In 2014, I had the chance to discover the brand-new hotel at the Abbey of Fontevraud (you can find my article from that time right here) just after its opening, and I completely fell in love with the place! So, I couldn’t resist the invitation to return this year for the Festivini festival last September. It was also an opportunity to discover more of the Saumur region, a land of troglodyte dwellings carved into tuffeau stone, vineyards (mainly Chenin and Cabernet Franc grape varieties), and heritage, located around the beautiful town of Saumur and south of the Loire (the last wild river in Europe, I remind you) in the Pays de la Loire region.
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Table of Contents
The Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
Located at the crossroads of Anjou, Touraine, and Poitou, this abbey, which is one of the largest monastic cities in Europe, was the seat of the Order of Fontevraud, founded in 1101 by a Breton, Robert d’Arbrissel. This double monastery, welcoming both women and men within the same buildings, would attract the protection of the Counts of Anjou and then the Plantagenet dynasty, who would make it their necropolis. This is why, even today, one can see the magnificent polychrome recumbent effigies of Richard the Lionheart and Eleanor of Aquitaine inside the abbey. After a decline starting in the 13th century, the abbey was run for nearly two centuries by abbesses from the Royal Bourbon family.
The French Revolution put a definitive end to the religious establishment, which was then converted into a prison until 1963. The various renovations of the buildings began in the 19th century after the abbey was classified as a historic monument in 1840 and have continued to this day. Today, this immense site is open for tours, featuring the abbey church, the archaeological crypt, the Grand-Moûtier cloister, the chapter house, the abbess’s cellar, the gardens…
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud Open all year (except from January 1st to 18th and December 25th) from 9:30 AM to 6 PM or 7 PM depending on the season Visit rates: 11 € / 9 € reduced / 7.50 € children 8 to 12 years old / free for under 8s, RSA recipients, PASS Fontevraud holders
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The Fontevraud Hotel and Restaurant
It is within the Saint-Lazare priory, whose church dates back to the 12th century and which has been converted into a hotel residence, that we stayed during our trip (as was also the case during my 2014 trip). Fontevraud the Hotel and the Restaurant were born in 2014 precisely around an atypical project that blends contemporary design, respect for history, and sustainable development to preserve the soul of the place. Everything in this four-star hotel (which has 54 rooms) has been custom-made, from the pieces of furniture and light fixtures to the tableware, to meet the various constraints of installation in a listed site.
During my first visit, I was pleasantly surprised by the authentic and raw materials (particularly the wood) that naturally integrate into this environment, and by the refined atmospheres that resonate here in unison with the high ceilings and millennial walls. A journey between tradition and modernity that I find extends and reinvents the history of this place. In the hotel and the abbey, all objects are connected, which denotes a true digital strategy. At the reception of this 2.0 hotel, an iPad is provided for the duration of your stay so that you can connect to the internet, use it as a TV remote, discover the site, and communicate with the reception. A very good and useful initiative, I think.
The breakfast is served in the former priory cloister (in the same location as the restaurant), which is a sublime setting, and it is also prepared by the restaurant chef.
The tip: the advantage of staying at the Fontevraud hotel is that you will have free access to the entire abbey estate, since you are staying inside.
The magical moment: the tour of the abbey at night, when the hotel staff tells you “the abbey is yours!” and you can visit it once all the daytime visitors have left the premises…
Fontevraud Hotel 33 rue Saint-Jean de l'Habit 49590 Fontevraud-l'Abbaye Rates: from 139 € for a comfort room for 1 night / breakfast 18 € per person
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The Festivini Festival
This festival centered on culture and wine is one of the major events of the year to showcase and discover Saumur wines and their 7 AOCs (Saumur Red, Saumur White, Saumur Rosé, Saumur Brut, Saumur Puy-Notre-Dame, Saumur Champigny, and Côteaux de Saumur) just before the harvest season. This year, the festivities took place over 9 days from September 1 to 9, 2018, in the Saumur region.
For 2018, the Polish artist Katarzyna Bogucka was commissioned to create the visuals for this 9th edition of the festival, as well as a collection of labels for 4 wines (white, red, rosé, and bubbles). We also had the chance to meet Delphine Vaute during this edition, who is the next featured artist for the 2019 edition. I can’t wait to see what she will create for next year!
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The Festivini Dinner at the Fontevraud Restaurant
This was a great moment of gustatory pleasure, perfect in every way, just as in my memories. The chef, Thibaut Ruggeri (Bocuse d’Or in 2013 and 1 Michelin star in 2017) combines flavors, colors, and taste pairings with virtuosity. Upon your arrival at the restaurant, you are seated at the iBar (located in the priory’s former chapel) to be served a glass of Saumur bubbles, the Bulle d’Aunis from the Prieuré d’Aunis that evening, and to allow you to quietly discover the digital media library through touch tablets that will give you a virtual tour of the abbey.
The second stage will take you to the restaurant dining room, which is situated around the cloister (which houses a garden dotted with aromatic and medicinal plants used in the kitchen), where the sequence of dishes and wines can begin… The program for this dinner included a selection of 7 wines paired with 7 courses. The unique feature of this dinner obviously lay in the pairings made between the wines of the Saumur region and the dishes prepared by the chef.
Fontevraud Restaurant
Dinner price: 140 € / person_
The Festivini Garden Party
To close the festival, a giant garden party was organized in the abbey gardens on Sunday at noon, featuring an apéro-bubbles followed by a country-style picnic via a lunch box, set to the rhythm of music (with Cosmiq Tapas, GuidemSalak, and Scratchophone Orchestra on the program). It was also an opportunity to taste a selection of 11 Saumur wine estates while getting advice from the winemakers themselves, who were present on-site.
Festivini Garden Party
Royal Abbey of Fontevraud
Rates: 39 € per person (meal & wines included) / 20 € for under 18s_
Taking a tour of Saumur in a VW Combi
It’s a quick and original way to discover the town and stop for a moment in front of the magnificent Saumur castle for a quick photo (next time, I’ll definitely take some time to visit it!).
In any case, the town seems to possess a very rich historical heritage, and I think it deserves a day of exploration and discovery on its own. However, if you don’t have the time, as was our case that day, the Volkswagen Combi tour has the advantage of allowing you to get around it and see the maximum in just 1.5 hours. In addition to the guaranteed vintage atmosphere, our driver was also an expert on the history of the town and revealed some juicy anecdotes to us. As the icing on the cake, the visit continued with a small tasting of fine bubbles from Veuve Amiot, on the banks of the Loire!
It was also an opportunity for us to stop at the Combier Distillery (the oldest artisanal distillery in the Loire Valley still in operation) and taste its famous Triple Sec. During the tour, we notably discovered the still room dating back to the 19th century and obviously finished with a tasting of the distillery’s various products (for info, they also make very good alcohol-free syrups).
Loire Vintage Discovery Rates: 35 € per person for 3h tour (18 € for children)
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Visiting the village and the Chateau of Montsoreau
The charming village of Montsoreau, labeled one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France,” is an interesting stop rich in heritage and flowered alleys for lovers of picturesque places. As the only Loire chateau built on the riverbed, the chateau of Montsoreau presents a striking and majestic Renaissance architecture, and it was famously immortalized by Alexandre Dumas in his book “The Lady of Monsoreau.”
Today, it has been a museum of contemporary art (even very conceptual) since 2016 and also presents a temporary exhibition space dedicated to current artists. The permanent collection of the chateau is mainly focused on the works of a collective active from the mid-60s, Art & Language. With very limited accessibility for non-aficionados, the creations of this collective are not devoid of interest, but I think you have to already have a certain curiosity for contemporary art to adhere to their vision of the world. A little plus, the chateau also has a cafe where you can drink (natural wines, for example) and eat (with organic or local products), which boasts a magnificent terrace with a very beautiful view of the Loire.
Chateau of Montsoreau Passage du Marquis de Geoffre 49730 Montsoreau Rates: 9 € / 7.30 € reduced / 5.50 € children 5 to 18 years old
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Wine tourism river cruise in a traditional flat-bottom boat (toue cabanée)
This lunch on the water was an opportunity to discover even more Saumur wines, as well as to chat with winemakers, such as Denis Rétiveau, boatman and winemaker (Domaine des Champs Fleuris in Turquant), who offers these magnificent trips on the Loire (you know my love for this river) in a traditional flat-bottom boat (the boats I had already told you about on the blog), complete with tastings and a meal on board. This river trip was also an opportunity to discover some wines from Domaine de Rocheville in Parnay (Saumur Champigny wines) in the company of winemaker Philippe Porché.
Loire Vins Aventure For 10 to 12 people 125 € for 1h / 250 € for 2h / + cruise meal 30 € per person / + wine tastings 6 € per person
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Taking a bike ride
The area is located on the La Loire à Vélo route, and we took advantage of it to take a short bike ride from Montsoreau to Saumur, passing through Souzay-Champigny. I found it to be a good way to discover the richness and diversity of the region’s heritage by cycling along the Loire, and it was also an opportunity to pedal along the paths that wind through the vineyards. The route also allows for discovering the landscapes of the Loire, the riverbanks, the towns and their chateaus, the vineyards…
Bike rental with Détours de Loire
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Retro tour of the Robert & Marcel Cellars
The tour of this cellar, named Robert and Marcel in homage to its 2 founders, is extremely fun and original, to say the least. Indeed, you go on a 45-minute trip (bring a light jacket in all seasons because it’s quite cool there, between 12 and 13°C) into an underground labyrinth with visual, sound, and taste surprises. After the tour, you can also have a free and guided tasting of the various wines from the estate, but also do some shopping/souvenirs in the shop.
Robert & Marcel Cellars Route de Saumoussay 49260 Saint-Cyr-en-Bourg Rates for the Cave aux Sensations tour (daily from May to September at 11 AM, 3 PM, 4 PM, and 5 PM and by reservation the rest of the year): 5 € per person
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Dining at the Cave aux Moines
There are many troglodyte dwellings in the surroundings because the tuffeau stone has long been dug by men to extract stones that were used for the construction of the famous Loire Valley chateaus. Some have been converted into restaurants, such as the Cave aux Moines where we went for dinner. The restaurant of the Cave aux Moines, named Les Pieds Bleus, is installed in former extraction galleries used since the beginning of the 20th century for mushroom cultivation.
The place offers several gastronomic specialties of the region including:
- Fouées, hollow bread rolls, one of the specialties of the area
- Galipettes, large button mushrooms stuffed and cooked in the bread oven
Cave aux Moines
Préban 49350 Chênehutte Trèves Cunault
Rates: menus between 21 € and 26 €_
Thanks to Clarisse and Clémence from the Air Pur agency, the Festivini Festival, the Saumur wine regions, the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud, and Saumur Destination Val de Loire for this warm welcome.
I hope that with all this I have made you want to discover the Saumur region and its wines, and if you also have your own tips and advice for this destination, do not hesitate to share them in the comments!
Photo credits: Melle Bon Plan Photos are not royalty-free; permission from the photographer is required before any use
