What to see in Clisson, a pretty town near Nantes (France)

Did you know that the city of Nantes, in the region Loire Country West of France, is surrounded by a vineyard area?

In fact, it is the region known as Nantes vineyard where you can enjoy wine tourism visiting a winery, but where you can also discover a very interesting medieval town, Clisson.

It is the main town in this area of Nantes vineyard, whose winemaking tradition dates back to Roman times, and during whose visit you will be able to see landscapes and architecture that transport you to the region of the Italian Tuscany.

In this area of France you can taste the designation of origin Muscadet, dry white wine very elaborate and controlled that comes from the grape Burgundy melon which is only grown in this area.

El Muscadet It has a great flavor and is ideal to pair with fish, cheeses and white meats.

Clisson History

For its part, the Clisson's story is linked to castle which began to be built at the beginning of the 13th century, which fulfilled the function of both defense and princely residence, and which was fortified in the 15th century.

Finally, during the 18th century, both the castle and the town of Clisson They were almost completely destroyed.

At this point is when the figure of Frederic Lemot, a sculptor whose arrival in Clisson It marked the development that has led this enclave to presently display that atmosphere more typical of the aforementioned Tuscany.

Slow was a friend of two brothers from Nantes, one of them who had been French ambassador in Italy and at that time he had the second most important collection of works of art in France, and the other, a painting artist.

The three arrived in 1805 to Clisson y Slow acquired the abandoned castle, as well as a large green area of ​​14 hectares located in front of the castle, on the other side of the river, and known as Garenne Lemot.

Here I design some grounds with architectural elements and classical reminiscences, but for the architecture was based on the rural villas in Tuscany and Umbria.

For the design of the gardens, species specific to the gardens were also planted. Mediterranean landscapes like pines and cypresses.

From then on, the Clisson architecture and its surroundings began to be impregnated with the aforementioned tuscan style, so that the slate on the roofs was replaced by bricks, and the granite by bricks.

What to see on the Clisson sightseeing tour

The result is that curious tuscan atmosphere what can you see when you go to visit Clisson tourism, where you can arrive from Nantes in less than half an hour, both by car and by commuter train.

Medieval market in Clisson

To tour the town you must start from the center Minage square where a covered market from medieval times, specifically from the 15th century.

Fortunately this wood market It was never burned despite the various wars that occurred in the area, and now it is a corner where every morning you will find very lively with the fruit and vegetable market.

But the aforementioned Tuscan style that is so interesting to know is found as you descend towards the course of the Moine River, where you will see the most nice Clisson prints.

You will descend the very steep Tire-Jarrets street, and as soon as you reach the river, my advice is to cross the old medieval bridge to see the beautiful panorama that makes up the bridge, the Notre-Dame church and Clisson castle.

Church of Notre-Dame in Clisson

The bridge was built in the 15th century and connected the center of the town and the castle with the San Antonio neighborhood.

In this area of ​​the river where there is a drop of about 15 meters, dams were built and up to 20 mills were installed, taking advantage of the power of the water, both to grind cereals and to tan leather.

For its part, the Notre-Dame church It is of very recent construction, from the 19th century, but it was built in the Italian neo-Romanesque style following the architectural trend that established Slow.

Specifically, the image of its tower in the background of the bridge and the river will make it easy for you to imagine that you are in Italy.

Lemot Gardens in Clisson

Since the aforementioned San Antonio neighborhood you can go up to the gardens of Garenne Lemot, where you can see corners reminiscent of the Antiquity, like sculptures from Greek and Roman mythology.

The axis of this park is the Villa Lemot, completed in 1861 when the sculptor had already died.

The building is built in neoclassical, and in front of it a large avenue opens where some sculptures.

But in these gardens you can also see a clear building rustic-italian style, Gardener's House, which was built in 1815.

It is a typical agrarian village with a residential building, a warehouse used as a barn or stable and a dovecote tower.

This town was precisely the one that served as an architectural model for the construction of similar buildings on farms and rural houses located in an area of ​​about 50 kilometers around Clisson.

Finally, facing your excursion to Clisson and the Nantes Vineyard region, if you are interested in arranging any winery visit, how could you be Le Domaine Ménard-Gaborit, you can do it through the Clisson Tourist Office.

And for your stay, here you can book hotel in Nantes and vicinity.

In sum, Clisson It is an attractive surprise to complement your sightseeing trip to Nantes.

Map: where it is and how to get to Clisson from Nantes

For get to Clisson from Nantes, if you do not have your own car or rental, you can use the commuter train, as was our case.

You have an average of 14 different schedules a day, with direct trains taking 16 minutes, and those that make stops, 35 minutes.

El round trip ticket price it is 8 euros.