| Geography and geology have combined to make Brittany a land distinct from the rest of France. A place of dramatic contrasts, it occupies the great northwestern peninsula of the French landmass where a jagged coastline, fertile plains, and wild moorland lie beneath a sky by rapid turns sullen and sunny. A strong sense of separateness, reflected in the continuing strength of local village traditions, has remained a characteristic of the Bretons who, alone among the peoples of France, are Celts rather than Gauls.
The architecture of the Breton villages is a testimony to centuries of religious piety: calvaries and ossuaries abound, including remarkable Gothic examples like those at Rochefort-en-Terre in Morbihan. Josselin in the same departement is home to a magnificent chateau with a Gothic inner facade generally hailed as a masterpiece of sculpture in granite. In Léhon, Cotes-du-Nord, you can stand and admire the ruined grandeur of its priory and chateau or, in Ille-et-Vilaine, explore the restored keep of Grand-Fougeray's thirteenth-century castle. The local houses are often built of granite, an ideal material for resisting the Atlantic winter storms.
Though the ocean is sometimes a savage surround to the Breton peninsula, it also provides the seafood that makes any visit to the villages and small towns of Brittany a gastronomic delight. The sea yields succulent lobsters and langoustines, while the villages of the river estuaries enjoy mussels and oysters.
About the Author
James Bentley, a distinguished travel writer, is the author of several volumes in The Most Beautiful Villages series. Hugh Palmer is a leading photographer of architecture and gardens, and has contributed to numerous Most Beautiful Villages books. |
