Auvergne Region of France
May 1st, 2002, 07:26 AM
#1
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Auvergne Region of France
I am planning a trip to France in August and have been to most other regions. Any info you can give me about this region - sights, hotels, restaurants, etc. would be appreciated. In particular, is Clermont-Ferrand worth visiting? How about le Puy en Velay?
May 1st, 2002, 08:24 AM
#2
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If you can, get hold of the book "Auvergne and the Massif Central by Rex Grizell.Very few places does the Michelin give three stars for the site alone. This is one of them=Le Puy with its chapel crowning the peak of of the Rocher St. Michel., the lung testing climb is worth it for the view and chapel. The auvergne is noted for its rivers and unspoiled widerness.This is where "the wild child" was found, years later translated to film by Trouffant.<BR>Clermont-Ferrand is an industrial but very old town.(Michelin factories and knives)There are plenty of hotels in both places, we didnt spend the night there. But check the search engine or visit your travel bokkstore for suggestions. If you can fit it in, ride through the Gorge of Tarn, and the many volcanoes.
May 2nd, 2002, 10:31 AM
#5
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I have not been there, but have some advice to help you get in the mood and even learn a little history of the area. I'd suggest you buy a copy of a classical music CD with Chants d'Auvergne (Songs of Auvergne) by composer Joseph Canteloube. He was a native of that area and spent time collecting native folksongs in the early part of 1900x. Then he transcribed and orchestrated them, they are for female solo soprano with orchestration and are in the native dialect. Many famous opera singers have a disc of these, Bailero is probably the most well-known. They are about sheep, rocks, shepherds, rivers, etc, but are quite beautiful. A good disc should give you a little history of them and lyrics. For a cheap version (around $8-10), I'd recommend Frederica von Stade on Sony essentials or Jill Gomez on Capitol. Midpriced Victoria de los Angeles on EMI is good, and then Kiri te Kanawa on Decca at fullprice is also beautiful. If you really like these, a classic "best" complete set is a 2-CD version of all of them with Netania Davrath on Vanguard, but that is more difficult to find (the single disc compilations have the most well-known songs). Dawn Upshaw also has some at full price on Erato, and while I like her, I think von Stade or Gomez are perhaps better interpretations of folkloric music (as well as cheaper)--you have to be careful as Upshaw has some of these on two different discs, and one of them doesn't have the best songs.
May 2nd, 2002, 10:53 AM
#6
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I can recommend a B&B there, where I stayed for three days in the spring of 2001. It's La Baume, in Saint-Privat-de-Vallonge, a small village about 10 kms from Florac. Tel: 011-33-4-66-45-58-89. Delightful place run by Richard Thème. The evening meals were extraordinary. We used it as a base for exploring the region around the Gorges du Tarn. Florac is a nice town with plenty of shops and restaurants. St-Enemie, which is about half-way down the Gorges, is just beautiful. Tip: Don't go driving on any of the roads marked "difficult" on the Michelin maps - difficult is putting it mildly. The scenery is simply outstanding, though.
