The Journées du Patrimoine, which take place in September in all the major cities, are quite well known and are an event that informed travellers - I mean you, you, you and you - try to catch.
Lesser known and, IMHO, much more precious is the "Journée du patrimoine de pays et des moulins" which usually takes place in mid June, in the countryside, in villages and small towns.
All of you who will be here in mid June, do not, I repeat, not, miss the fascinating and undeservedly underpromoted event. This year it falls on 14 June Sunday.
Last year in the Lot we saw many many river mills - some dating to 11th or 10th century, - that were open for visit only on that day.
But not just in the Lot, everywhere in the countryside in France, participating private properties will be open to public visits on that day. And since it is not advertised at all, there are no crowds and of course no queues.
You can look up this website which does not have info in English and in fact does not have any info on the schedule in any language until early June, or so it says. But do watch the site; sooner or later it will throw us scraps of info, let's hope. Here is a selection of this year's program. As soon as I find out more (against the will of the organizers), I will share it here.
Thanks! We'll be in Menerbes on June 14th. Right off hand, can anyone tell me if any of the locations listed on the website are within driving distance? And if more than one, which would be best to head for?
Americana - thanks for re-posting this information.
JacquiQ - It is still too early to have a full schedule posted. It is usually not available until shortly before the event. There is a sample of events on the page AiP links to. You will be in the PACA (Provence Cote d'Azur) region. It lists a hike in the Luberon region park exploring ancient inhabitants in the region around l'Aiguebrun.
When the list is published look for items listed under the region (PACA) and department (Vaucluse). The Bouches-du-Rhône department may also be close by.
But you'll have to wait until June to make a decision when they have a complete listing.
Americana, thanks for this. We won't be there this June but I'll add it to the encyclopedia for maybe next year.
Does this include mills that have been turned into homes? This would make it even better.
By the way, if you have any pull in France (now, don't be modest, you at least have more pull than I do), please get the Journees du Patrimoine people to come up with a more complete list online, and put it up a little earlier. We like to plan our September itinerary based on the most interesting openings on the Jour du P weekend, but their website doesn't show up till mid-August and hits only the major sights of each region, leaving out all the hidden gems.
A little project for your spare time, should you have any!
Does this include mills that have been turned into homes? This would make it even better.
O yes, and you are right. that is the best part. Many owners buy an old old mill and restores it out of love of the heritage. They are very happy to show it to the public once a year. They are very nice and have a naturally curious attitude toward visitors from afar.
Last June in the Lot so many private estates were open for the occasion. It got to the point that toward the end of the day, seeing a pretty house where the owner was standing at the door chatting with neighbors, my non-French friends nearly crashed the house, assuming it must be open for visit.
quote:
By the way, if you have any pull in France (now, don't be modest, you at least have more pull than I do), please get the Journees du Patrimoine people to come up with a more complete list online, and put it up a little earlier. We like to plan our September itinerary based on the most interesting openings on the Jour du P weekend, but their website doesn't show up till mid-August and hits only the major sights of each region, leaving out all the hidden gems.
That's a good one.
I have not told you all the hard labor I had to go through just to get the four lines of info.
I actually called the phone number that is given for inquiries of "renseignments (information) for the Journée du patrimoine at the Ministry de Culture. The lady who theoretically was in charge of giving info told me that information would only be available in early June, and that I had to call individual local offices de tourisme in the different regions and provinces. I explained exactly what you said above, that many of my friends who are interested in this are non-French and would appreciate getting info earlier in order to facilitate their travel planning. I suggested that she take down my email and include me in her mailing list once the brochure (yes there was one last year, more later) is compiled, whenever that will be. (Last year, a borchure on all the participating mills and estates was available, in a pile in front of every participating house. Therefore the joke is real here: you have to be here and you have to be me.) Miss Information sighed and asked me to give my email quickly, because she was in a meeting, and she told me that instead of her emailing me, I must first write her and make the information inquiry in writing in an email explaining who I am and why I want the information. I am not making this up.
Conclusion: the JdP event is great. Those private owners who participated in the event were wonderful hosts and showed us great architectural wealth. As for the "adminstratif" whose desk phone number somehow ended up on the website, she hails from a parallel universe where she has never heard of the concept of information. In June I will beg Miss Information again. I am determined. I will get the info inspite of the information desk. Wish me luck.
Yes indeed. You are a hero. Thanks for all you have done to get the info out.
Shall I nominate you to replace Miss Information at the ministry? I can give you a very strong recommendation and I'll sign it N. Sarkozy. That should get their attention.
Finally the "programme" section of the website given above has some info.
Go to this page and search the region of your choice.
Some regions have a lot of info, and others, nothing. Which could mean nothing, or it could mean it has open-house visits that are not publicized.
I did not look up every region, but I remember chancing upon fabulous visits last June in the Lot. I looked up the Lot section this year and indeed found a lot of more stuff, all in or around fabulous villages. Maybe it is logical that there are more moulins in an area crisscrossed by beautiful rivers. Go to "Midi-Pyrénées" and/or choose département number 46.
On the other hand, not much happening in Dordogne, it seems (or they don't want us to know, ). Sarlat and Brantome seem to have visits that include private houses that are usually not open to the public, which is the best part about Patrimoines Day of course.
Thanks Americana. There are many events in my department, the Loir-et-Cher, including a couple in my village and several more in Saint-Aignan. This was the first I had heard of them.
) .
). Sarlat and Brantome seem to have visits that include private houses that are usually not open to the public, which is the best part about Patrimoines Day of course.
