by the
most beautiful heritage sites in Vald’Oise, the Valley of Impressionists: the
village of Auvers-sur-Oise, Royaumont
Abbey, and the Château d’Écouen,
which hosts the National Museum of
Renaissance. It is also near Claude
Monet’s house in Giverny, as well the
famous Château de Chantilly.
www.enghienlesbains.fr
ENGHIEN-LES-BAINS
ENGHIENLES-BAINS
H I E NN-L E S B A I
OT-ENGHIENLESBAINS.FR
AMANDA’S WINES
Loire Valley Wine
and find authentic, French-market items and gift boxes.
All products are hand-selected by us.
We do our best to procure vintage items and unique products from local artisans.
Exclus
ive off
er
Discover the Beauty of the
Loire Valley through its Wines
ALL OUR WINES ARE TOTALLY UNOAKED
www.amandaswines.co.uk
THE GUIDE
CHÂTEAUX 2023
No other country can boast as many well-preserved castles and country houses as France.
Step back in time and immerse yourself in beautiful gardens and architecture: from the
riverside beauties of the Loire Valley to the fairy tale castles of Alsace to the hilltop forts of
the southwest, there are hundreds of châteaux available for visits across France, offering an
intriguing glimpse into the life, culture and decadence before the Revolution.
By Dominic Bliss
This image: Château de Chenonceau
IMAGE © PAUL RIVAS
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 119
THE GUIDE CHÂTEAUX 2023
FRANCE TODAY’S TOP PICKS FOR 2023…
Clockwise from this image: The Château
de Pierrefonds was restored to full glory by
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc; as well as the building
and parkland, the Château de Compiègne is
home to several excellent museums; many
famous historical characters lived – and died
– at the Château d’Amboise
CHÂTEAUX TO VISIT
Indulge your love of
architecture and interiors as
you wander in awe around
these beautiful châteaux.
And if you’re lucky, a bit of
French aristocracy might rub
off on you.
Château Royal de Blois
(Loir-et-Cher)
Architecture from the 13th
to the 17th centuries is on
display at this fine château in
the Loire Valley. There are
four distinct wings
surrounding a central
courtyard: medieval, Gothic
(from the reign of Louis XII),
early Renaissance and
classical 17th century.
Steeped in history, the
120 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
château has witnessed some
pretty grisly episodes. The
grisliest of all was in the 16th
century when King Henri III
lured the Duke of Guise into
his counsel chamber only to
have him stabbed to death by
a troop of royal bodyguards.
The king himself hid behind a
tapestry while the evil deed
was carried out. Between
April and November,
dramatic sound and light
shows are put on in
the château courtyard.
en.chateaudeblois.fr
Château de Pierrefonds
(Oise)
First built in the late 14th
century by Louis of Orleans,
this awe-inspiring castle lay
in ruins for much of its
existence until Napoleon III
commissioned the famous
architect Eugène Viollet-leDuc to restore it to its
medieval glory. The result is
a vast eight-towered château
straight out of a fairy tale,
complete with drawbridge,
gargoyles and dungeon, all
surrounded by the thick
Compiègne Forest. Open
9.30am–6pm daily from June
13 to September 4, and
10am–5.30pm from
September 5 to April 30.
www.chateau-pierrefonds.fr/en
Château de Compiègne
(Oise)
Built for King Louis XV and
restored by Napoleon, this
château, 85km north of Paris,
used to be one of the three
seats of royal government. Its
proximity to the forest and
hunting grounds of the same
name made it the preferred
summer residence of French
monarchs for many
centuries. There is a huge
amount to see here, including
the park, the château
apartments themselves, the
Musée du Second Empire,
the Musée de l’Impératrice,
and the Musée National de la
Voiture, which boasts a
superb collection of cars,
carriages and bicycles. It’s
open most days of the year,
with free entry on the first
Sunday of the month.
chateaudecompiegne.fr
CHÂTEAUX 2023 THE GUIDE
(and died) here. In the late
1400s, while on his way to
watch a game of real tennis,
King Charles VIII bumped his
head on a door lintel, fell into
a coma and died hours later.
More violent was the fate of a
band of Protestant
conspirators who, in the
1500s, were disembowelled
and hanged from the balcony
of the château’s Salle des
États. Mary, Queen of Scots
once lived here too, as did
Leonardo da Vinci, whose
remains are believed to be
buried in the nearby chapel
of St Hubert. (Access to the
chapel interior is limited.)
www.chateau-amboise.com
Château de Beaugency
(Loiret)
The highlight of this château
in the Loire Valley is its
centre dedicated to digital
art. For 2023, the central
exhibition is an immersive
show of Vincent Van Gogh’s
famous work, La Nuit
from bright red sandstone,
this Alsatian château stands
out for miles around.
Although no one is sure when
it was built, it’s certain the
vast structure was an
important outpost during the
Middle Ages. By the 1600s it
had been abandoned and
wasn’t rebuilt until the
German Kaiser Wilhelm II
took an interest at the
beginning of the 20th
century. Over the years many
film directors have been
inspired by the castle,
including Jean Renoir (for La
Grande Illusion) and Peter
Jackson (for The Lord of the
Rings). Today it is a major
tourist attraction, open all
year round, and drawing in
half a million visitors a year.
www.haut-koenigsbourg.fr/en
Château de Meung-sur-Loire
(Loiret)
With original construction
dating back to the 12th
century, this former castle
IMAGES © SHUTTERSTOCK, DAVID DARRAULT, WWW.CHATEAU-PIERREFONDS.FR/EN
“THIS CHÂTEAU IS STRAIGHT OUT
OF A FAIRY TALE, WITH DRAWBRIDGE,
GARGOYLES AND DUNGEON”
Château de ChâteauThierry
(Aisne)
“A gem of medieval defensive
architecture,” is how the
local tourism office describes
this ancient castle, dating
back to the 13th century.
There’s falconry, a rose
garden with 50 or so different
varieties, and the remains of
what it claims were “the
largest medieval kitchens in
Europe”. It’s open all year
round and is free to visit.
www.chateau-thierry.fr
Château de Condé-en-Brie
(Aisne)
“The castle has a real sense
of authenticity, with many
original paintings and interior
features,” say the owners.
“Its sparkling history, its
bedrooms, its boudoirs and
its salons are straight out of a
fairy tale – all easily
discovered and shared with
the whole family.” There’s
also a treasure trail in the
surrounding parkland. The
château is open from April
until November. Entry prices
start at €12 per person.
www.chateaudeconde.fr
Château d’Amboise
(Indre-et-Loire)
Sitting atop a rocky outcrop
on the southern bank of the
Loire, the Château d’Amboise
comes alive when you learn
of the famous historical
characters who once lived
Étoilée (Starry Night).
“Travel through a luminous,
digital universe where
medieval and Renaissance
architecture is revealed
through beams of light and
pixilation,” invite the
curators. The show takes
between an hour and 90
minutes to drink in, and runs
throughout the château’s
19 rooms and the adjoining
gardens. Open from
April to December.
www.chateau-beaugency.com
Château du HautKoenigsbourg
(Bas-Rhin)
Perched on a forested
promontory in the Vosges
mountains and constructed
and episcopal palace in the
Loire Valley was captured
from the English by Joan of
Arc in 1429. Nowadays it
makes for a wonderful family
day out with attractions and
activities such as a mini-farm,
historical enactments, a
paddock of deer and a
dragon’s lair. The château
opens for the season on April
8, with tickets priced €12 for
adults, €8.50 for childen.
chateau-de-meung.com
Château de Fougères
(Ille-et-Vilaine)
One of Europe’s largest
châteaux, Fougères has been
around in one form or
another for 1,000 years or so.
Naturally protected by a ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 121
Creative & Classic Wines
Paul and Sarah took over his family vineyards in
2019 and made their first wines in 2020. Their story
is a love story, a Franco-American couple following
their wine dreams. In respect to six generations of
winemaking, Paul and Sarah craft organic wines with
the marriage of a deep family history and a global
wine vision.
The winery, nestled in the small town of Cruscades, is
18 km from Narbonne and 40 km from Carcassonne.
It is in the heart of the AOC Corbières.
Winery Tours, Tastings, and Vineyard Walks are
available seven days a week by reservation. We hope
to see you soon in our beautiful region of France!
The Courtyard or garden side, change your perspective
www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr
closducers@gmail.com
www.closducers.com
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Illustration : Iconys
On the south bank of the Loire, at the
gateway to the Sologne, the vineyards
of Orléans and Orléans-Cléry are
classified as “Appellation d’Origine
Contrôlée”. They produce well-balanced
and tasty wines, sought after by wine
lovers.
On the north bank, two castles have
dominated the landscape for centuries.
The Château de Meung-sur-Loire,
fully furnished, can be visited from the
underground to the attics. The Château
de Beaugency, transformed into a
Digital Art Centre, is one of the most
important cultural sites dedicated
to digital art in France.
IS
VALLEY
E
E
VALLÉ
DES RO
Less than 2 hours from Paris
LOIR
Between vineyards and castles, it is
a surprising stay rich in discoveries
that awaits you on our lands!
CHÂTEAUX 2023 THE GUIDE
marsh and the River Nançon,
it features a dozen impressive
towers, as well as inner
courtyards and gardens, all
encircled by ramparts –
perfect for holding out when
under siege by the invading
English. For visitors, this
Breton château offers an
intriguing glimpse into what
life was really like in the
Middle Ages. Open most of
the year, except for January.
chateau-fougeres.com/fr
IMAGE © DAVID DARRAULT
Château d’Herouville
(Val d’Oise)
Elton John, Pink Floyd, Joan
Armatrading, T.Rex, Cat
Stevens, Iggy Pop, David
Bowie, Bee Gees, Fleetwood
Mac… this château north of
Paris has hosted rock and
pop royalty over the years
thank to its famous recording
studio. Here’s Jerry Garcia,
the lead singer of the
American band The Grateful
Dead, recalling a gig his band
played there in the early
1970s: “We played to a
handful of townspeople in
Auvers. We played and the
people came – the chief of
police, the fire department,
just everybody. It was an
event and everybody just had
a hell of a time, got drunk,
fell in the pool. It was great.”
Contact the château direct
for visiting options. And don’t
fall in the pool.
www.lechateaudherouville.com
Château de Joux
(Doubs)
Standing sentry high above
the valley, surrounded by
jutting cliffs and forests, this
brooding fortress in the Jura
Mountains looks like a
backdrop from The Lord of
the Rings. A century in the
making, it was built to defend
important trade routes
through the valley, although
it wasn’t always a stronghold.
During the 18th and 19th
centuries it served as a bleak
state prison, its most famous
inhabitant the Haitian
revolutionary Toussaint
Château de l’Islette overlooks the River Indre, perfect for a spot of boating en famille
Louverture, who died here in
1803, having spent eight
months behind bars.
www.chateaudejoux.com
Château de Fontainebleau
(Seine-et-Marne)
There are no fewer than
1,500 rooms in this opulent
château just 34 miles from
Paris, most of them adorned
with beautiful paintings,
tapestries, frescoes, carvings,
fireplaces and furniture. At
one time even Leonardo da
Vinci’s Mona Lisa hung here.
The human residents who
called it home over the
centuries are even more
impressive, and include
kings, queens, emperors and
World War II generals.
Beyond the château walls,
the 130 hectares of parkland
and gardens – partly
designed by André Le Nôtre
– are suitably resplendent.
Open all year round.
www.chateaudefontainebleau.
fr/en
Château de la Hunaudaye
(Côtes-d’Armor)
This medieval fortress sits in
a tranquil corner of northern
Brittany. As with most castles
built in the Middle Ages, it
was created to defend – in
this case, the eastern border
of the Penthièvre territory.
Sadly, the château was
reduced to rubble in a civil
war, before a heroic revival in
the late 1300s which saw the
introduction of its trademark
circular towers. Eventually,
at the tail end of the 15th
century, it became a symbol
of the Tournemine family’s
new-found power and status,
cementing itself as a
prestigious regional
landmark. (Open daily from
April 1 to September 17;
and from October 21 to
November 5.)
www.la-hunaudaye.com
Château de l’Islette
(Indre-et-Loire)
“Through the trees in the
distance, I see the tortuous
course of the Indre, and an
ancient château, flanked by
towers,” wrote the playwright
Pierre Beaumarchais in 1769
of this château which
overlooks the River Indre.
Indeed, the first thing you’ll
notice is the castle’s
captivating beauty: the
glowing white limestone, the
flower-bedecked walkways,
and reflections dancing on
the surface of the moat. But
there’s more to this leafy
Loire Valley oasis than meets
the eye, as it also once
hosted legendary sculptors
Camille Claudel and Auguste
Rodin, who conducted their
tempestuous love affair here
in the late 1800s. Open every
day from May 1 to September
30, and all year round for
groups with reservations.
www.chateaudelislette.fr/en
Château de Guédelon
(Yonne)
This château is entirely
different from all the others
featured here in that it hasn’t
actually been built yet. Deep
in a Burgundy forest, just
over 100 miles south of Paris,
it’s an architectural and
archaeological experiment
where all the builders are
constructing a genuine
13th-century castle using
only medieval tools and
methods. No modern cranes
or lorries or electric tools on
this building site. As far as
possible, all the craftsmen
and women here both work
and dress exactly as
❯❯
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THE GUIDE CHÂTEAUX 2023
IMAGE © RENAUD LOEUILLET
Château d’Ussé was the inspiration for Charles Perrault’s fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty
their ancestors would have
800 years ago. Wearing
woollen smocks, there are
quarrymen hewing rocks out
of the ground; stonemasons
tapping away with their
chisels; carpenters handsawing trees cut from the
local forest by lumberjacks;
blacksmiths forging the iron
tools; tilers digging clay from
the ground nearby and firing
it in ovens; and carthorses
transporting all these
materials around the site.
The whole project aims to
rediscover the secrets of
medieval architecture and to
teach modern builders how
to work with traditional tools
and materials. Visitors are
encouraged to engage with
the builders while they toil
away, rather like an
interactive theme park.
Construction on Guédelon
started in 1998 and isn’t due
to finish until 2030 at the
earliest. This year it’s open to
time-travelling visitors from
April 1 to November 5.
www.guedelon.fr
CHÂTEAUX WITH
GARDENS
In some châteaux the
gardens can be just as
124 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
impressive, if not more
impressive, than the building
itself. Manicured flowerbeds,
tree-lined walkways, moats
and garden festivals… you
can enjoy all these and more.
Château du Clos Lucé
(Indre-et-Loire)
In the early 1500s, a certain
Leonardo da Vinci spent
three years living in this Loire
Valley château. At one point
his most famous painting, the
Mona Lisa, was stored here
and it was here, in May 1519,
that the great man died, in
the arms of King Francis I, or
so the story goes. Nowadays
the château rooms have been
turned into a museum
dedicated to the legendary
genius. Outside in the
château grounds are
interactive displays of some
of his greatest engineering
inventions. “As you walk, you
meet Leonardo the engineer,
Leonardo the visionary and
Leonardo the painter and
architect,” a château
spokesperson explains. “In
the park, climb aboard the
assault chariot, action the
aerial screw, manipulate the
multi-barrelled gun, sail on
the paddle boat and walk on
the revolving bridge and the
20m-high double-span
bridge, all crafted the original
way.” It’s fascinating stuff.
vinci-closluce.com
Various châteaux in
Val d’Oise
(Val d’Oise)
The Val d’Oise department,
just north of Paris, has some
of France’s most stunning
châteaux. These include the
Château de La Roche-Guyon,
uniquely set into the chalk
cliffs behind it and featuring
a medieval dungeon; the
Domaine de Villarceaux,
an 80-hectare property in
Chaussy (free entry, open
Tuesday to Sunday); the
Château d’Auvers, with its
stunning Impressionist
paintings (open Tuesday to
Sunday, €12); Château
d’Ambleville, built in the
Renaissance style with
Italian-style gardens (open
summer only); and Château
d’Écouen, with its
Renaissance museum (open
Tuesday to Sunday, €5).
http://bit.ly/3SzGsSY
Château d’Ussé
(Indre-et-Loire)
Shielded from the outside
world by the thick Chinon
forest, the Château d’Ussé
was the inspiration for the
Charles Perrault fairy tale
Sleeping Beauty. And when
you view its Gothic turrets,
soaring chimneys, grand
staircases and sumptuous
interiors, you quickly realise
why. The pièce de résistance,
however, is the terraced
garden designed by André
Le Nôtre, the brains behind
Palace of Versailles’
landscaping. Le Nôtre aimed
to bowl over visitors by
playing around with
symmetry, geometrical
shapes and perspective, and
by adorning his gardens with
fountains, ornamental lakes,
fruit trees, flower beds and
cedars. The results are
stunning. Just be sure to
remember what happened to
Sleeping Beauty, though:
don’t prick your finger.
The château is open from
February 11 to November 5
this year. There’s also a
fashion exhibition, called
Telle mère, telle fille (Like
mother, like daughter),
which rather intriguingly
explores the way in which
parents control their
children’s choice of clothing.
www.châteaudusse.fr
Château de Chantilly
(Oise)
Henri d’Orléans (1822–1897),
son of Louis-Philippe, the last
king of France, was a
passionate collector, ensuring
the Château de Chantilly
became a stunning showcase
for his countless
masterpieces and precious
manuscripts. In 1886 he
gifted the château to the
Institut de France and
nowadays this fabulous site
– just 40km north of Paris –
includes the Condé Museum
and is open to the public
every day except for
Tuesdays. Tickets cost €9
for the grounds alone, and
€17 for the château and
grounds combined.
chateaudechantilly.fr
❯❯
The Luxury of Simplicity
Situated in the heart of a large park,
Château de Montcaud
is the perfect hideaway for your holidays
in Provence Occitane.
Gourmets and pleasure seekers alike will
appreciate the French art de vivre
and extraordinary gastronomy.
Escape from your daily routine and recharge
your batteries in our rooms and suites where
comfort meets elegance and authenticity.
Château de Montcaud
(+33)4 66 33 20 15 - info@chateaudemontcaud.com
www.chateaudemontcaud.com
Le Château d’Ussé | Sleeping Beauty Castle
Dive into the magic of the Sleeping Beauty tale
Visit a fairy tale castle of the Loire Valley
www.chateaudusse.fr
INSCRIT AU PATRIMOINE MONDIAL DE L’UNESCO
CHENONCEAU
apyrène communication | photo léonard de serres
LE CHATEAU SUR L’EAU
CHEF-D’ŒUVRE DE LA RENAISSANCE
HORAIRES D’OUVERTURE ET PROGRAMMATION 2023 :
WWW.CHENONCEAU.COM
CHÂTEAUX 2023 THE GUIDE
Château de Villandry
(Indre-et-Loire)
Above all else, the Château
de Villandry is famed for its
gardens, a meticulous
network of tidy box hedges,
fragrant herbs and vibrant
flowers. Smartly planted,
they offer a multi-coloured
feast, whatever the time of
year, thanks to their seasonal
plants and vegetables: in
autumn, you can soak up the
hues of orange, red and
purple, while in high summer
you’ll experience dazzling
greens and hot pinks. The
interior is also a sight for
sore eyes, with gorgeous
Renaissance décor and rooms
laid out in splendid 16th
century-style. The gardens
are open every day of the
year, even Christmas Day,
while the château itself is
open from February 4 to
November 12, and December
2 to January 7.
www.chateauvillandry.fr/en
IMAGE © JEAN-CHRISTOPHE COUTAND
Château de Hautefort
(Dordogne)
The interior of this
neoclassical château in the
Périgord is impressive
enough. The exterior, though,
will take your breath away.
First up is the three-hectare
French garden, with its
parterres, consisting of
geometrical boxwood hedges,
bright flowerbeds and yew
topiary. Beyond this are the
organic vegetable garden and
a 30-hectare English-style
park with a network of
woodland paths and some
remarkable tree species. The
château is open every day
from April to November.
www.chateau-hautefort.com
Château de Chenonceau
(Indre-et-Loire)
Looking like it’s almost
floating above the River Cher,
this château, with its stylised
moat, turrets, towers and
drawbridge, is a veritable
beauty. However, it’s the 70
hectares of landscaped
gardens and lush forest
The gardens at the Château de Villandry are a riot of colour all year round
rather than the tourist-heavy
interiors that are most
interesting. On either side of
the river you can visit the
gardens of Diane de Poitiers,
Catherine de’ Medici, the
Jardin Vert, the yew maze,
or the vast flower garden.
Both the château and the
gardens are open every day
of the year (even Christmas)
which, as everyone knows, is
a rarity in France.
www.chenonceau.com
Château de Versailles
(Yvelines)
Undoubtedly the most
famous château in France
(possibly even on the planet),
Versailles served as the
political capital and seat of
the royal court from 1682
until revolutionaries dragged
off Louis XVI and Marie
Antoinette to face the
guillotine. To avoid getting
overwhelmed by a sea of
other tourists, head for the
wonderful 800-hectare Parc
de Versailles where you can
enjoy vast, manicured, formal
gardens populated by endless
statues and water features,
the English-style Jardins du
Petit Trianon, the Orangery,
the Grand Canal where
rowing boats are available to
hire, and the Lake of the
Swiss Guard. Without a
doubt, you will be amazed.
www.chateauversailles.fr
Maison du Berneuilh
(Gironde)
This 80-hectare family estate
is just half an hour south of
Bordeaux within the Entredeux-Mers vineyard region.
“The wines from these sunny
plateaus have always been
sought after for their
exceptional quality,” say the
owners. “It is one of the rare
cellars to have so many
vintages.” The family prefers
to “vinify in the old way”,
allowing the lees to rest for at
least five years. Also available
are lovely local walks,
workshops, tastings (of
course) and cellar visits.
www.facebook.com/
chateauduberneuilh
Vignobles Jade
(Gironde)
Right among the vineyards of
Saint-Émilion, Château Fleur
de Lisse is a family estate
where the owner, Caroline
Teycheney, offers tastings,
workshops and other events
at her Vignobles Jade. The
tours range from a basic wine
tasting lasting 45 minutes
(for €7 per person) to the
Jade Experience, which
includes a two-hour visit to
the vineyard, cellars and
ageing room (for €50 per
person). There’s also an
excellent wine bar.
en.vignoblesjade.com
CHÂTEAUX TO
STAY IN
Fancy playing at being a real
aristocrat – for a few days, at
least? Why not stay at one of
the many châteaux across
France which welcome
paying guests? Some feature
adjoining swimming pools,
spas and tennis courts;
others offer golf courses.
Château de Fère
(Aisne)
This five-star establishment
has all you would expect
from a high-end hotelrestaurant: luxury spa,
swimming pool, tennis court,
lovely rooms (35 in all),
meeting rooms and a
wonderful restaurant, all
surrounded by swathes of
beautiful forest. But what
makes a visit here even more
special are the handsome
ruins of the 13th-century
Château de Fère-enTardenois just next to ❯❯
Apr/May 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 127
THE GUIDE CHÂTEAUX 2023
Enjoy a stay at Château de Fère in Aisne, where you can admire the 13th-century castle ruins up close
IMAGE © WWW.CHATEAUDEFERE.COM
it, and the adjacent
Renaissance bridge.
www.chateaudefere.com
Château de Gizeux
(Indre-et-Loire)
The landlady of this château,
Stéphanie de Laffon, doesn’t
really see herself as the
building’s owner. “Not in the
way that you might have an
owner of an apartment or a
house,” she says. “We feel
like we are guardians of
something that is much more
important than us. We’ll be
here perhaps 20 or 30 years,
in a place that is 600 or so
years old. So we’re just a tiny
part of the château’s history.”
With five suites and one
larger apartment available,
Stephanie hopes her guests
might also be a small part of
the château’s history. Once
you’ve checked in you can
enjoy a guided tour of the
building, its parks and its
gardens before taking a dip
in the heated pool.
www.chambreschateaudegizeux.com/en
Château d’Ermenonville
(Oise)
Just 45 minutes from Paris,
this perfect little château is
surrounded by water and
128 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
parkland. You won’t be
surprised that for many
weekends during the summer
it is booked up for wedding
parties. There are plenty of
rooms available, plus
activities such as biking, boat
rides and horse riding. Close
by is the original burial site of
the Enlightenment
philosopher Jean-Jacques
Rousseau, on a tiny wooded
island in a lake in the park
that now has his name. His
remains were later moved to
the Pantheon in Paris.
domainechateauermenonville.
com
Château de Verrières
(Maine-et-Loire)
This five-star hotel in the
Loire Valley boasts four acres
of grounds, the highlight of
which is the outdoor
swimming pool, heated
during the summer months.
Inside there’s a spa with
sauna, Jacuzzi and
treatments. The bar has a
great selection of wines.
www.facebook.com/
ChateaudeVerrieres49400
Le Grand Manoir
d’Aleksandr
(Gironde)
In the quiet Gironde town of
Saint-Médard-de-Guizières,
Le Grand Manoir d’Aleksandr
is right in the heart of the
Bordeaux wine region, a
short drive from SaintÉmilion, the vines of Pomerol
and the historic town of
Libourne. With eight large
bedrooms, it is built in the
elegant Napoleon III style,
and includes a grand
reception hall, living room
and a beautiful dining room.
Throughout the building you
will discover many original
features such as parquet
wood floors, marble
fireplaces, impressive high
ceilings and a simply
stunning stone staircase.
www.alouetteproperty.com/en/
le-grand-manoir-daleksandr
Domaine des Bidaudières
(Indre-et-Loire)
An elegant 15th-century
château, the Domaine des
Bidaudières is in the heart of
the Vouvray vineyards in the
Loire Valley. Owners Sylvie
and Pascal have nine guest
rooms on offer, each one
named after a local vineyard.
On one side are views over
the estate grounds and lake,
on the other the swimming
pool and terrace.
www.bidaudieres.com
Au Château
(All regions)
This online agency features
55 or so different châteaux
dotted across France. They
invites us to: “Share in the
charm and ambiance of
stately manor houses,
medieval castles, Renaissance
châteaux and aristocratic
family homes. We offer a
wide selection of properties,
from unique small castles and
country manors offering
understated elegance to
opulent and stylishlydecorated luxury châteaux.”
Rather conveniently, you can
search for a château to stay
in using preferences ranging
from art classes, French
lessons, dance courses and
wine tasting to swimming
pools, tennis courts, horse
riding and spas. You can
even opt for helicopter
landing facilities, should that
be a requirement.
“Weekly rentals of an entire
château are ideal for a family
holiday or to celebrate a
special occasion, enjoy a
unique vacation or for a
destination wedding,”
the company suggests.
www.au-chateau.com
Château des Vigiers
(Dordogne)
This lovely 16th-century
château, just half an hour’s
drive from Bergerac airport,
has been converted into a
four-star hotel, complete with
vineyard, a 27-hole golf
course, a spa, tennis courts,
two heated outdoor
swimming pools and an
indoor swimming pool. It has
two restaurants – one of
them, Les Fresques, boasting
a Michelin star. “This
gourmet restaurant is classic,
intimate and elegant,” says
the Michelin Guide. “It prides
itself on fine, meticulous
cuisine, excellent ingredients
(truffles in season) and local
wines. These start with those
from the estate’s own
vineyard.” Sounds perfect!
vigiers.com FT
The Maison du Berneuilh
and Vignobles Noriega
offer you a variety of wine
tourism activities from
hikes and walks in the
vineyards to workshops,
tastings of cuvées and
visits to the wine cellars.
Contact Mathilde Rigolot Wine tourism manager: +33 (0)6 42 85 48 93
mathilde.mberneuilh@gmail.com ou Amandine Noriega +33 (0)6 61 49 55 84
In a park of 15 hectares, suspended in terraces, an elegant property of
the XVIII century entirely restored, welcomes you in the heart of the
vineyard of Vouvray, in the middle of the Loire valley.
The guest rooms, all personalized and very comfortable, equipped with
air conditioning, offer breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside.
Access to the rooms is via a beautiful stone staircase or the elevator to
the pool.
ONLY 12KM FROM TOURS & 15 MINUTES FROM TOURS AIRPORT.
JUST 14 KMS FROM AMBOISE.
T: 02 47 52 66 85
M: 06 07 79 25 31
E: contact@bidaudieres.com
www.bidaudieres.com
Relax at the edge of a large heated pool surrounded by a flowered
terrace and you can visit the many beautiful castles of the Loire such as
Amboise, Chenonceaux, Chaumont sur Loire and many more.
It is also a perfect place to taste, in a typical cellar of the region, one of
the famous wines of a privileged soil.
Sylvie & Pascal Suzanne
DERNIER MOT ❘ THE LAST WORD
WOOD YOU BELIEVE IT?
Kristin’s driftwood collection goes from treasure to poison to art
M
BY KRISTIN
ESPINASSE
y obsession with driftwood began, oddly
enough, at a barbecue. Seeing my
husband dash around the garden,
gathering dry sticks for our brasero, I realised he
needed a good stash of kindling. Noticing some
brindilles scattered beneath our pepper tree I
reached down… when the thrill of wood
scavenging bit me!
Around our neighbourhood, I discovered an
endless supply of free wood: pine cones and little
fallen branches peppered our streets for a
veritable wood feast. How rewarding to clean up
the neighbuorhood while building a supply of
petit bois. I returned with handfuls. When those
poignées grew to armfuls I brought along a tote.
Then a bigger one. Finally, I brought my husband!
GATHERING STICKS
IMAGES © KRISTIN ESPINASSE
Kristin and some of the
driftwood she has collected
from the beach at La Ciotat
Armed with a granny cart (Mom’s four-wheeled
shopping trolley), we were ready to collect some
of the logs that had landed on the local seashores
after a storm.
Here in the sparkling bay of La Ciotat, these
outings became a treasure hunt when we
ventured to la plage and encountered driftwood.
With its rounded edges and smooth surface le
bois flotté is a work of art, the salt water, ocean
waves and time combining to make a marvellous
sculptor. As we gathered another load, my
conscience cleared its throat: “Ahem. Is it
ecological – or even legal – to carry off
driftwood?” A web search revealed that,
in France, gathering coquillages or
galets carries a €1,500 fine. (And six
years in prison for the couple who
“WAS IT, AFTER ALL, OK TO BURN
DRIFTWOOD? A FEW MORE TAPS
ON THE KEYBOARD AND THE
RESULTS WERE IN, VIA A
TERRIFYING HEADLINE…”
tried to cart home 40kg of sand from their
vacation!). As for driftwood, Le Service Public
notes it is OK to take. But now another dilemma
arose: these shapely pieces of wood we’d
collected were too beautiful to burn!
Back on the web, I watched a documentary on
driftwood artists including the exotically
beautiful Karine, a furniture-maker who harvests
wood near Biarritz, and the no-nonsense
grandmother who drags home driftwood from the
beaches of Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. Sigh! From
lamps to outdoor seating, such beautiful
creations these artists make!
But the last thing my family needs is another
obsessed artiste – and all the paraphernalia
that goes along with making art. No! By burning
this wood we could eliminate a possible hoarding
situation – and heat our home instead. This was a
win-win outcome, surely!
AND THEN I TWIGGED…
But was it, after all, OK to burn driftwood? A few
more taps on the keyboard and the results were
in, via this terrifying headline: ‘Driftwood – the
Deadliest Firewood in the World’. Yikes if that
didn’t stop me in my log-marked tracks! I
don’t want my family breathing in dioxins
when those salt-saturated logs release
toxic chemicals as they burn.
Mais quelle dommage! The idea of
lugging all this wood back to the sea was
killing me until my conscience piped up
again: “All is not lost when you view things
from an artist’s perspective. Keep the treasure.
Make art, not fire.” FT
Kristin Espinasse is the author of Words in a French
Life, Blossoming in Provence and the French Word-A-Day blog
FRENCH VOCABULARY
LE BRASERO = brasier, fire pit
LA BRINDILLE = twig
LE PETIT BOIS = kindling
LA POIGNÉE = handful
LA PLAGE = beach
LE BOIS FLOTTÉ = driftwood
LE COQUILLAGE = shell
LE GALET = stone
QUEL DOMMAGE! = what a pity!
130 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2023
Make 2023 your year to visit
normandy-tourism.org