About Poitou-Charentes
Poitou-Charentes (population 1.64 million), covering an area of 25,809km2 (10,066mi2), is made up of four departments: Charente (16), Charente-Maritime (17), Deux-Sèvres (79) and Vienne (86). The Poitou-Charentes region is almost completely unspoiled with virtually no industry and is one of the most tranquil in France. Its long Atlantic coastline is noted for long, sandy beaches, marinas, golf courses and islands, which make it an ideal summer holiday destination. Two large islands, the Ile de Ré and the lle d'0leron, with their pine-shaded beaches and superb shellfish, were connected by road bridges to the mainland a generation ago and have seen their populations grow rapidly as a result; camp sites have also proliferated. No cars are allowed on the smaller island of Aix, where Napoleon spent his last night in France before leaving for Saint-Helena. The marshes along the estuary of the Seudre have been converted into oyster beds with lines of thick wooden posts, on which mussels are also farmed. In fact, the region is France's biggest centre for the production of oysters and other shellfish, Elsewhere, the flat shore is used for drying out sea water in shallow pans to make salt.
Inland, the landscape is flat, particularly in Charente, and the land is used for mixed farming and livestock breeding. The gently rolling chalk hills of Charente and Charente-Maritime are covered with white wine and cognac vines, poultry farms and grazing for dairy herds, the wooded hilltops rising to over 160m (50Oft).
The region is crossed by the medieval routes used by pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Saint James at Compostella in Spain, a practice which is currently being revived. These routes were also used by the stone masons who built the region's many Romanesque churches, such as Saint Pierre at Aulnay (17). Other notable monuments include the 15th century church tower built by the English at Marennes (79), the fourth century baptistery in Poitiers (86)and the collection of 11th century frescos in the church at Saint-Savin (86), and there are numerous places of historical interest, including the fortified town of Brouage, abandoned as a port when the sea receded, the 17th century naval port of Rochefort which replaced it, and the Vieux Port at La Rochelle (all in 17). In contrast, present-day attractions include Futuroscope near Poitiers and what is reputed to be France's best zoo at La Palmyre.
Poitou-Charentes is 15 per cent woodland and 20 per cent grassland, the remaining 20 per cent of the land being put to other uses, including urban areas.
Poitou-Charentes is a popular region with tourists, holiday homeowners and retirees, particularly British property buyers, many of whom favour the area around Cognac (16) and Saintes (17). There's a huge difference between the cost of property on the coast and inland, where homes are good value.
©Text by David Hampshire, from Survival Books' Buying a Home in France