Rhône Alpes, discovering the real France
A trip to the Rhône Alpes region is perhaps the best way to get to know and immerse yourself in the real France. A multifaceted region, made up of magnificent works of man and equally grandiose magnificence of nature, which open to your eyes leaving you breathless. How to forget the summer afternoons spent strolling along the banks of the Rhone, in that jewel of the city of Lyon. The capital of the Gauls, as it likes to define itself, is the starting point of a journey to discover one of the most beautiful regions of France. Nothing has been more pleasant than “se balader”, wandering through the narrow streets of old Lyon, between Renaissance views and high Gothic spiers. Stop for a crepe, or savor a typical lunch in one of the many bistrots that open onto the cobbled street. And what about the temptation to hide among the various “traboules”, courtyards open on two streets, ancient labyrinths of a city with an important history. Lyon amazes you. You wonder why it is not known more in the world. A city that deserves all the spotlight of the international public, a city that has nothing to envy to its “rival” Paris. Lyon which could be called “ville lumiere”, she who gave birth to the brothers of the same name, inventors of cinema (whose home you can visit, a stone’s throw from the film institute), but above all because Lyon is a city made of light, not only during the feast of December 8. I will never forget the nocturnal walks along the Rhone, or the remaining overlooking the bridges that follow one another, admiring the thousand lights that are reflected on the waters of the river . Lyon is art (the “musée des beaux arts” with its gardens in the Saint Pierre palace, the Saint Jean cathedral, the Fourviere basilica, the Roman remains in Saint Just), it is nature (the immense park of the tête d ‘ now that it makes you want to put on your tennis shoes and run along the entire perimeter, just to be able to share it with the many Lyons who flock to this green lung at the end of the evening immersed in a city of more than a million inhabitants) but it is above all a real city . A city where it is possible to get an idea of French hospitality, and to disavow the myths of the unpleasant French. Do not miss the Croix-rousse. Village district, the heart of the city where you can breathe the real French life, made up of neighborly relations, good food and Sunday markets.
But Lyon cannot be the only destination on a trip to the Rhône alps. A visit to the city of Bourg en Bresse is not to be missed. A very nice city in the French province, where a jewel of art and religiosity rare in the world stands: the abbey of Brou. The Brou abbey leaves you speechless just looking at the whiteness of the marble it is made of. A portentous structure that welcomes you inside in an atmosphere of religiosity and meditation. A pearl not to be missed. Always on the artistic and cultural path, before devoting myself to the natural beauties of the region, I dedicated myself to visiting one of the many castles in the region, the castle of Flecheres. A private castle that stands in an English park and surrounds a splendid French garden.
What about the Haute-Savoie. Annecy with its canals, a little Venice, where you learn what “happy living” means. Or the magnificent gardens and ubiquitous flowers in the spa town of Aix les bains. A territory with a sublime landscape with a gastronomic tradition that forces you to taste any dish available to your fill.
Another unmissable destination is Evian les bains, a mythical holiday resort for the European upper class. Nothing was more relaxing than strolling along the lake at sunset, watching the lights go on on the opposite bank, in Lausanne. And it doesn’t matter if the wind gets up and it rains, the Rhône alps region is also this.
For lovers of climbing, the Chartreuse Massif will do for you. A few steps from Grenoble, this peak is one of the most popular in all of Europe.
The trip to this French region was much more than what I tell, and it is an understatement to make a diary of it. The Rhône alps is to be experienced, and relived. It is a small universe with a thousand faces that will always remain in my memory.
Find out more on the region’s official website here