Occult Auvergne: How to Become a Werewolf
Obtained by a 19th-century physician, this ritual from Auvergne tells you how to become a become a werewolf.
Hidden Clermont-Ferrand: The Oil Pit of Poix
The Oil Pit of Poix is natural wonder of Hidden Clermont-Ferrand, a marshy pond composed of bitumen, salt water, and other hydrocarbons.
Hidden Clermont-Ferrand: The Ancient Fountain that Changes Everything to Stone
Hidden in a forgotten corner of Clermont-Ferrand, St-Alyre is an ancient thermal fountain with seemingly miraculous powers.
What to See in Beast of Gévaudan Territory
It was in Gévaudan that this wild beast had established his everyday encampment…Nevertheless, this monster repeatedly made incursions into Auvergne, especially in the region of Saint-Flour, where it devoured numerous victims. And to save themselves, the parishes of Auvergne joined forces with those of the Gévaudan… -François Fabre The isolated highlands of pre-Revolution Gévaudan and […]
Occult Auvergne: Witches and Fatsillères
I fancied that Auvergne was a country far, very far off, where strange things were to be seen, and where one could not travel but with great danger and under the safeguard of the Mother of God. -François René de Chateaubriand In many ways, Old Auvergne was the “Transylvania of France”, a realm that — […]
Where to Stay: Clos Beaumont
Tucked away on the periphery of Clermont-Ferrand, Clos Beaumont is a stately hotel that once belonged to a family of winemakers.
Occult Auvergne: 5 Spine-Chilling Legends
“Among the Auvergnats a host of tales and legends has grown up, including circumstantial accounts of wizard meetings on the puy de Dôme, stories of curious and unaccountable phenomena of earthquakes, each attributed to some occult power and giving rise to bloodcurdling narrations about ghosts and ghouls…” -E.C. Vansittart In his iconic Gothic novel Dracula […]
Wolves in Auvergne: A Thrilling Tale from the 19th Century
Auvergne was once home to man-eating wolves. This 19th-century tale describes a thrilling encounter with these creatures of the night.
5 Ways to Experience the “Wild West” in Auvergne
Ruggedly beautiful, Auvergne shares many similarities with the American West. Here are five ways to experience the Wild West in Auvergne.
What to See: The Strange Chapel Built Inside a Volcanic Monolith
Deep in the heart of the Cantal mountains lies a quiet, out-of-the-way village called Fontanges. Overshadowed by the larger, more far-famed towns of Aurillac and Salers, it’s the sort of place that doesn’t appear on most trip itineraries. In fact, most tourists have never heard of it. Yet Fontanges possesses a one-of-a-kind treasure: the Monolithic […]
