A bird’s eye view of the Auvergne
IRISH rugby fans have enjoyed close ties to Clermont Ferrand for years, revelling in the competition between our home teams and Clermont Auvergne.
But the Auvergne region in central France, included in Lonely Planet’s Top Ten Destinations last year, holds many other attractions for Irish visitors.
Spa towns, beautiful villages, fortified towns, gastronomic feasts and volcanic landscapes vie for your attention when you arrive in this friendly region.
Ancient volcanic terrain is central to the area, the source of natural springs and the sparkling eau de Chateldon which locals use to make their morning coffee. They say Clermont Ferrand, capital of the region, is built on a mound of volcanic lava.
Wander a short distance from buzzing Jaude Square with guide Jerome Coppack (www.guideauvergne.com) and you’ll find the UNESCO listed Notre-Dame-Du-Port basilica and above the town, a gothic cathedral built from lava stone. Jerome’s twohour walking tour will tell you all you want to know about the culture and history of CF.
Look out from the cathedral rooftop and your view is of the Chaine des Puys, a 60km horizontal stretch of 80 dormant volcanoes.
ONE of the most famous volcanoes, accessible by rack rail, is the Puy de Dome at 1,465m from where visitors can take a hot air balloon, hike, bike or sail and swim in crater lakes formed by eruptions thousands of years ago.
Something else synonymous with Clermont Ferrand is the Michelin tyre, invented in the 1890s and still used on Clermont Ferrand’s tram system today. Michelin once employed 40,000 local people in its factory, offer- ing a strong social commitment to workers through the wars.
Today, the company employs 14,000 people and the Michelin name continues to be woven into the very fabric of Clermont Ferrand life. A state-of-the-art museum, Aventure Michelin, takes visitors on an interactive tour through the discovery of the first ever de-mountable bike tyre, the ‘lightning bolt’ car tyre famous for zig-zagging along roads and of special interest to avid travellers, the Michelin Guide books.
While today’s visitors to Clermont Ferrand can just hop on a reasonably-priced bus from Lyon (www.flixbus.com), back in the 1920s, intrepid souls had to ring the ‘itineraires office’ for infor- mation on routes.
Aventure Michelin also explores the history of the company’s endearing icon, Bibendum, which has transformed from a rotund Belle Epoque figure to a super-fit Michelin man of the 21st century. laventure.michelin.com
From road tyres to spare tyres; the Auvergne’s gastronomic foundations are built on something as strong as volvic rock – fresh local produce. The region is well-known for its cheeses, including Saint-Nectaire, Cantal and Fourme d’Ambert. Take a trip along the ‘cheese road’ in the heart of the volcanic region, stopping off at Jean Valere Randanne’s dairy farm to see how Saint Nectaire is made and stock up on supplies (www.ferme-randanne.com).
Prepare to use superlatives like ‘exquis’ and ‘divin’ when you lunch at Clermont Ferrand’s l’Ostal restaurant where a refined €29 meal begins with a beetroot marshmallow amuse bouche and develops into a satisfying gourmet experience, accompanied by Saint Pourcain wine, a blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the ancient tresallier grape.
To further explore Saint Pourcain wines and learn about the tresallier grape, visit the charming Cave des Berioles vineyard.
You can also pay a visit to Clermont Ferrand’s market to marvel at the Auvergne’s colourful range of drinks including Vervaine d’Auvergne and Gentiane apero.
In the artisan village of Charroux, a medieval strong post and listed as ‘one of the most beautiful villages in France’, visitors can watch mustard being made in a mill dating from 1905. Olivier Maenner and his mother Simone run the smallest mustard producing firm in France and are part of an increasingly rare breed – only 16 traditional mustard producers remain in France.
REST assured you will leave their mill bagged up with half a dozen different mustards, all of which are used in the best restaurant kitchens in the world.
Charming Charroux is also home to medieval wells, stunning stain-glass chapel windows and remnants of history from the Duchy of Bourbon era.
After all that food, drink and culture, you’ll need to relax and the most suitable place to do this is in Vichy where digital detox is the treatment du jour at the five star Celestins spa hotel.
Napoleon III founded the ‘thermal station’ of Vichy or city of water in 1861, putting to use 260 thermal springs and encouraging wealthy Parisians to flock there.
The town’s reputation was tarnished during WW2 when the Vichy Regime collaborated with the Nazis. It’s still talked about in slightly hushed tones, the stigma faded but not forgotten.
Today, Vichy seems sedate, perfect for chilling out. Visit the thermal springs at Parc des Sources, admire its mix of art deco, European and Moorish-influenced architecture (80 percent of Vichy’s facades are classified), visit its beautiful art nouveau opera house, walk in its plentiful green areas and play a round of golf but don’t expect much nightlife.
When you’ve fully relaxed, indulge in the ultimate Vichy treat – lunch at Michelin-starred Maison Decoret, one of 14 Michelin starred restaurants in the Auvergne. Award-winning chef Jacques Decoret worked in a number of three-starred restaurants before returning to his home town to open his own.
He, his wife and a team of talented chefs offer an experience that is pristine from beginning to end – from the calibre of service to the quality and innovation of the menu, Maison Decoret offers a gourmet experience to be savoured.
If you can’t bear to leave, book into one of the Maison’s bedrooms for an overnight stay and visit Vichy’s casinos or spend the evening at its racecourse.
If the focus of your trip to the Auvergne is on food, start or end your trip with a morning in the gateway city of Lyon where elevenses in the impeccable Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse food market means white wine, cheese and truffle honey.