Travel France: Les Perles Vertes
You can probably imagine the scene: the mayors of six towns along the new autoroute, the A75, gathering in the afternoon shade following a prolonged civic lunch, amiably forcing down another fine cognac and thinking ‘What can we do to stop all these tourists charging past our towns in their indecent haste to get to the Mediterranean? It’s not good, mais non, driving when you are hot and tired.’
The conclusion they came to was a gem of an idea. They would form themselves into a mutually supportive network, to encourage motorists to stop off, even if just briefly, and break their long journey south, for lunch, maybe, or a coffee, or perhaps for a while longer.
And so the green pearls were born, Les Perles Vertes, and it’s a fundamentally brilliant idea. What makes it all the more appealing is that the six towns – Issoire, Saint-Flour, Marvejols, Millau, Lodève and Pézenas – each have a fascinating history, attractive surrounding countryside, some stunning architecture, and are the sort of places that would make a week’s holiday in their own right, as I discovered on my convoluted way back from Aveyron.
Issoire
Issoire is located on the Couze River, near its junction with the Allier, south of Clermont-Ferrand and on the fertile plain of Limagne. The town is said to have been founded by the Arverni, a powerful Gallic tribe that inhabited the present-day region of Lyon. They gave their name to this region – Auvergne.
During the seventeenth-century religious wars of the Reformation, Issoire suffered severely, and most of the old town was destroyed. Architecturally, pride of place goes to the ornate twelfth-century Abbatiale Saint-Austremoine, formerly the church of a Benedictine abbey, and one of the largest Romanesque churches in the Auvergne. But there is an agreeable, provincial ambiance about the place that rewards even the shortest break.
Today, surrounded by boulevards, the town is bright, refreshing, and a delight to explore, not least its remarkable Renaissance clock tower, formerly the town belfry, from the top of which there is a fine panoramic view over the town, the Limagne landscape and the Monts Dore and Livradois mountain ranges. It was a native of Issoire, Austremoine Bohier, financial administrator to Charles VII and Louis XI, who instigated the building of the belfry. It was transformed in 1840, and now houses a scenographic display of local life throughout the turbulent Renaissance period.
Saint-Flour
This remarkable town grew around the tomb of St-Flour, an evangelist who preached in the Auvergne in the fourth century. The best way to approach the town, to gain the most stunning first impression, is from the east – from the A75 in fact. There are two towns, one, a modern, busy place on the plain, the other, perched imperiously on a huge rocky upthrust overlooking the Ander and Lescure valleys, a network of old streets and cranky buildings. The local rock is dark and sombre basalt, and so many of the buildings seem to have a gloomy façade, but that belies the attractions of the place, not least the Gothic cathedral with its twin towers, which rather dominate the countryside for some distance. The former bishop’s palace is now the Hotel de Ville and houses an interesting museum about Haute Auvergne.
Marvejols
The somewhat undernourished-looking statue of Henry IV outside the gates to Marvejols is not really a good omen. But this beautiful town in the south-eastern corner of the Aubrac, which nestles in a wide basin flanked with pine trees, is actually a delight. Chosen in 1307 to be Philippe le Bel’s administrative centre in the Gévaudan, the town was later fortified during the Hundred Years’ War. Stroll through the streets of this unpretentious community, check out the magnificent fortified gates, and you’ll soon realise you are taking a journey through time.
The town is twinned with Cockermouth in Cumbria – birthplace of William Wordsworth – and with this distant town Marvejols has many similarities not least the fact that just as Cockermouth had to sustain itself against incursions by the Scots in medieval times, Marvejols suffered for having backed the wrong side in the Hundred Years’ War. When the troops of the inappropriately named Duc de Joyeuse attacked in the fifteenth century, three-quarters of the population were massacred, the town set on fire and razed to the ground. When Henri de Navarre became king, he rewarded the town’s loyalty by building the massive gateways.
The nearby Parc de Gévaudan is one place you get a chance to see wolves, as more than 100 are kept in semi-liberty here, and survive in spite of the reputation of the famous Bête du Gévaudan, which in the 1760s is said to have killed almost 100 people.
Millau
Lying at the centre of the Grands Causses Regional Nature Park, at the confluence of the Tarn and the Dourbie, Millau’s industrial tradition dates to Roman times when the town used to make pottery. Later, the manufacture of leather products and glove-making became the town’s principal economy, but during the 1930s the glove-making business suffered a decline, largely due to the import of cheap imitations. Recently, however, Parisian fashion houses have decided that the old ways are the best, and Millau’s glove makers have seen a revival of their fortunes.
In addition, in 2005, with the opening of the stunning Millau viaduct, the only structure of its kind in the world, the town achieved even greater notoriety, but the hope among the town fathers must have been that travellers, once obliged to pass through the town, would continue to stop off before charging across the viaduct.
Notwithstanding its new bridge, Millau, which has an atmosphere that hints at the Mediterranean, is a fascinating and lively provincial town, a maze of narrow streets that lead to secluded squares, fountains, markets, shops and churches. It is the second town after Rodez in the old province of Rouergue, and its setting, between the Causse Noir and the Causse du Larzac, is quite spectacular. Along the Place Foch, in the shade of plane trees, lie numerous cafés and restaurants, and ancient houses supported on stone pillars.
To fully appreciate the viaduct you need to find your way out of town and along the road to Peyre – one of Aveyron’s Plus Beaux Villages – which will take you directly under the bridge, and on to the village. The bridge is awesome; the village quite simply beautiful.
Lodève
Established in the fourth century, the small town of Lodève in the Middle Ages was an important stop-over for Santiago pilgrims passing between the limestone plateau of the Larzac and the Mediterranean. Later, Lodève became one of the most flourishing textile towns in Languedoc. Today the town is embraced by green hills and vine-laden terraces, nestling in a small valley where the Soulondres joins the Lergue.
With only 7,500 residents, Lodève, which lies in the department of Hérault, has the atmosphere of a village, but with the facilities of a larger town. In the town centre you’ll find numerous cafés, bars and restaurants, and plenty of shops selling ceramics, antiques, handmade leather, jewellery, art and sculpture. But the town is dominated by the ancient cathedral of Saint-Fulcran, which has some beautiful stained glass windows, statues, marble and wood carving, and a crystal chandelier once owned by Queen Victoria.
Lodève is the birthplace of Cardinal de Fleury, prime minister of Louis XV, and of the sculptor Paul Dardé (1888-1963). The old covered market hall has been tastefully refurbished as an exhibition hall and renamed La Halle Dardé in his honour.
This surrounding area offers superb countryside for walking, rock climbing and horse riding.
Pézenas
A once-prosperous town with many stately homes, Pézenas is today something of an artists’ enclave with so much of the charming centre given over to shops and ateliers wherein painters, carpenters and woodworkers, jewellers, mosaïsts, masons, cabinet-makers and potters all beaver away industriously. Once called Piscenae, the town has been a place of inspiration for craftsmen and artists since the eighteenth century when annual fairs attracted merchants and a wealth of goods and crafts that began a tradition that continues to this day.
Foodwise, Pézenas is renowned for two things: berlingots, a hard-boiled sweet in multi-colours and flavours first introduced to the town by an African pedlar; and petit pâtés, a small pie, for which we have to thank Clive of India who came to Pézenas in 1768, and led a fairly healthy social life in spite of deteriorating personal health. During his stay he ordered his Indian cooks to come up with something new, and so they produced these small, bobbin-shaped pies with a golden crust. ‘Clive’s Pies’ were a success, and his cooks passed the recipe on to the bakers of the town. Stuffed with lamb mince, suet, brown sugar, lemon peel and spices the pies are generally served hot at the start of a meal, but also work a treat eaten cold.
The Place Gambetta and the narrow streets that radiate from it offer an irresistible invitation to explore. In summer, the town comes alive with a series of folk festivals, theatrical performances and concerts, but it’s a bustling, energetic and appealing place most of the year.
Les Perles Vertes
Website: www.perlesvertes-a75.com
Tourist offices
Issoire
Office de Tourisme des Pays d’Issoire
Place Charles de Gaulle
63500 Issoire
Tel: 00 33 (0)4 73 89 15 90
Email: ot.issoire.pays@wanadoo.fr
www.issoire.fr
Saint-Flour
Office du Tourisme de Saint Flour
17 bis, place d’Armes
15000 Saint Flour
Tel: 00 33 (0)4 71 60 22 50
Email: info@saint-flour.com
www.saint-flour.com
Marvejols
Maison du Tourisme
Soubeyran Gate
48100 MARVEJOLS
Tel/Fax: 00 33 (0)4 66 32 02 14
Email: marvejolstourisme@wanadoo.fr
www.ville-marvejols.fr
Millau
Office de Tourisme
1, place du Beffroi
BP 331
12103 Millau Cedex
Tel: 00 33 (0)5 65 60 02 42
Email: office.tourisme.millau@wanadoo.fr
www.ot-millau.fr
Lodève
Maison du Tourisme
7, Place de la République
34700 LODEVE
Tel: 00 33 (0)4 67 88 86 44
Email: ot34lodevois@lodeve.com
www.lodeve.com
Pézenas
Pézenas-Val d’Hérault Tourist Office
B.P. 10
1, Place Gambetta
34120 Pézenas
Tel: 00 33 (0)4 67 98 36 40
Email: accueil.pezenas@ot-pezenas-valdherault.com
www.ot-pezenas-valdherault.com