La Saône-et-Loire, du Morvan au Mâconnais – Les 100 Lieux qu’il faut voir – Documentaire – MG

La Saône-et-Loire, du Morvan au Mâconnais – Les 100 Lieux qu’il faut voir – Documentaire – MG

Do you like France? Do you like to explore it,
discover it, and meet it? Sometimes you even
feel like you know her well. We all have a small beach,
a small cove, a clearing, a hamlet or a path
that belongs only to us, far from the beaten track and that we
only want to share with those we love. This is the France we want
you to discover through 100 places that you absolutely must see in your lifetime. Today we are setting off to explore Saône-et-Loire,
a region blessed with an extraordinary heritage located
in the south of Burgundy. During this trip,
lovers of their region will take us to visit their favorite sites,
whose names still resonate in the history of France,
such as the Gallo-Roman city of Autun, the medieval fortress of Berzé,
or the Abbey of Cluny, seat of one of the greatest
monastic movements of the Middle Ages. You will be dazzled by the splendor
of the Renaissance castles of Sully and Cormatin, still inhabited today
by passionate owners. And now we come to heaven. In this Burgundy deeply attached
to its roots, we will let ourselves be guided by authentic heritage enthusiasts,
both warm and enthusiastic. This is a truly
majestic and royal entrance. Men and women
proud of their land. It’s never the same landscapes,
we never get tired of them. And their tradition. Dear Burgundy, thank you. THANKS. Our journey begins in the wooded and historically rich landscapes
of the Autun region . Nestled in the foothills of the Morvan,
this magnificently decorated region is home to splendid Renaissance castles
and magnificent forests. Thomas Volatier is an actor and
often has to leave the Burgundy he loves so much to travel around France. But every time he comes back here,
he takes the opportunity to revisit his favorite spots or discover new ones that he has
n’t had time to explore yet. For our first stop, Thomas absolutely wants us to share the thousand-year-old history of the city of Autun
with Yannick Labonne, a lover of old stones. Welcome to Augusto du Nôme. The sun shines on one of the
main gates of Augusto du Nôme, the city of Augustus,
the new capital of the people of the Edouard, the blood brothers of Rome,
who built a new city in the time of the Emperor Augustus,
at the foot, if you will, of the Morvan mountains. The city of Autun is surrounded by a
6-kilometer-long wall, much of which is
still preserved today. And then this wall is
pierced by four monumental doors. So, we are at one of
the gates of the city of Augustus. Quite. But I thought I’d see you arrive
in a chariot, with a shaved head, the Grand Ballet Rouge on your head, the horses. No, I came on foot,
a little more simply. The real marvel of the city of Autun is the 6 kilometers of ramparts that Yannick spoke of
in remarkable condition. No other city from the Gallo-
Roman period has such well-preserved remains. At the time, permission to build
fortifications was a rare privilege, granted by the emperor himself. The majestic wall bears witness
to the importance of Autun within the Roman Empire. This rampart was not designed
to defend the city, but it has a role, one might say ostentatious. It has a role to show a little that we
were in a Roman city. We didn’t need it,
we were in a period of peace. But on the other hand… It is an outward sign of power. Signed exterior of power, exactly. And so now
I’m going to take you to a place where there is a Roman monument,
as well preserved as this one, which is even more remarkable, in my opinion. The highlight of the show is located a stone’s
throw from the fortifications. This is the Roman theater. It’s a place that Thomas has
long dreamed of discovering between two trips. That’s extraordinary. Yes, I warned you. It’s great.
Excellent. We are in one of the largest theatres
in the Roman world with a diameter of 150 metres. It’s absolutely mind-blowing stuff. A remarkable state of preservation
which allowed it to accommodate between 18,000 and 20,000 people. 20,000 spectators. 20,000 spectators, that is, more than
the current population of Autun, which is around 15,000. I invite you to take a seat. Which row did you book? Here, absolutely.
Fourth row. Go ahead, take a seat. In the Gallo-Roman era,
the location of the spectator was no accident. We would be considered
part of high society. High society, absolutely. There are three rows of bleachers
separated by aisles. Here we are on the lower part,
closest to the Seine, intended for the most important social gatherings. Notables, even the most important
in the city, could have had portable seats which they installed
in the semi-circular part which is currently devoid of stands. And then, the higher you go,
the lower the social rank. What would scare me
is playing in front of 20,000 people today a cappella. This means that
we are really in the art of public speaking. Our actor likes to cultivate this art of oratory during his long walks
in the forests of Morvan. This is where he often comes to recharge his batteries
between two tours to draw inspiration for his next shows. But there is a new form
of hiking that he has never experienced before. An original way to explore this
forest while revisiting the history of Burgundy. And it is to Maud Domingue,
a passionate guide, that we owe this unique initiative in France. Unique because of the presence of a
rather unexpected companion. So, who is the guide?
Is that you? It’s her, him, him, He’s the guide.
This is Quette. What is his name?
Quette Chatard. What Chatard? Quette, his nickname.
Hi, Quette. It’s a Harris Hawk. And his job is to go off like that
with groups of 10, 15 people into this magnificent forest,
for a walk. The goal is to have birds
trained to fly, but in total freedom for two hours. Kate, I’m ready. You can take off whenever you want.
So, here we go. Come on, let’s go! Passionate about falconry,
Maude had long been looking for a way to share this activity closely
linked to the history of Burgundy. This is how
the idea for this hike was born. Falconry is an art
that is truly rooted in the history of this Burgundy region. Yes, it is a very ancient art
that is 4,000 years old. The press that we know about it
is perhaps older. There are some folkloric anecdotes
that show that in Burgundy, the ancestor of Burgundy,
the Burgundian king, Gondebo, enacted a law called the
Gombette law, which punished thieves of falconry birds of prey, since they were
obviously very valuable birds. The thief either had to pay a fine,
which was not necessarily the case, and an exorbitant fine,
or he would have his raw meat taken, either from the thigh or
the breast, equivalent to the weight of the bird, which is roughly equivalent
to 700 grams of meat. All right.
To live like this. Ah, long live the Middle Ages.
The route that Maude has chosen allows you to admire these trees with their twisted trunks
typical of the Mont Beuvray forest. They are called tails. In the 19th century,
their trunks were deliberately oriented so that they would intertwine and form
impassable barriers for animals. Our trio continues its stroll
under these century-old trees. Arriving at the summit of Mont Beuvray,
one of Thomas’s favorite natural sites , he will have an experience like no other. There is one who understood that we were
gaining altitude, in other words that it will soon be his domain. Yes. Excited about this hike
in the company of a bird of prey, Thomas would like to take the opportunity
to slip into the shoes of a falconer. Come on, I have something to ask you. Go ahead.
Because we’ve been here for a while. And then, I think that now, Kate,
we have really tamed each other, him and I. Do you want to try?
Come on, I had planned. You need to stand on your
left side in relation to the bird. First, the little reward. Then you spot the bird. And there you have it.
And there we wait. Come on, Loulou! Hi my guy. There we are, there we are. So, did you like it? But I really liked it, Maude.
Thank you. Thank you for coming.
A big thank you must be given to the friend. And well done, because what you’re doing
is really great. This splendid hike
on Mont Beuvray has whetted our actor’s appetite, and
he wants to take the opportunity to introduce us to a must-see restaurant
in the region, where he likes to eat with his friends. Before the midday rush,
chef Thomas Dossy will reveal the secrets of a
traditional Burgundy dish. To begin, we’ll get you dressed. So, put on an apron anyway.
Well, okay. Okay. And I’m going to present to you
the recipe for saupiquet. So, that is a specialty.
Sopiquet? Saupiquet is
a Burgundy specialty. Etymologically,
it is salt. Piquet is for the astringency,
for the slightly spicy side. We’re going to need Morvan ham,
a local specialty. We have organic apple cider vinegar. We have a white wine to find. For this, we will need a little
tarragon, butter, spring onions with fresh white onions. Then we have juniper berries and
crushed pepper. I would like to try some ham,
but I’m not allowed. After.
Well, okay. This recipe dates back to the 16th century. To make it, you must first pour in
the white wine and vinegar, to which you add the condiments
which will give a spicy flavor. Then brown
the butter, lard and flour in another saucepan to obtain a roux. This will basically be used to
brown the ham very quickly. Okay. Yes, Morvan ham
is still the identity card. There you go, it’s a real ID card. It has the advantage of making them seize. It will develop flavor, but it will
create a large proportion of salt. So, the astringency of our sauce will
allow us to temper it a little. It’s torture in the morning, but I
want to bite into it right away.
It’s true. But wait until it heats up a bit,
you’ll see, it smells incredible. What’s really important to you
is also to create cuisine that reflects Burgundy, and
therefore local products. Yes, of course, I have many
producers: cream, cheeses. Now it becomes vegetables
and many other things. After setting aside the ham, all that’s
left is to pour the wine sauce into the roux and taste. The acidity and alcohol are
already disappearing. Yes, it is important.
Still there, though. This is the side that we will
really keep, however. This is really, really, really important. This is the mark of the dive jump. There you go, dive jump. The other secret of this traditional recipe
is cooking the potatoes in water
, to which no salt should be added. It’s funny because I would
never have imagined that the saut piqué could be linked to the history
of Burgundy, to Burgundian gastronomy.
Yes, yes. Today, it has been reinterpreted almost
everywhere in France because you have more or less this dive jump. But historically, it’s good. So we are really
on a real heritage dish. After ten minutes in the oven, all that’s
missing is a little crème fraîche, some of the animals
and a beautiful setting to enjoy the dish. In fact, you have the crunch
of the little Morvan pig. You have our friend’s crème fraîche there,
which binds everything together. The small potatoes that give
substance, matter. Sorry, but it’s too good.
Eat, eat. Your business is great. We are lucky,
we have a magnificent terroir, an exceptional site, the Morvan,
right on our doorstep. So it’s true that we
are really lucky. We’ll say to ourselves that we’re here today
in the middle of nature, in the heart of this Burgundy region,
which provided almost three-quarters of the ingredients
in saupiquet, and to taste it, well we say to ourselves: Dear Burgundy,
thank you, thank you. After this short culinary stop,
Thomas leaves the delights of Morvan to take us to discover another site
that he loves to show to his friends, the sumptuous Renaissance castle of Sully. And for the occasion, he treats himself to a little
treat he has been dreaming of for a long time. Arrived by boat, at the foot
of the imposing monument. What I like here
is the peace and quiet of the birds and the tranquility of the environment. Sully Castle was the birthplace of
Marshal MacMahon, future president of the Third French Republic. This masterpiece of
Renaissance architecture is still inhabited today. The mistress of the house is none other
than the marshal’s heiress, the Duchess of Magenta. We can imagine that guests could arrive by boat like us today. I dream of arriving like that,
of doing big balls like in Venice, with people who arrive like that,
it would be magnificent. There you have it, a truly
majestic and royal entrance. The facade of the castle and its
magnificent staircase overlook a superb 1,600 square meter terrace. But before being remodeled from the 16th
century, Sully was only an austere fortified castle. They had a real fortress. Later, they embellished it in the 18th
and 19th centuries, adding this staircase to create more openings
to the outside. For me, it’s important that
when people come to see it, they realize that it’s a
family home, that there are people who live there, there are people who
work there, that it’s a place to live. Before revealing the hidden treasures
of this inhabited castle, Thomas wants to show us the gigantic interior courtyard. This is the most beautiful room
in the house, the courtyard. According to a courtier of Louis XIV,
it was even the most beautiful courtyard of all the French castles. It’s hard to imagine that an imposing
medieval fortress preceded these magnificent buildings. It was originally the fortress. There were eight towers, all around. In the 13th century, they had built
a real dwelling where people lived, which was this part. And at the end of the 16th century,
when they no longer needed to have a real fortress,
Marshal de Sautavane had the idea of ​​making a real pleasure house,
a palatial residence to make something very beautiful. This means that the old castle is sleeping
inside, behind this facade. I like this idea. It was not until the 17th century that
the castle underwent its first major renovation. With the creation of an immense vestibule of
marble and pink Burgundy stones. This is the main hall. They created this large staircase
in the 18th century, at the same time as the northern facade. In fact, in the 18th century, the importance of the people
who lived in a house was decided somewhat by the
size of the staircase. And since they didn’t have a staircase
that they considered important enough, they created a very large staircase. But after that, the stairs
led nowhere. So afterwards, they had to enlarge it again so
that it would still be useful. And this is how the apartments
of the first Marquises of MacMahon came into being on the first floor. This double flight like that,
it makes me think of the stairs that we see on the Rialto in Venice, the Ponté Vecchio,
it’s funny, this double flight. It’s true, it makes you dream. Imagine the people who came down
in their big dresses to come to the ball. Besides, we’re going to go
see the ballroom. Alright. Every time he enters this
majestic room, Thomas is always impressed. There is reason to. The ballroom of the Château de Sully.
Wow! Fabulous. The Versailles public prosecutor’s office. Perfect for dancing. Yes, that’s perfect for dancing. The volts, the pavans, the balls. Originally, it was
the castle chapel. After the revolution, they transformed it
and it became a bedroom. And Marshal President Mac Mahon,
the first Duke of Magenta, my husband’s great-grandfather,
he was born in the room there. During the Second Empire,
Patrice de Mac Mahon was distinguished by Napoleon III for having
won the Battle of Magenta. Later, in 1873, he was the first
president to move into the Élysée Palace. The entire interior was redone at the end
of the 19th century because the family wanted to accommodate more people. They designed this huge room. And even today, we
use it at weddings, that’s where it happened, at baptisms. So, for a while now, it has been resonating
with the sound of dance steps, children’s laughter and musical notes. Absolutely. It is at the Château de Sully that we
leave Thomas to head towards the far south of Burgundy to
go back a few more centuries in the country’s history. On the outskirts of Cluny,
another face of the region is revealed to us,
with forests that are increasingly thinning out to make way for the
renowned vineyards of the Lamartine flight. We will continue this journey with Patricia Rimbert,
an artist who has lived here for 40 years. Although the most beautiful natural sites
of Southern Burgundy hold no secrets for her,
Patricia readily acknowledges some gaps in the history of her region. One of them concerns one of
the most emblematic places in all of Burgundy, the astonishing Cluny Abbey,
whose doors she will finally open for the first time in the company
of the cultural director, Virginie Gouteillier. There, I meet you in front of the Portes
d’Honneur, which is the historic junction point between the town of Cluny
and the historic site of the abbey. You will finally make me discover why
this city is world famous. We’re going to go through this door and we’re
going to uncover our discovery. I follow you. This is what the immense
architectural complex of Cluny Abbey looked like at its peak in the 12th century. A fabulous complex unfortunately
gradually demolished over the centuries. Today, only a tiny
fraction, barely 10%, remains of what was once the seat
of one of the most powerful religious communities in Europe. Fortunately, we can still admire
some wonders, such as the former cloister of the abbey, magnificently preserved. In the end, not much remains
of the church from that time. Indeed,
history has caused the great church which embodied this image of
the abbey’s power to be partly destroyed. But in Cluny and at Cluny Abbey, there is still
a great deal to discover. Among the jewels of the abbey,
which fortunately still stand, is the great transept which
the two women now enter. You are going to discover an exceptional place
now. There are people there, we feel very small.
It’s fabulous. This large preserved vestige is in fact
a small fragment of the church, the Major Ecclesia,
this church from the very end of the 11th century, very beginning of the 12th century. Thanks to this masterful
digital reconstruction, we can now visualize what this
Major Ecclesia looked like at the time of Cluny’s splendor. It was then the largest Romanesque church
ever built, with vaults reaching 30 meters high. This church is larger, at 187
meters long, than St. Peter’s in Rome, until St. Peter’s
was rebuilt in the 16th century. And St. Peter’s will be rebuilt
a few meters taller, perhaps because the Pope needed to show off. That he was stronger, more powerful.
Maybe so. Why did we make Cluny so big? It is an abbey which has at its head an abbey
of a power which at that time was truly extreme.
Meanwhile, Patricia and Virginie head towards another building, which
also reveals the power and therefore the wealth
of the abbey in the Middle Ages. Despite its impressive dimensions
and the quality of its architecture, the building had nothing religious about it,
as it was the farigné, in other words the pantry of
the 200 monks who lived there. Here we are in one of the last buildings of the medieval monastery that has been preserved. And here we are under a 13th
century framework which has not been destroyed over time. Yes, it is original. Yes of course. And it has only been restored once
in its history at the beginning of the 20th century. And we can see at the very top, over there, a
small light illuminating a crucifix. And it was the carpenter companions
who worked on the restoration of the framework who
installed it up there. Is this their trademark? Rather, it marks their passage
through an exceptional place and also marks the danger of their work,
since it is written: Whoever works under the gaze of God does not fear death. And they installed this at the very
top of the frame. After this visit to the Cluny Abbey, Patricia takes us
to another site, also emblematic of
Southern Burgundy. But this time,
she is on familiar ground, because the famous Solutré rock,
where she has lived for 40 years now, is a bit like her favorite garden. She loves to walk there in all seasons
and rediscover this landscape so typical of southern Burgundy. Are you ready for a little walk?
Are we going up there? We’re going to go all the way up there.
Up there? Yes.
How are you ? Come on, let’s go.
Let’s go. And if she knows her story well,
she hopes that Mathieu Gaulin, the tour guide,
will surprise her by revealing one or two little-known anecdotes. Are you going to teach me things? Yes, I hope I don’t know. And maybe I’ll
teach you some too. I don’t know. It’s my favorite walk, you could
say. So, I go through Vergisson and I
often come back through Solutré because I prefer to take the little
path that goes behind. Do you know the Shortcut? It’s a truly magnificent place. That’s why it’s
quite well known among locals. And not only that. There were also some big
celebrities who came. You know that, of course. I knew the glorious times when
we had Mr. Mitterrand who had noses. As this engraved stone recalls,
François Mitterrand made it his annual pilgrimage. During Pentecost,
he came to climb this unusual and spectacular rock surrounded by his faithful. There, we arrive at what we
call calcareous lawns. Lawns that are exposed
to the wind a little, that are very dry and that have existed for a very long time
because at the time, all the herbivores that were
in the plain to escape the mosquitoes and the floods, but they
took a little shelter. In fact, it has maintained this lawn
for thousands of years. In order not to lose this lawn,
we decided to put in some rather rustic horses
called colingspollski. These little horses are almost
perfect doubles of their prehistoric ancestors. They actively participate
in the preservation of the biodiversity of limestone lawns
and slow the invasion of boxwood. Ultimately, these horses
replaced our former leaders. That’s it. Who did the cleaning work. Did you experience
the Solutré rock differently? Very different because, if you like,
all these beautiful landscaped paths are quite recent. Before, we had a small path,
it was only stones, so it was not maintained at all, it was wild. We really had a different impression. It was another rock from Solutre. Now it is accessible to
everyone and it is true that it is completely different. Our two walkers resume
their journey towards the summit. With just a little more effort, they will be able to
admire one of the most beautiful views in Burgundy. There is a legend about horses,
but I’ll tell you about it a little later. Curious to know. A few meters from the summit,
Matthew stops in front of a sort of carved stone step that most
hikers who pass here don’t even notice. So, here we come to
something that goes almost unnoticed. It is the foundation of the old castle
that stood on the rock of Solutré and which served as a line of defense
between the Armagnacs and the Burgundians. It was so coveted,
so strategic with the dominant view it had,
that they decided at the time to dismantle it so that it
was no longer coveted. The famous Solutré castle. That’s it. It is hard to imagine that on this
barely visible ruin, one of the most powerful
castles of the Dukes of Burgundy was once built. Even damaged by the wars
between Armagnac and Burgundians, it represented a potential threat
to the authority of the King of France, who had it finally razed in 1435. We No eye.
Here we are at the top. Yes, it is worth it. There, our landscape. Typically, Burgundian,
Mâconnais, Val-la-Martinien. You saw the Saône valley,
the vineyards, the forest, the Mont de Pouilly. I don’t know if you’re like me, but
I think we’re pretty lucky. It’s never the same landscapes,
we never get tired of them. I don’t know what you think about it.
Completely agree. Hey, didn’t you tell me
earlier that you were going to tell me a story about horses,
those famous horses. Quite. Precisely, below the cliff
which is there, right in front of us, they found a huge number of skeletons,
bones, bone fragments. They speculated that in order to hunt,
at the time, Crocmanion’s men frightened and made
the horses fall below. That’s why there
were broken bones. Paleontologists long considered
this hypothesis almost certain, until an analysis of the bones
found called everything into question in 1987. In fact, they broke the bones because they
had a diet consisting exclusively of meat. And the best part of the meat
was the bone marrow. In other words, the presence of these bones
at the foot of the rock is just proof that the first
Burgundians were already fine gourmets. But it was not only in gastronomy that
the Burgundians were pioneers. Since living in the region,
Patricia has occasionally heard of a legend according to which the first
knights appeared not far from here, in the fortress of Berzé. What is certain is that the castle is
an exceptional testimony to the military architecture of the Middle Ages. A must-see visit
for lovers of Burgundian history, which she invites us to undertake with
Loris Chevalier, the site’s curator. The castle here has 14 towers,
because in the 13th century it was intended to defend the Cluny Abbey. It’s very military here. You’ll see the walls like where you
put your bike, that’s 3.80 meters thick walls. Enough to deter the
most aggressive enemies. Especially since
the lords of Berzé had really thought of everything to defend their castle. So, up there, all the little
holes you see, those are machicolations. We’ve heard the word before, but we don’t
really know what it means. For boiling oil?
So no. Not for boiling oil.
This is truly the republican school. In the 19th century,
people wanted to criticize Villepanet and the Middle Ages a little and say that people were going to be burned
with boiling oil. In reality, boiling oil was
too expensive and we didn’t have enough of it. So here, machicolation,
etymologically, comes from mâcher and coulicolum, the blow. So we throw stones
that crush the blow. And this was just one of the many
obstacles to overcome for attackers who wanted to take the castle. As proof that the candidates were
probably not numerous, the massive chain gate
of the fortress is original. It is said to be over 600 years old. Inside the enclosure, Loris
continues his course on medieval defenses. You see, on the side, all the apple trees.
In fact, here, at the time, there was a row of ramparts. We are in the third
row of ramparts. There is one outside the castle,
one here, one there, which we call the shirt, which sticks like a garment
sticking to the main building. I hope you’re ready because there you’re
going to have the most beautiful view of Burgundy. The most beautiful view of Burgundy.
Look at. My rock. My world is stirring. You see, the rock of Solutré. While Patricia marvels at the beauty
of the landscape, in the Middle Ages, this breathtaking view of the horizon
had above all strategic value. Now, I invite you to enter the
15th century tower, the Montgirard tower. Montgirard. You’ll see, it’s going to be
really cool inside. We’re going to be really good today. There, look, what interests us
is the vault with the keystone, the small coat of arms of the owner
at the time which was painted. Symmetrically, on the ground, there is a trapdoor. I’m going to open it for you and then
you’re going to try to guess what it was for. You have to be strong. It’s a dungeon. No, in reality, the dungeons
are a bit like the image of Epinal, once again, of the Middle Ages. But here, the hole was
used for people, peasants, to come into this
room and pay their tax. They were going to pay in kind with
grains, cereals, fruits. We were going to pour all of that out. So, if you like, in contemporary terms,
we are in the tax center and below, it is the medieval refrigerator. The most astonishing room
of the Berzé fortress is also located under the building. This place, which is at the origin of the legend
of the first knights, is the old Carolingian chapel of the castle. So there, Patricia,
just before going back, look there. It is one of the
most mysterious places. This is my favorite place in the castle. You see, there are all
the little ferns growing. It’s magical, it’s a magical place. This is the castle chapel. During the French Revolution,
there was a high chapel above which was decapitated. So, since then the water has seeped in and it
really gives a bucolic look with all the ferns.
It’s a little bit deer-like, a little bit… It’s surprising. This Carolingian chapel proves that a
stronghold already existed here around the 10th century. Its occupants were then defending
the borders of Charlemagne’s empire. This is the period of the expansion of
feudal law which would later inspire the rules of chivalry. Hence the legend that the
first knights were born here. For Loris, at least, there is
no doubt about it. This is the
oldest part of the castle. Exactly, the
oldest part of the castle. The first lords of the castle
were the Berzés. The Berzés were the first to be called
Miles Christie, that is to say, fighters
for Christ, therefore knights. So you are in the chapel
of the first knights of the world. I am very honored. If the ancient fortified castles,
surrounded by vineyards like that of Berzé, are characteristic
of the Mâconnais, the region contains many other architectural gems including
some of the most beautiful villages in France. Nestled in the heart of Coline Bouazet,
Blanneau, our next destination, is precisely one of them,
with its characterful links in old Burgundy stone. Alex Crozelier was born and has worked here
since taking over his parents’ farm. Very attached to his land,
he is proud to present to us this small hamlet in which he grew up. For this visit,
he will be supported by a former architect of the buildings of France, Jean-Guillaume,
who has developed a passion for Blanot and its surroundings. So, we are here at my house, in Blanot. I still hope that you will succeed
in showing me some of the village’s little subtleties. There are small details that we
can discover, indeed. Yes, little subtleties.
The little subtleties about houses. These houses give Blanot its
incomparable charm and authenticity. Built of limestone,
most of them are in a remarkable state of preservation. It was not possible
to make the pair of sizes. There is no resource here. So the rich houses were
plastered and the poor houses and barns were made of
exposed stone like that, with just a lime joint with a lot of sand. We have a very typical house of the place, what we
call here a winegrower’s house. In fact, it is a house with galleries. The upper part
is the living area, then the attic. And then below, the cellar. Was this the cellar for the wine?
What about wine? For the That’s it. What we must remember
is that we say winegrower’s house, but it was a small, fairly poor village. The vine was the only thing
that managed to grow here on the stones.
And wine was a food, after all. Yes, absolutely. People prepared wine to have
a drink, the cereals that stored in the granary. There were chickens too. Yes, we have the little chicken trap here. The little chicken trap
that’s right there. When we opened the door to protect the chickens,
we locked them up at night so that the fox wouldn’t come and feed. Attached to the houses,
large barns were used to shelter the livestock, essential to
daily life in this rural village. There were no horses either,
the horse was too luxurious. He would feed an animal
that produced nothing. Who produced nothing, who helped, but
we used the oxen eventually. Which had several functions,
because often, it was even the cows who were milked and who
still had weed during the day. Quite. As they climb back up to the top of the village,
Alex and Jean head towards the Saint-Martin church,
which tells us a less peaceful story of the church, here,
with its lava roof. Yes, a lava roof. This bell tower was raised to allow
views of the heights, to see if evil people were arriving. We knew how to defend ourselves well.
We knew how to defend ourselves well, exactly. But today, we know how to welcome. Today, we know how to
welcome people very well, even. The Saint-Martin church dates from the 11th century. It is one of the very first
Romand buildings constructed on Burgundian soil. There is also something very typical,
it is this kind of small gear teeth that we see all under
the roof, which are also very elegant, which was quite
delicate work, made of stone. What was the function of this
small gear tooth? Decor.
Just decoration? Decor, it was decor. Right next to the church stands
a magnificent residence with architecture that is clearly more elaborate
than the other buildings in the village. Alex always wondered what
the exact purpose of this house, now private, was. Why is it called a priory? I always heard
that it was the priory of Blanot. No, it was not a priory. It was a place where, indeed,
the triumphant monks of Cluny collected taxes, and
especially grain. But it was not a priory. It was an
administrative and storage area. In front of the enclosure of this house,
three gaping holes recall an even older history of Blanot. Under the dynasty of the first kings
of France, between the 5th and 8th centuries. Here we can clearly see
the Merovingian tombs. Here we see the Merovingian tombs. In fact, the entire priory was
built on a Merovingian cemetery. Yes, there, it’s just a sample,
it’s three graves. When I was younger,
we often went there to have fun. It’s tempting for kids,
indeed. They are small. I don’t know if I’ll
still fit in it today. Jean is clearly an expert
on the history of Blanot. Well, not quite. Now I’m the one who’s going to
make myself discover something. Follow me. To end their walk,
Alex had a little surprise for him around the village bread oven. Built in the 19th century,
it has just been restored. The fire is already lit. Yes, it’s getting hot. It’s a very old oven that we
always use again today. And I like to use it. I learned from the old
village baker. Oh yes ? Who showed me how to
heat it so as not to risk damaging it, because you could break the stones
if you heat it too much or badly. I use it quite often to hold
small parties with friends or with all the people in the village. We all meet here around
pizzas and good wines. Well then, we’re going to do
a few together, if you’re up for it. Great, that’s great. The pizza is obviously just an excuse. Alex is especially proud to show Jean
that he and his friends are aware that they live in the heart of an exceptional village. In a way, they are
the guardians of Blanot’s flame. Shall we take it out? Come on, shall we put it on there? We put it on there. So. Fantastic.
Is she good? Very, very good. It makes me happy. It’s still quite fabulous
because life goes on. Young people are resuming activities,
bringing instruments and buildings like that back to life, old ones. It’s true that it’s
important to keep it alive. It would be a shame to have such a beautiful
instrument like that and leave it just to have the beautiful stones. It’s meant to be lived. It’s so important to be able to
meet up, talk, and exchange ideas. Alex greatly admires people
like him who maintain and restore the rich
Burgundian heritage to pass it on to future generations. This is why he wanted us to
meet a luthier who is much talked about in the region. His workshop is located in the small
village of Donzy-le-Pertuis, not far from Blanneau. In a lifetime of passionate work,
Pascal Crangat has accumulated such extensive knowledge of restoration
that the public authorities have begged him not to retire. Yes, come in. Before having
trained his successors himself. Hello Alex.
Hello Pascal. How are you ?
Yes, well. So, is this your workshop?
There you go, there you go, absolutely. You see a little bit of my universe,
my little paradise. It’s impressive,
there’s a great diversity of instruments. Yes, that’s where everything that can be repaired,
everything that is made, is located. Pascal is currently working on
restoring an old 1884 wheeled car. Is it typical of Burgundy? Yes, it is a typically
Burgundian instrument, indeed, because it was played a lot in Burgundy. One of the biggest centers we
had in Burgundy was Morvan. In the 18th century, it was
an instrument of royalty. And during the French Revolution,
this instrument left the cities, which became the instrument
of balls and popular dances. Particularly appreciated by
Burgundian musicians, old Harou remained a great
entertainer at these popular balls until the end of the 19th century. So there, on this instrument, I was
a little disturbed when I arrived. What were you doing? So there, I was doing
covers of drawings which are behind the instrument here, because you see,
it has been played a lot. And so these are the musician’s pants
that he had worn out to the end. The decoration is on the pants. So. So the decor is on one of the pants,
it’s not which one. I redo the shades
so that I can then redo the patterns. And what is very difficult here is
that it is not a very regular pattern. So there, I try to find, using a
pencil, to get as close as possible to the existing pattern. So if you want, Alex, I suggest you help
me a little with some restoration. So there, quite simply,
we are going to do some drawing. You’re going back to school. And you see, so the game will consist of
trying to find the patterns, you see, which were drawn, which were erased. The public authorities were well advised
to ask Pascal to train the next generation. Today, he is passing on his know-how
to two young apprentices from around the world. And so, the first patterns that were
first made on it, were they also
made with shapes like that? Maybe we’re like that.
That’s it, absolutely. That’s very good.
Perfect. I’ll let you take it back.
Yeah. Each restoration is also an opportunity
to learn more about the life of the instrument. We discover lots of things like that. We also discover the musician’s life. We see her hand, we see
that she played a lot. You can see the wear here on the keyboard,
how worn it was. We could restore it
to make all of this disappear. But that is not necessary.
You have to let the instrument live. We need to see a little bit of all this. Could you play it for
our ears? Yes of course. It is
on these notes with Scottish hues that carry us away
that we set off to discover another gem of Southern Burgundy. But a nugget invisible
from the surface. This time. Because it is now under the vine,
in the depths of the earth, that Alex takes us. For lovers of the underground world,
with its breathtaking scenery carved by time, the
Azay caves are a little paradise. And Lionel Barricamp, a
confirmed explorer of this vast maze, would not say otherwise. Yes, you really take me
to the bowels of the earth. We feel the freshness, the humidity. Yes, it is 11.8 degrees,
but the temperature is constant throughout the year. The Azay caves are entirely
developed and maintained by amateur speleologists like Lionel. This is what Alex likes. Without them, the underground heritage
of the Mâconnais would remain inaccessible. No one knows exactly when
these galleries were discovered. But from the 1950s onwards,
they began to be the subject of in-depth excavations. And in 1963, speleologists opened
a new passage at the bottom of the cave, 75 meters from the entrance. They then discovered
exceptional traces of these first inhabitants. What is this?
It’s a bear skeleton. In fact, here we are in the
important paleontological site of Asée, where there are a huge number of bear bones. This bear lived here
between 140,000 and 160,000 years ago. And these are mainly
females and cubs. But bears in caves
are quite unusual. We talk about prehistoric men,
but never about bears? There are bears and here we are in the presence
of a species that has disappeared today. They were cave bears
that hibernated during the winter. And the female came here with her cubs
to spend the winter, to be sheltered. The Azay caves have been explored
over a length of more than 400 meters. It is the largest underground network
in the entire Mâconnais region, which is why it is
nicknamed the metro by speleologists. What do we hear over there? We are approaching the river little by little,
we will soon discover it. From there, it is impossible to continue
progressing without a minimum of equipment. And it is with a headlamp,
like a real speleologist, that Alex will be able to admire the small
geological wonders of the cavity. When you look at it,
it’s absolutely sumptuous. All those little
calcite teeth that are side by side. It looks like a forest of small fir trees. It’s really
very special crystallization conditions, it’s very fine, very pretty. It almost looks like moss
or something plant-like. Yet it is entirely mineral. At the bottom of the last gallery, the river
blocks the passage of our two explorers. To go further, you would
need diving equipment. We see this very particular universe. The river that flowed outside,
which came to be lost underground and which continues its course
in the bowels of the earth. It’s really impressive. When you’re above, you don’t imagine
that beneath your feet there’s a cave with a river and a waterfall. In the next few days, when you’re with
the goats, you might think that there might be speos under your feet
who are searching for this universe. Yes, that’s it. I will think of you who will be there
scraping to find new galleries. Through patient exploration,
Lionel may one day discover a new passage to an unknown gallery. In the meantime, Alex didn’t want to end
this escapade in Southern Burgundy without sharing with us a
childhood memory that had a profound impact on him. It is true that the splendor of the
Renaissance castle of Cormatin leaves no one indifferent. It is therefore with real pleasure that Alex
returns there today, welcomed by Marc Simonnet, its owner. We are delighted to welcome you to Cormatin. It’s a pleasure to find this castle
that I saw when I was little. Nothing has changed, he is still here. You have kept the beautiful breath of the place. The castle may be splendid, but that’s not why Alex came here. True to his convictions,
our enthusiast of Burgundian heritage wanted above all to pay tribute to the
colossal restoration work undertaken by Marc to bring back to life the 12
hectares of landscaped gardens on the estate. Gardens that had completely disappeared
since 1815, when the owners at the time decided to use the land
to fill in the castle moats. The garden we have here
is much more of a Renaissance garden. It’s like a checkerboard. The castle occupies the central square and all
around, there are squares in which we place the
constituent elements of the garden with the flowerbed, the labyrinth, the water mirror. We walk around the castle
and each element leads to another. There I see there is an apple tree. Does it have any
particular symbolism? Yes, all ornamental gardens
must have meaning. The garden was already
an image of paradise. And so, we took up this theme which is
usual in classical gardens. The flowerbed symbolizes
earthly paradise. It is that in the center, of course,
the famous apple tree, it is the tree of knowledge
which we wanted to taste and which led us towards the difficulties of life. The Cormatin gardens are the result
of more than 20 years of passionate and hard work. The achievement that Marc is most proud of
is the one that Alex is about to enter. It required nearly
3,000 boxwood plants. So now I offer you
a little test, that of the labyrinth. So you go and find your way. Trying to get out of it. I see you are a little worried. That’s a very personal question. Everyone is left to their own devices here. So there, I’m going to let you
go alone down an alley. And then you choose it and
therefore agree to be wrong or to save yourself. This way it seems to be
used as a path, anyway. Are you still there? I follow you. I’m not giving you any constraints,
but I’m not giving you any guidance either. I feel like I’m
going around in circles here, though. Yes, that’s right.
I went around in circles. So. There we are in a total dead end. You have taken the very wrong path. I wanted to get closer as quickly as possible,
but it’s not the right one. That’s right. Easy is not
always the solution. It’s time for Marc to show
Alex the right path and introduce him to his favorite little corner. And now we come to heaven. You see, it’s an aviary
with a wrought iron dome. And you see, the
whole design of the aviary is made up of entwined hearts
because the idea of ​​paradise is the union of souls in the love of God. All of this is a common symbolism
that we have tried to rediscover. It is on this poetic note that we
end our odyssey in this beautiful Burgundy region. Come and enjoy the riches
of Southern Burgundy and explore these
majestic historical and natural sites. A journey of authentic flavors that
you will have immense pleasure in discovering.

C’est un cheminement languide que propose ce nouveau volet : direction la Saône-et-Loire pour en apprécier la beauté et le caractère préservé de ses terroirs.

Pour découvrir les merveilles des plus belles régions de France, c’est ici – Abonnez-vous 👉 http://bit.ly/3zjR2Vj 🙏

L’étonnante abbaye médiévale de Cluny, la célèbre roche de Solutré ou le château Renaissance de Sully constituent des trésors. La Bourgogne du Sud réserve de belles surprises, notamment dans la forêt du mont Beuvray. Là, un maître fauconnier et son rapace montrent de quelle manière l’homme et la nature sont en symbiose. La forteresse de Berzé a jadis abrité les premiers chevaliers de l’histoire féodale. Dans les profondeurs de la grotte d’Azé, il est possible d’observer des squelettes d’ours préhistoriques. Le village de Blanot dispose d’une architecture typique du haut-mâconnais.

Réalisé par Mélodie PROUST.
© MORGANE PRODUCTION