Secret Jewels That Shine All Year
Un bijou caché. A hidden jewel of a French town. Can there be any of these left, in a small country with over 100 million visitors a year? Yes, if you know where to look—and the gorgeous countryside of La Bourgogne is a great place to start.
The Recent Unpleasantness (the southern euphemism for any major disaster) in France may have made you re-think your travel plans. Everyone here is of course sad, angry, and frustrated with what seems to be a situation without a solution (and the problem is not unique to France). But if you’re traveling, you should be aware that these particular protests and riots are an urban thing, not a rural one, at least for the moment. So it’s a great time to exit the autoroute and discover la France profonde.
Here’s a bijou caché to start with: the city of Autun. We went for the day recently with friends to check out a great antique store—which was closed when we arrived (“fermature exceptionelle”). But there was the town to visit, which wowed us, and of course there was Lunch.
We weren’t really prepared for a proper tour of Autun, we just strolled and then visited its centerpiece, Le Cathédrale de Saint Lazare (who is said to be the brother of Mary Magdalene, and friend of Jesus), built in 1125. It was built as a stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela, and to house relics of the saint. We also saw the impressive Roman gates, but we will have to go back to see the Roman theatre.
Lunch was a find—a fanciful fish restaurant in land-locked Autun, with the amusing name of Le Monde de Don Cabillaud (The World of Don Cod).
If by chance you are ditching Paris for la campagne, the route between Paris and Beaune dazzles with these glowing jewels, which are blessedly quiet even in the crazy European vacation season. Your first stop will be no doubt be Vézulay, but it’s quite famous and doesn’t fall into the bijou caché category. For that I recommend Semur-en-Auxois, Flavigny sur Ozerain, Auxerre, Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, and our recent destination, Autun. And don’t miss the lovely Abbey de Fontenay, nearby. Here is a little map with a proposed route. Bon voyage!
Favorite READS: Loyal reader Chris likes The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. And our own French book critic, Natalia, loves Miss Dior: A Story of Courage and Couture—challenging because she’s reading it in French, but she says it’s worth it.
And speaking of reading in French, I mentioned that a fried suggested YA novels, for easier reading. He’s loaned me a series, by Annie Jay, the first one is called Complot à Versailles. Not as easy for me as I hoped, but it’s an engaging read.
