TRAVEL C, Nº 29 - FRANCE

                                      VILLENEUVE-SUR-IYONNE

( P )  GPS N 48.08756  ;  E 3.29645

Dominated by its majestic church, Our Lady of the Assumption, Villeneuve is one of the cities with a royal dungeon (The Great Tower or Tower Louis the Fat), the attribute of power and the glory of Philippe Auguste in line Tour of the Louvre. Philip Augustus held parliament in 1204 and St. Louis lived there in 1270 before leaving for the Eighth Crusade to Tunis where he died of the plague.
The fourteenth to the sixteenth Villeneuve lost its strategic importance and is impacted by economic difficulties of the Hundred Years War and the fire of 1594 (Wars of Religion).
The seventeenth sees the rebirth of the city around its traditional (wood, vines, tanneries and river trade). The church ends with the Renaissance facade of Jacques Chereau (historical museum at the Porte de Joigny)

                                                      JOIGNY

( P ) N 47.98018  ;  E  3.39327

The romantic painter Turner sketched the countryside here in 1802. This is a picturesque little town, spilling down the terraces of the Côte St-Jacques overlooking the River Yonne. Rebuilt in the 16th century after much of it was destroyed by fire, some of the buildings have wooden carved decoration, notably the houses called the Arbre de Jessé, Maison du Pilori, Maison du Bailli and Maison de l’Ave Maria. The view from the top of the Côte de St-Jacques over the town and river is particularly lovely.
Joigny is lively, with a good market, contemporary art museum and plenty of waterway activity. The Canal de Bourgogne begins its path here making it a centre for boat hire during the summer months.
The Côte St-Jacques is famous for its vin gris which has a ‘semi-regional’ AOC.

An historic archway in Joigny

To the north and east of the town is the unspoilt wooded area of the Pays d'Othe which stretches into the Champagne region. Making a refreshing change from wine, this is cider making country with apple orchards covering the lush valleys. At Vaudeurs you can visit the old wooden presses and taste a French version of scrumpy.
Amongst the oak, beech, maple and wild cherry trees in the forest, there are much sought after mushrooms in autumn. This is a glorious area for nature lovers for walking, riding and birdwatching.

Camping Municipal  1/04 - 31/10   www.joigny.com   GPS  N 47º 58´ 55"  ;  E  3º  22´ 32"

                                                                 AUXERRE

Camping Municipal   15/04  - 30/09   TEL  03 86 52 11 15  Centro-1,5 kms  camping.mairie@auxerre.com


GPS N 47º  47´ 9"  ;  E 3º  35´ 16"

                                                              VEZELAY
Camping Ermitage
GPS  N 47.45653  ; E 3.73764