Page 381 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

7 " ' BRIDGES OF THE RHÔNE
Palais Idéal du
Facteur Cheval The Rhône has played a crucial role in transporting
military and commercial traffic between the north
! F5 ⌂ Hauterives, Drôme and south of France. It has always been dangerous,
@ £ Romans-sur-Isère a challenge to boatmen and builders for centuries. In
# 9:30–dusk ¢ 1 & 15–31 1825, Marc Seguin (1786-1875) built the world’s first wire
Jan, 25 Dec ∑ facteur suspension bridge across the Rhône, linking Tournon-
cheval.com sur-Rhône and Tain l’Hermitage. He built the pedestrian
suspension bridge, still there today, in the late 1840s.
At Hauterives, 24 km (15
miles) north of Romans-sur-
Isère on the D538, is one of
the greatest follies of France,
an eccentric “palace” made of
stones and evoking Egyptian,
Roman, Aztec and Siamese
styles of architec ture. It was
built by local postman
Ferdi nand Cheval, who col-
lected the stones during his
daily rounds. His neighbours
con sidered him to be mad,
but the project attracted the
admiring attention of Picasso,
the Surrealist André Breton 8 local history, and has fine
and others. views of the town and river
The interior of the palace Tournon-sur-Rhône from its terraces.
is inscribed with Cheval‘s ! F5 ⌂ Ardèche @ n Hôtel The adjacent Collégiale
numerous exhortations and de la Tourette; www. St-Julien, with its square bell
mottoes, the most poignant ardeche-hermitage.com tower and elaborate façade,
of which refers to his assid- is an interesting example of
uous efforts to realize his Situated at the foot of a range the Italian influence on the
lifelong fantasy: “1879–1912: of impressive granite hills, region’s architec ture during
10,000 days, 93,000 hours, Tournon is a lovely town with the 14th century. Inside is a
33 years of toil”. gracious tree-lined promen- powerful Résurrection, painted
A variety of intimate ades and an imposing 11th- in 1576 by Capassin, who was
concerts are held here regu- to 16th-century château. The a pupil of Raphael.
larly on summer evenings. latter houses a museum of On quai Charles de Gaulle,
the Lycée Gabriel-Fauré is
the oldest secondary school
in France, dating from 1536.
Directly across the Rhône
from Tournon, the village of
Tain l’Hermitage is famous for
its steep-climbing vineyards,
which produce both red and
white Hermitage, the finest
of all Rhône wines.
From Tournon’s main square,
place Jean Jaurès, the twisting
Route Panoramique leads to
St-Péray. This route offers
breathtaking views around
every corner, and at pretty
St-Romain you are rewarded
with a superb panorama.

The intricate and bizarre
images covering the Palais
Idéal du Facteur Cheval
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