Burgundy
A stay in Burgundy: heritage, nature and gourmet pleasures
Feeling like a stay in Burgundy rich in emotion? Discover the fortifications, the Romanesque marvels, the sovereign vineyards... Dark and crepuscular to those who know her forests, Burgundy turns out to be a land of good food.
Burgundy, a land of Romanesque pilgrimage
A favourite of the Kings of France, Burgundy still stands as the guardian of France’s greatest stone works, owed to the builder monks from the 10th to 12th centuries, the Cluny Benedictines, whose asceticism was matched only by that of the Cistercians.
From the most barren abbey, concealed in a hollow by Favigny-sur-Ozerain, to the jewel that is Cluny, this religious backdrop offers visitors a panorama of what Romanesque art has produced by way of curves and arches, sober vessels and eloquent stained-glass windows.
From there, anything is possible: climbing up the Vezelay rock to stroll around the Sainte-Madeleine cloister, that ochre and pink basilica that stands as one of the finest examples of Romanesque art; reaching southwards towards Cluny, the second Rome, in the footsteps of Richelieu and Mazarin, who were each abbots there; visiting Fontenay, daughter of Cîteaux, oftentimes ransacked but whose current guardians have restored the noble elegance for our sake.
Not to forget the Caves of Saint-Germain in Auxerre, Notre Dame Collegial in Beaune, Sainte-Begigne Cathedral in Dijon, and a multitude of country churches lost amidst the harsh Morvan and green Auxois landscapes...
Burgundy, as if in a history book
Begin your stay in Burgundy with a tour of Dijon and Beaune, where the memory of the Dukes of Burgundy still holds sway. Stride through the halls of the Ducal Palace in Dijon, where the tomb of Philip the Bold, all marble and alabaster, symbolises the Duchy’s magnificence.
Up until the 14th century, Beaune was the Dukes’ main residence. There you can admire gargoyles, watchtowers, sentinel towers, and walk along the outer boulevards leading straight to the Hôtel-Dieu: the most attractive hospital in France...
Continue downstream along the Saône River. In Chalon-sur-Saône, see the world’s first camera, conceived in the early 19th century by a local boy, Nicéphore Niepce. Enjoy the southern colours in Mâcon, the city of round tiles.
Then go up to the Morvan, till you reach the fortified Oppidum in Bibracte where the new Museum of Gaul Civilisation is open to you. Then you can cross the Puisaye, Colette country, a land of clay, forests and lakes where you might chance upon the silhouette of Ratilly, Saint-Sauveur or Saint-Armand castles as you emerge from a wood. Your journey ends with a tour of the first gothic cathedral in Sens.
Burgundy, a land acclaimed for its wines
They are named Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Aloxe-Corton... They are known throughout the world. This is why the Great Wines of Burgundy Trail, stretching from Dijon to Nuits-Saint-Georges, includes a host of stops you just cannot miss. Beginning with the winemaking Mecca: the Clos-de-Vougeot Chateau, owned by the Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin.
And it’s a long road from there... It will take you from one flavour to another, from a Pinot Noir grape to a smooth Aligoté. All you need to prepare your Meurette sauces superbly, to serve with tench, cockerel, Pauchouse fish stew, ham and “household” dried sausage.
Feeling like booking a stay in Burgundy? Check out the list of Logis hotel restaurants available in Burgundy.
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