Saintes-Cognac-Poitiers-Angouleme

Saintes, Cognac, Angouleme and Poitiers

SIGHT SEEING AROUND OUR GITES

SAINTES
COGNAC
POITIERS
ANGOULEME

LA ROCHELLE
ROYAN
ROCHEFORT

COAST and BEACHES
CHATEAUX
BORDEAUX

Saintes -Just 30 mins drive away is this fantastic ampitheatre which in the summer holds free 'spectacular events'. The archway commisioned by Germanicus was originally the entrance to the city over the river but was moved a few metres from its original position to allow for a wider road. From this point you can take a river boat cruise.
There are numerous reminders of this towns past life as Roman Mediolanum situated on the Roman route between Lyon and Aquitaine. There is a small museum and every roundabout seems to have a roman artifact displayed on it During the 11th to 13th Centuries many religious monuments were constructed in the area around Saintes and the crowing glory is the Abbaye-aux-Dames.
This ancient town has today become a major economic centre as well as a desirable place for tourists to visit. Great restaurants, great shopping but still retains small town charm.

Cognac is a prosperous town with medieval alleyways that fan out from a delightful riverside quarter. Here you'll find the largest concentration of chais or wine cellars where fine brandy or Cognac is matured.
It's not hard to spot these world famous chais as their walls are covered with fungi that thrives on the alcohol fumes given off during the maturing process. There are many Cognac houses to visit including Otard or Hennessy Cognac which keeps 180,000 barrels in stock. Here (and in most distilleries) you'll discover the fine art of Cognac making and the secret of blending as all run regular tours throughout the year and all end with a tasting.
There are also plenty of additional sights including the Ancien Chateau - a 15th-16th-century chateau (now home to Cognac Otard) where the Valois clan lived and where Francois I was born. The town has some lovely shops and great restaurants too

Angouleme is encircled by boulevards known as the Remparts, from which fine views may be obtained in all directions.
The cathedral of St. Pierre, a church in the Byzantine-Romanesque style, dates from the 11th and 12th centuries, but has undergone frequent restoration, and was partly rebuilt in the latter half of the 18th century by the architect Paul Abadie. Angoul�me is a centre of the paper-making industry, with which the town has been connected since the 14th century. Most of the mills are situated on the banks of the watercourses in the neighbourhood of the town. The subsidiary industries, such as the manufacture of machinery and wire fabric, are of considerable importance. Iron and copper founding, brewing, tanning, and the manufacture of gunpowder, confectionery, heavy iron goods, gloves, boots and shoes and cotton goods are also carried on. Commerce is carried on in wine, brandy and building-stone.

Poitiers - The town is picturesque; and its streets are interesting for their remains of ancient architecture, especially of the Romanesque period, and the memories of great historical events. Poitiers was founded as Limonum before Roman influence by the Pictones tribe, whose name it later adopted. Christianity was introduced in the 3rd century, and the first bishop of Poitiers, from 350 to 367, was Saint Hilarius. Fifty years later the city had fallen into the hands of the Arian Visigoths, and became one of the principal residences of their kings. Alaric II, one of their number, was defeated by Clovis at Vouille, not far from Poitiers, in 507, and the town became a part of the Frankish dominion. Places of interest include : Baptist�re Saint-Jean (4th Century) � the oldest church in France. Palace of Poitiers � the seat of the Dukes of Aquitaine, Cathedrale St-Pierre (12th Century) , Musee Sainte-Croix Eglise St-Hilaire-le-Grand (11th Century) Hypogee des Dunes (underground chapel) Parc de Futuroscope (theme park and educational centre)

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws