Getaway in Nièvre

Some time ago, Luxsure had the privilege of visiting the Nièvre department in Burgundy.

LA CHARITÉ-SUR-LOIRE

We were greeted at the La Charité-sur-Loire tourist office by Estelle and Philippe. Luc Jolivel (Heritage Project Manager) then took us on a tour of the town, which is classified as a Town of Art and History. The Priory, founded in 1059 by the Order of Cluny, quickly grew to include over 400 outbuildings. La Charité became the “eldest daughter of Cluny”. The priory is the core around which the historic town grew. A major restoration project is currently underway to restore its prestige.

The church of Notre-Dame is a Unesco World Heritage Site. La Charité-Sur-Loire has also been listed as a “Ville du Livre” since 2000.

La Ferme des Barreaux

Not far from La Charité Sur Loire, La Ferme des Barreaux and its owner will welcome you with open arms. La Ferme des Barreaux is a farm, a gîte d’étape and a boutique called La Boutique de Madame Oleson (in reference to La Petite Maison dans la Prairie). The boutique sells all sorts of unusual objects, as well as preserves and other products cooked and prepared on the farm. You’ll find yaks, an African cow, a dwarf zebu, little ostriches, sheep, llamas, dwarf pigs, goats, donkeys, horses and ponies all moving about peacefully.

La Ferme des Barreaux, 18140 HERRY

Domaine des Forges de la vache

The Domaine is run by Claudine Muller and her husband in the heart of the Bertranges national forest. You can stay either in the spacious rooms of the manor house or in one of the 4 perched cabins at the far end of the grounds. The estate was bought by Claudine in 1995 and opened in 2000 after extensive renovations. It is now a music venue. From October to June, classical music festivals are held here.

After making ourselves comfortable at the Domaine des Forges de la Vache, we headed for the banks of the Loire to board a coche d’eau. This is a traditional Loire boat with a capacity of 12 passengers. We sailed to a small island in the bec d’allier for dinner. The tour was led by Yvan Doirieux (naturalist guide, boatman and accredited tour guide). On the island, a buffet and a fine table awaited us. The aperitif was prepared by a chef from Les toques nivernaises, and the dinner by Yvan and his colleague around a campfire. We also had the pleasure of tasting local wines from the Coteaux Charitois in the presence of a winemaker.

It’s an experience you’ve got to have at least once, and it’s quite a change of scenery, but so much fun.

NEVERS

Earthenware Museum

The Musée de la Faïence in Nevers has reopened its doors after more than 10 years of refurbishment: it has been restored and enlarged from 2200m² to 750m². The museum is now housed on the remains of the Abbaye Notre Dame and in the Hôtel Roussighnol. The Abbey is still visible (see below). Despite its name, the museum is not devoted exclusively to earthenware.

The facility is organized into 3 parts:

• a section showcasing a collection of exceptional earthenware, from majestic vases to statues, decorative plaques and atypical objects.
• a second part devoted to enamelled glass: a very special craft that appeared in Nevers at the end of the 16th century. The museum boasts the largest collection of enamelled glass in the world, thanks to a donation from collector Jean Loynel D’estrie in 1998.
• the final section is dedicated to the fine arts. It includes works from the 16th to the 20th century (sculptures, prints, drawings, engravings and canvases).

Musée de la Faïence 16 rue Saint-Genest 58000 NEVERS

In the past, Nevers was a major center of earthenware production in the history of French and European decorative arts. Today, the town still has 4 faience manufacturers, compared with 12 in the past. We had the opportunity to visit the Manufacture du “Bout du Monde”, also known as Montagnon, which was founded in 1648.

We then went to the “Faïence Bleue” earthenware factory, where Laetitia Moreau gave us a demonstration of painting on earthenware.

You can also visit the earthenware factories, provided you make an appointment in advance.

La Cour Saint-Etienne

You can have lunch in this restaurant, which is part of the Toques Nivernaises association, a benchmark. For dessert, I recommend the “Parie-Nevers” with Nevers nougatine slivers.

La Cour Saint-Etienne 33 rue Saint-Etienne 58000 NEVERS

You can’t make a stopover in Nevers without tasting some Negus. These are soft chocolate caramel coated in baked sugar. This confectionery is named after Menelik, the emperor of Abyssinia known as the Negus, who came to France on an official visit. Since 1909, only confiserie Lyron has been making them.

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