"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore"
The Vienne in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine hosts a rich and often unique heritage of historic monuments.
Furthermore, La Valette lies right on the border of two other regions, the Indre and the Haute Vienne, making your sightseeing list all the more interesting.
Saint-Savin (28min)
The ancient abbey of Saint-Savin has been registered as a UNESCO world heritage sight since 1983.
With its murals from the 11th and 12th century, this masterpiece from the Roman era is unique in the world.
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Montmorillon (25min)
A small town on the banks of the river Gartempe, the town of writers and the art of bookbinding, with many libraries, bookshops and art galleries. Every year in the month of June a bookfair takes place. www.citedelectrit.fr
Montmorillon is also famous for its macarons and even has a museum dedicated to this delicious treat.
The ecomuseum “Juillé Farm”, 6km from Montmorillon, beautifully showcases rural Montmorillon through its gastronomy, agriculture and local produce. A 3km walk around the farm gives you a perfect feel for the landscape of our region.
Angles-sur-l'Anglin (40min)
Classé comme l’un des plus beaux villages de France, Angles-sur-Anglin se trouve sur les rives de l’Anglin.
Le site du “Roc aux Sorciers”, y abrite une fresque préhistorique vieille de 15000 ans, considérée par certains spécialistes comme le “Lascaux de la sculpture”.
Les sculptures pariétales monumentales originales ont été préservées et ne peuvent plus être visitées, mais elles ont été parfaitement reproduites dans un centre d’interprétation innovant.
Avec ses ruines d’une forteresse des XIe et XVe siècles, ce village pittoresque vaut vraiment le détour.
Poitiers (1hr10)
Poitiers is the famous roman capital with a rich heritage. The Saint-Pierre cathedral and Notre-Dame-de-la-Grande are examples of great roman architecture.
Not to miss is the town hall and the Palais des Comtes de Poitou Ducs d’Aquitaine, previous residence of Eleanor d’Aquitaine, both examples of majestic neo-Renaissance style.
All this aside, Poitiers is a bustling university town with small cosy streets and a diversity of shops, restaurants and cafés with equally cosy terraces.
The “Parc Blossac” with its gardens “a la Française and Anglaise” and the “Parc Floral de la Roseraie” with almost 6000 different types of flowers and a huge collection of roses, are a delight of scents and colours.