From a historical point of view, the millennium and royal legacy of the Pays de la Loire region is incomparable. While most of the famous castles of the Loire are outside regional boundaries, those that can be found within them are not insignificant. The castles of Saumur, Brissac, Anger or Baugé built between the 10th and 16th century gave shelter to the Dukes of Anjou. All are part of the Loire Valley, World Heritage of UNESCO since 2000.
While castles and historical remains such as the Gallo-Roman site of Jublain are classified as Historical Heritage or in any case considered apart by UNESCO, several cities in the region have also got many merits. Thus, Angers, Fontenay-le-Comte, Laval, Le Mans, Guérande, Nantes or Saumur are labelled as Cities of Art and History, thanks to the quality of their museum, artistic and cultural offer. The Jules Verne Museum in Nantes, the Laval Science Museum, the Anjou Festival or the Europa Jazz Festival in Le Mans ... are all good reasons to justify such a reward.
Between pastures and river landscapes, nature around the Loire is also full of goodness. A rich nature that has always fascinated men. Some have immortalized its features, as with Noirmoutier to which Auguste Renoir devoted three famous paintings. Since then, the beach of Dames is the script of an annual event: an impressionist picnic in period costumes.
For their mineral and animal abundance, the salt pans of Guérande and Noirmoutier, as well as the La Briere marshes or the Poitevin Marsh also known as the Green Venice, are natural protected areas. The same applies to the natural reserve of the Aiguillon Bay, located on the Vendée coast, a remarkable place that evolves according to the tides and gives a glimpse of its salt meadows every time the water recedes.
Secular and urbanized land, village traditions and island life, ocean and river landscapes, pastures and salt marshes, cave dwellings and king's castles, rural architecture and contemporary houses of prestige... everything in the Pays de la Loire recalls history.
Translated by Dafne Inzaina – Meretdemeures.com.
