Pleasing the eyes with its thousand-year-old landscapes, the taste buds with its cuisine and its grands crus, Burgundy also invites, through its remarkable religious heritage, to mediation. In What if we left? on Europe 1, the columnist and author at Lonely Planet , Jean-Bernard Carillet, listed the essentials of Burgundy, for a stay that is both sporting, gastronomic and cultural!
A paradise for hikers
The Morvan massif, a true green lung of Burgundy, straddles the four departments of the region. You can base yourself in Autun to explore the region, its winding roads, numerous forests and lakes. In particular the lake of Settons and the lake of Saint-Agnan, with equipped beaches. Burgundy is a paradise for hiking, mountain biking and rafting.
The rock of Solutré, in Saône-et-Loire, near Mâcon, is a must in the Burgundy landscape. This 500-meter-high limestone cliff stands in the middle of the vineyards. It is an ancient prehistoric site. Prehistoric men, it was said, killed wild animals by throwing them off the top of the cliff. At the foot of the cliff a layer of one meter of bone was found.
François Mitterrand's annual pilgrimage has largely contributed to the popularity of the Solutré rock, which seems to emerge from the vines. © AFP
High place of the Resistance during the Second World War, the rock of Solutré was also made famous by François Mitterrand, who went there every year on pilgrimage. We get there in an hour. The panorama is incredible, with the Alps, the Jura and the Massif Central as a backdrop.
An exceptional religious heritage
Burgundy is also major religious sites. The visit to the abbey of Cluny is impressive, as is the climb to the basilica of Vézelay.
Another remarkable monument: the abbey of Cîteaux, between Dijon and Beaune, built in the 11th century. Thirty-five monks still reside there. We discover the hard daily life of monastic life, cut off from the outside world: getting up at 3:45 a.m., going to bed at 8:30 p.m. We can attend the prayers and praises of the monks. We feel a tension through these magnificent songs, borrowed from spirituality.
The abbey of Cîteaux is still occupied by monks. © AFP
After spiritual foods, more epicurean foods ...
Wine lovers will appreciate the Grands Crus route, 55 kilometers between Gevrey-Chambertin south of Dijon and Puligny-Montrachet. It can be walked through in one or two days. At the foot of the vines, the N74 crosses villages with prestigious names: Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Aloxe-Corton. We pass in front of the plot of Romanée, the most famous in the world, with its 10,000 euros bottles. The tasting is done directly at the producers.
And of course Beaune, with a visit to the Patriarche cellars: five kilometers of galleries under the city, where nearly three million bottles are stored. The tasting takes place along the route. The must: buy good regional products, and go to the top of the vineyards, on the edge of the forest, to have a picnic. The vineyards can be visited with specialists.
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Visit a city of character
A detour is essential to visit Noyers-sur-Serein, in Yonne, 30 kilometers from Auxerre. It is a typical medieval city, surrounded by nature, surrounded by the Serein river. On the program: half-timbered houses, ramparts, arcades, large fortified gates to access the historic center and its cobbled streets. A decor that seems frozen in time. Moreover, many historical films have been shot in Noyers. The most recent: The Queen and the Cardinal , with Philippe Torreton and Alessandra Martinez.
Noyers-sur-Serein was a very dynamic commercial town in the Middle Ages, as the names of the streets recall: place de la Petite Etape au Vin, rue du Grenier à Sel, rue du Marché au Blé… In the early morning in the fall , a mist rises from the river and envelops the city. Magical atmosphere guaranteed!