The Best Loved Villages of France [Hardcover]

An insider’s tour of France’s most beloved and beautiful villages uncovers the country’s hidden treasures. The Best Loved Villages of France brings the reader on a tour of forty-four of the country’s most treasured destinations. Always picturesque, but often well-kept secrets, the book offers insight into village life and local history. Take a tour of a crumbling medieval fortress with the mayor of Lavardin or peruse the maritime objects found at sea by a mustached fisherman in Saint-Suliac. Stroll along the coast of the Wissant bay windsurfer’s paradise or promenade through the manicured grounds of Vaux-le-Vicomte. Watch the sunrise over the fairy-tale castle in Montsoreau or enjoy a fresh langoustine dinner in Piana, Corsica. This book offers an illustrated tour around all twenty-two regions of France, from Provence and the Alps, to Normandy and the Loire. Aerial and intimate photographs invite the reader to explore these splendid locales, while the descriptions, anecdotes, and interviews with local village-dwellers plunge you into the individual history and character of France’s diverse regions. The villages featured in the book were selected in a popular vote by the French public and they represent an authentic journey into the heart of France.“Looking for a gift for a France-obsessed traveler? This beautiful new coffee table book from the venerable Flammarion publishing house issure to inspire wanderlust.The Best Loved Villages of Franceshowcases 44 diverse hamlets, highlighting hidden treasures and local wisdom…the resulting book beautifully illustrates these village discoveries. A celebration of rural heritage,The Best Loved Villages of Francealso serves as a delightful travel guide for plotting your next France journey.” –France TodayStéphane Bern is a journalist for Le Figaro and a popular radio and television personality in France. He is the author of several bioglS?