A strange encounter
in Gâtinais...

Across the dells and prairies of Gâtinais, discover for yourself how I came face to face with a rather striking contemporary art piece!

It all started over a stroll through the Gâtinais area. A land where water is everywhere... over the canals of Briare, Loing and Orléans... The area is crisscrossed by no less than fourteen rivers and scattered with marshes and ponds! It is a genuine islet of dells, fields, prairies and woodlands, the incarnation – to the east of Loiret and the south of Seine et Marne, of gentle country living.

Recharge your batteries...

Just an hour to the south east of Paris, off I set for a relaxing tour of the Gâtinais countryside. Step one: Montargis, the capital [lien vers incontournable Montargis], also known as the 'Venice of Gâtinais” with its 131 road and foot bridges! The Montargois area is just like Gâtinais; water is never far away. So my journey naturally began with a walk along the banks of the canals of Loing, Briare and Ouanne. [lien vers circuit de rando : http://loiret-balades.cirkwi.com/#!page=circuit&id=46952&langue=fr ].

Contemporary art, in the middle of nowhere!

In Amilly, in the heart of a natural area, I discovered an old industrial building - the former tanneries, recently transformed into a Contemporary Art Centre. A dynamic place where you can freely observe artists at work. At ground level, the immense exhibition area is a real surprise. It's the 'grand hall' where monumental pieces are displayed.

On the first floor, I wandered under the glass roof, an extremely bright area where art communicates with the outside world. Through the windows, I could see the tannery grounds, naturally bordered by two stretches of the Loing which form a tip where they join. After visiting the upper gallery, I took a stroll through the park, finding myself face to face with artwork; totally integrated within the landscape, fine pieces that are an invitation to reverie and contemplation. There's one visit I won't forget in a long time!

Make sure you don't miss...

Classifica: odours, colours and shapes arouse the senses. In the springtime with the wisterias, the magnolias, the azaleas and the honeysuckle. In May as the handkerchief tree is transformed. In the autumn, over the fragrance of the caramel tree and the viburnum...

Bizarretum: an appropriately named collection! Here, everything is a surprise, from the weeping redwood, the '80-trunk tree' and the dwarf beeches to the creeping junipers, etc.

Over and above unaccompanied tours, the Arboretum, a certified 'Remarkable Garden', offers play and picnic areas, a boutique, a tearoom, a tree nursery and regular events throughout the year: workshops for children, parents and grandparents, exhibitions and open days at the nursery. In the summer, open-air theatre and concerts...

What to bring home?

Gâtinais saffron

A long time cherished, saffron is enjoying a new lease of life thanks to the 'Safraniers du Gâtinais' who resumed its production in 1987.  The stigmas of some 150,000 saffron crocuses are harvested manually to produce every kilo of this precious spice. The saffron museum in Boynes offers a presentation of six centuries of saffron production and tradition.

Pralines from Montargis

It was the Duke of Plessis-Praslin, minister under Louis XIII, who set the recipe for the pralines - sweets made of grilled and caramelised almonds - that have since become the speciality of Montargis. Since 1903, Mazet has resumed production of these sweets, based on the original recipe.