Burgundy certainly needs no introduction: everyone knows it for its exquisite wines. But alongside the wines and the beautiful expanses of vineyards adorned by the famous climats, there is an endless and varied heritage of things to see. Abbeys, castles (including one truly unusual one...), ancient villages, Gallo-Roman remains, karst springs, an 18th-century forge, ancient hospitals built for the care of the poor, the Burgundy canal gently navigated by the silent bateaux, and a lush nature everywhere dotted with the docile cows strictly of the charolaise breed. The most famous abbey in Burgundy, which we all know, is Cluny. Extremely important from a religious and historical point of view, it is impressive even from the outside with its imposing bulk. The interior is in stark contrast: only 8% of the original structures remain. I therefore suggest only visiting the exterior. Of absolute interest, however, is the Abbey of Fontenay: the oldest Cistercian site in the world, a UNESCO heritage site. Founded by Bernard of Clairvaux in 1118, it is still very well preserved today. Inside, it features the church, the cloister, the dormitory with its spectacular 15th-century ceiling built of chestnut wood, and a forge used by the monks for iron smelting and tool production, still partly functioning today. And also, the dovecote, the bread oven, and beautiful, meticulously maintained gardens where you can stroll and sit in absolute peace.
The most unusual castle you can visit is in Savigny Les Beaunes. The peculiarity of this beautiful 14th-century castle is that it houses several museums inside: Abarth cars, vintage motorcycles, tractors, fire engines, and above all a massive open-air museum of warplanes. Inside, where you can visit the perfectly preserved rooms and cellars, you will find a gigantic collection of model motorcycles, cars, airplanes, etc.... All around you will be surrounded by vineyards used to produce the wine of the namesake Chateau de Savigny, which you can taste and purchase at the end of the visit.
Burgundy is dotted with castles, but some of them are definitely worth a visit. The Chateau de Tanlay, built between the 16th and 17th centuries in the French Renaissance style, with its immense park (which also houses a golf course) and the large canal of more than 500 meters that surrounds it, is one of them.
Owned by the famous Marshal Vauban, the chateau de Bazoches was built in 1180 on the site of a Roman outpost guarding the road between Autun and the administrative center of Gallia Lugdunensis (today Sens). The castle has a trapezoidal layout with four towers and a keep surrounding the inner courtyard, renovated in the 14th century.
At Chateau de Chastellux, you can take beautiful walks by choosing between 3 different routes. The walk will be enlivened by a fun educational trail that you can follow independently simply by opening the lecterns with movable panels scattered along the path. The peculiarity of this castle is that it is still inhabited by the family who built it, a rarity in France. The oldest part, still standing today, is the Saint Jean tower dating back to 1080 BC.
Noyers sur Serein, one of the most beautiful villages in France, is a perfectly preserved medieval village. It is truly evocative to stroll through its narrow streets and observe the ancient half-timbered houses. Perhaps not everyone knows that Noyers was the set, in 1983, for the video New Moon on Monday by Duran Duran.
If you want to see something truly unique, Tonnerre will not disappoint you. In the center of the village you will find the Fosse Dionne: a karst spring fed by rainwater and an underground river, with an average flow of 311 liters per second. The crystal-clear water and the vegetation that surrounds the spring create a truly remarkable sight.
Here you will also find the oldest Hotel Dieu in Burgundy. Founded by Margaret of Burgundy in 1293, this hospital was built to care for the poor. The ceiling of the main ward is particularly noteworthy, entirely built of wood, reminiscent of the upturned hull of a ship. Inside the Hôpital is the tomb of Margaret of Burgundy: queen and great benefactress.
The construction of the magnificent Hotel Dieu or Hospice de Beaune was inspired by this building: a unique palace in perfectly preserved late Gothic style from the Middle Ages. It was built in 1443 to found a hospital for the poor following the damage and misery that befell Beaune at the end of the Hundred Years' War. The Hospice operated until 1971 and was then transformed into a museum. The relatively austere exterior façade contrasts with the rich decoration of the interiors and the colorful roofs of the honor courtyard. The visit is a must!! You can do it independently with an audio guide in Italian. You will discover the beautiful salle des Pôvres, with its magnificent structure covered in oak wood, two rows of beds with red curtains, the chapel and the exhibition on the history of the Hospices, the kitchen with its impressive double Gothic fireplace, or even the pharmacy with a collection of 130 ceramic jars dating back to the 18th century. The visit ends with the polyptych by Rogier van der Weyden, once placed above the chapel altar, and a wonderful collection of ancient tapestries.
The city of Beaune, the wine capital of Burgundy, is definitely worth a visit. Around the historic center there are countless wineries where you can taste and purchase fine wines. If you are a fan of escargots à la bourguignonne you must stop at Helice (6, bld. Jules Ferry) for a tasting of a plate of snails accompanied by an excellent local Chablis. If you want to travel back in time, from the Roman Empire to the Industrial Revolution, in Burgundy it is possible. From the Roman era are the Fontaines Salées: sources of salty water used for salt extraction and thermal baths from the Neolithic to the Middle Ages. Discovered by chance during studies related to a battle mentioned in the Chanson de Geste, this site is a very well-preserved example of Roman baths. You can walk through the various rooms: calidarium, changing room, and even the gymnasium, and see the wells where the salty water surfaces. From here we jump to the era of the Industrial Revolution and, more precisely, to 1768, to the Buffon forge. Here the enlightened Georges-Louis Leclerc de Buffon decided to create a forge for the development of metallurgical activities. It is one of the first integrated industries of the 18th century. The spaces are designed to optimize production. The factory, the manager's house, and those of the workers, who provide for their own sustenance with gardens and animal husbandry, all stand in the same space with a certain architectural flair. Of particular value is the staircase leading into the forge itself, and the forge set in a delightful natural setting.
And finally, the Burgundy Canal, protagonist and travel companion along the splendid and fascinating Burgundy. A true technical feat: over 242 kilometers, it connects the Saône valley to that of the Yonne. Built between 1775 and 1832, it starts at Migennes in the Yonne and ends at Saint-Jean-de-Losne, in Côte-d'Or, after passing through 189 locks. The canal is navigable with very quiet and well-equipped boats for which no boating license is required. It is not at all unusual to see other tourists moor their bateau to a tree, get off and visit a castle or an abbey, stop for the night and set off the next day for a new destination.
Navigating the canal is one of my next goals, so follow me to read the story of this new travel experience!