Wednesday, February 22, 2017

The Surprise

Wandering Around Cottage - February 2017 Edition - Part 2


If you've read the first part of this post, you've visited a Medieval castle that was overlooking a little town with red tile roofs and square-shaped buildings. I had asked you where you thought it was... And you were a bit lost, as I knew you would be... Some of them guessed it was not far from Cottage, but were confused because the architecture looks nothing like Brittany.


Si vous avez lu la première partie de cet article, vous avez visité avec moi un château médiéval surplombant une ville toute de bâtiments aux formes carrées et aux toits de tuiles rouges. Je vous avais caché le nom de cette ville et vous avez eu l'air bien perdu... Cela ne ressemblait certes pas à la Bretagne. Etais-je en Italie ? Si loin de Cottage ?


Brittany is known for its long shaped stone buildings and its blue slate roofs. So, what happened here?

La Bretagne est en effet plutôt connue pour ses bâtiments en pierre, à la forme allongée (les fameuses "longères") et aux toits d'ardoises bleues. 

 

The village's name is Clisson and it's located just a little South of Nantes, the town that used to be capital of Brittany, but now weirdly isn't officially in Brittany anymore. On the map below, you have in blue the area of the historical Brittany. The part in dark blue is nowadays Brittany.


Il s'agit du village de Clisson, situé à quelques kilomètres au sud de Nantes, cette ville qui a été autrefois capitale de la Bretagne historique, même si aujourd'hui elle n'appartient plus à la Bretagne administrative.


It used to be a traditionnal Breton village with small stone houses, a very  Breton church and an old Medieval castle you can visit here. It was built along a river called Sèvre nantaise, which was a blessing for me as it was very hot the day I visited and the river brought some much needed cool air.


Clisson a d'abord été un village breton tout ce qu'il y a de plus normal avec ses petites maisons en pierre, son église probablement bien typique et son vieux château médiéval que vous avez visité ici. Le village avait été construit le long de la rivière nommée la Sèvre nantaise, ce que j'ai beaucoup apprécié car il faisait très chaud le jour de ma visite et la rivière amenait un peu de fraicheur. 

The castle belonged to the lords of Clisson for a very long time, each generation passing it to the next, until Olivier de Clisson was convinced of treason and all his properties were taken from him. You can read more about his family in this post.


 Le château a appartenu pendant des générations aux seigneurs de Clisson, jusqu'à ce qu'Olivier de Clisson soit condamné pour trahison et que tous ses biens soient saisis. Vous pouvez en lire plus sur ce que devint sa famille ici.


During the first French Revolution, the inhabitants of Clisson don't want to join the Republican army.  Clisson is going to be at the heart of the war between Republicans and Royalists, called the "Vendéens". In 1793, the castle and a part of the town are set to fire. In 1794, the whole town is destroyed.

Pendant la Révolution, de nombreux habitants de Clisson refusèrent de rejoindre l'armée républicaine. Clisson se trouve ainsi au cœur de la guerre entre Républicains et Vendéens. En 1793, le château et une partie du village sont incendiés. L'année suivante, le reste de la ville est détruite.

The town stayed empty as a ghost town for two years: inhabitants had either be slayed or  had fled away.

Clisson devint pendant deux ans une ville fantôme, abandonnée de ses habitants qui avaient été massacrés ou avaient fui. 


During the 19th century, three friends who had studied architecture in Italy, fell in love with the valley of Clisson. The two brothers Cacaults began to rebuild the town with a strong Tuscan inspiration.


Au XIXe siècle, trois amis, ayant étudié l'architecture en Italie, tombèrent amoureux de la vallée de Clisson. Les deux frères Cacault commencèrent à reconstruire la ville avec une forte influence italienne.


Their friend François-Frédéric Lémot bought the ruins of the castle. He also created a park and built a mansion in the Italian style that I might take you to next month... if you're good...


Leur ami François-Frédéric Lémot acheta les ruines du château. Il créa aussi un parc où il construit une villa au style italianisant où je vous emmènerai peut-être le mois prochain... si vous êtes sage...

Clisson was really a town I didn't want to miss when I spent a week in Nantes last summer and it didn't disappoint: it was like a little trip to Italy, only half an hour from Nantes. I'd even love to go back. If you're in the area, do stop in Clisson, it's really worth it.


Clisson était sur ma liste des lieux à visiter absolument lorsque j'ai passé une semaine à Nantes l'été dernier et je n'ai pas été déçue.  C'était comme un mini voyage en Italie à quelques kilomètres de Nantes. J'y retournerai avec plaisir. Si vous êtes dans le coin, ne négligez pas un petit arrêt dans cette ville, cela vaut le coup.


See you next time,

A la prochaine fois,

Hasta la proxima,


PS: I'm sharing this post with:







35 comments:

  1. I love architecture, and when I first went to France, I was intrigued with the stories of history told in just the architecture alone. From the south of France to the north, the variations of roof types and from villas to timbered houses was a FEAST for my eyes! From castles to cottages and everything in between, France is still my favorite country.

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  2. Looks like such a wonderful lace to visit! I am not sure if they have many tourists, but may soon if not.

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  3. pas bien loin de chez moi .... merci pour cette petite visite guidée !
    Odile

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  4. I knew I didn't know this one! Simply, I havn't been to this area in France. Beautiful town but not what I would expect if I were driving through. So interesting Magali and lovely photos. I so enjoyed the tour........

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  5. Catching up on your posts after a short vacation. You make the town sound so interesting! I hope to see your country some day, but for now am busy seeing my own.

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  6. Hi...interesting history lesson..an should i get the chance to visit France..this little gem will be where i'd like to stay..i'm already enamored with Italy..an since stumbling onto your blog..i'm fast becoming enamored with France as well..i'll have to really start trying to save so i can get there..in the not too distant future..Thanks again for taking us on your trip..an i'll be really good as i wait for the next..hope your week is going well..and you have been too..

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  7. So much beauty, so much interesting architecture. You live in an amazing place!

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  8. Mystery solved! The town is like a little treasure - you are so lucky to live immersed in such history.

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  9. I have love your last 2 blogs, it was so interesting. I love the pictures. Hugs,

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  10. Great history lesson and such beautiful buildings and the architectural is gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
    Have a great new week ahead.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  11. Beautiful, Magali! And intriguing - there are so many stories in the world. I need to visit Clisson sometime.

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  12. Such beautiful photos - thank you for sharing!

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  13. Thanks so much for this beautiful tour. I really enjoyed seeing all the lovely homes. Thanks so very much for sharing. I am afraid that I will never get to France in person, just through your wonderful tours.

    Have a great weekend and hopefully the sun is smiling at you.

    Mary

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  14. This is such a beautiful area, with so much history!

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  15. pictures are so incredibly beautiful..

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  16. I think everyone is enjoying your travels in your country. France has a rich history and I'm certainly love reading about it.
    Take care, Kathleen in Az

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  17. I have always loved architecture and this is gorgeous! I enjoyed the history lesson also.
    Thank you so much for sharing.
    blessings,
    Penny

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  18. I love the history and the beautiful old buildings. Thanks for sharing!

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  19. Brittany is so beautiful and full of history. I would love to visit some day! My hubby and I love old architecture and gorgeous scenery!
    hugs,
    Jann

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  20. Beautiful pictures. They make me want summer to come. I'll settle for spring in a couple of weeks, though.

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  21. Encore un bien joli coin de France que je ne connais pas... et pourtant, on n'en est pas très loin. Mais tes photos sont si belles qu'on a l'impression d'y être allé. Bonne fin de semaine et bon courage pour la rentrée. Mary

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  22. Oh, my! What a quaint, lovely town. I definitely see the Tuscan influence. Photo #12 has stolen my heart. Breathtaking! xo

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  23. What an enchanting place, I love your photo's.
    Those stained glass windows look amazing.

    I have so enjoyed my visit to your blog and learning more about Clisson, thank you

    All the best Jan

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  24. What a wonderful surprise, Magali! It all makes sense now: the Tuscan design on the French landscape! Clisson is very intriguing and definitely deserves a visit!

    Poppy

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  25. Just catching up and touring around France with you. BEAUTIFUL! Cheers.

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  26. Beautiful history! I will try to be good so I can see the next part :) Thanks for sharing Magali!

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  27. Such a charming and historical place! So very beautiful! Thank you for taking us along! xx Karen

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  28. Soo wonderful of you to share your beautiful country with excellent photos. Is only way will get to see your home and country. Last summer our grand daughter was an au pair in Italy but got to see so much more, even Switzerland where my maternal grand mother was from. How I would have loved to be with her. Her host family took her to other countries also, what an experience for a 19 yr. old. She is in Sophomore year of college, training to be special needs teacher.
    I will also try to be good so I can see next episode of your wonderful travelogue.
    Thank you for sharing what many of us will never get to see except thru photos and in movies. Love the history of your country.

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    1. It's a pleasure for me to share my travel as I myself use blogs to "visit" places I'll probably never go to...

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  29. I too love the Wandering Around Cottage selections and thank you so much for them! It's interesting to me how the style of the architecture changes my perception of what the terrain looks like. Because the architecture looks Italian, I see the general terrain as being more tropical than when the architecture looks more like Brittany. Isn't that odd? Maybe it's because it was a hot day too? So funny how what we believe effects what we think we see. Love the picture with the willow and the one with the hollyhocks in particular....
    I don't know if maybe you have done this and I missed it, but I have a request for a Wandering Around Cottage post sometime if you feel like it maybe? I would love to go to Bayeux and see the tapestry museum! I have been reading about this period in history and looking at pictures of the tapestry on my computer, it is quite amazing. I looked up Bayeux on my computer, and on my tiny computer map is doesn't look too very far from Cottage? Anyway, I just thought I'd mention it in case you ever felt like it.
    XO Sarah Turkey Plate

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  30. Magali me encanta cuando sales de paseo porque asi me haces conocer de la hermosa ciudad en que vives y tus relatos son muy interesantes por su hitoria gracias por las bellas fotos lo disfruto mucho. (tarde en escribirte por estar un poquito enferma)...cuidate y hasta la proxima :)

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