Vienne is a French department of Nouvelle Aquitaine region that is named after the river Vienne. Vienne is one of the four ones that form the Nouvelle Aquitaine region along with Charente-Maritime, Deux-Sevres and Charente.
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Climate
The climate in this area is gentle and temperate just like the people in this area. The winters are cold and sometimes it may get cold. As a whole the winters are sharp and the mornings are frosty. The summers are long and warm.
Geography
There a lot of attractions in this area that will make your holiday memorable. The scenery is diverse and there are a lot of cultural attractions. Vienne is positioned in central France, quite a lot south from England and the climate there is quite hot.
This region is mainly a farm area with some little villages and beautiful churches. There pass fast and shallow rivers which give opportunities for boating, bathing, riding and some other sports. There are many historical attractions. There are also village fairs and farmers’ markets.
This area is not famous for its gastronomic qualities but it is proud of its rustic and simple food made from top-quality ingredients.
Because of the vicinity to rivers and seas there is a lot of fish and shellfish like oysters, mussels, clams, soft-shelled crabs sole, turbot, eel, cuttlefish and carp.
History
Vienne is one of the 83 departments that were formed on March 4, 1790 during the time of the French Revolution. It was made from the previous provinces of Poitou, Touraine and Berry.
Gastronomy
The snail is a specialty in this area and it has to be served as Cagouille à la Charentaise. The receipt is that it has to be cooked with ham, garlic, onion, white wine, herbs and tomatoes. But the actual receipt is different for every cook.
The French are the biggest consumers in the world and the region of Cagouille à la Charentaise is the biggest producer of l’escargot and almost 60 percent of the production is left to the region.
One of the biggest delicacies is the Caviar D’Escargots or snail eggs.
Eel or Anguille is quite small from six to seven centimeters long and is considered as a gastronomic delight. There are mainly found in Poitou Marsh area where they are protected because a few years ago they almost died of pesticides.
The eels return to spawn every year from the Atlantic Ocean and are symbol of quality and health and are very important to the region.
You also have to taste the Fricassee d’Anguilles. You have to cook it with garlic, butter and very often finished with Cognac. This dish is referred mainly to Dordogne but is also famous in this region.
Anguilles au Vert is prepared with many herbs like sorrel, parsley, tarragon, chervil and chives.
This area is very proud of the lamb. In French it is said L’agneau and in most of the restaurants it is served with a little flag denoting that it is produced locally. Sometimes it is a bit expensive.
The wide pastures and the temperature climate is good for breeding the animals that will later produce great meat.
L’agneau du Poitou-Charentes also called the “Diamandin” or Red Label is a local meat that is marbled in color and light in taste. It is really very high quality and features in almost every meal.
The cattle in this region are of the type Limousine and Parthenaise that have been bred for centuries and it is famous not only in the department. It is certified to be a first class meal with the Red Label certificate.
Pork is the most preferable meal in the region. The goret or piglet is the main part of the local cuisine and is used for preparing the “tribalée” that is a stew with small pieces of pork seasoned with herbs.
Useful information
Tourism office in Vienne
www.poitou-charentes-vacances.com
Maps of Vienne
www.ign.fr
www.maps.google.fr
Flights from the UK
By air: The region has three international airports: Poitiers, Limoges and La Rochelle.
Ryanair and Air France fly to La Rochelle, Limoges and Poitiers.
Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Vienne. We have a large network of estate agents in Vienne. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Vienne matching your requirements. To find out more about our properties for sale in Vienne do not hesitate to contact us.