The Legacy of the Lord of the Rings in Auvergne
The crag, the precipice, the perilous pass, the castle-crowned hill, the arched bridge, the untutored mountaineer, the ravaging baron, the robber chief, the ugly legendary tale of death, the pretty tale of love and fairyland luck — all these come into the story of Auvergne.
Country Living: Eating Well in 1900s Auvergne
Given astronomical rises in food prices, temperatures, and the overall cost of living, finding more sustainable ways of eating is increasingly becoming more important. To hedge against these and future challenges, many have opted to live “off-the-grid” and return to traditional methods of cooking. Doing so, they argue, helps to empower families and communities by […]
Lake Treasures: The Underwater Wine of Lac des Graves
Auvergne’s millennia-old lakes are natural vaults, full of — to paraphrase Shakespeare — ooze and sumless treasure. Many secrets lie hidden beneath their waves. In former times, some lakes — like the volcanic Lac Pavin — were believed to be the watery lairs of phantoms and monsters. Today, some lakes have become the resting places […]
A Werewolf in Auvergne: A Poem
Auvergne has a long tradition of loups-garous (werewolves). In fact, one of the most famous loup-garou legends first appeared in Discours execrable des Sorciers (1602), a book by the French magistrate Henri Boguet. In Boguet’s tale — which is set in 1588 — a man hunting near the village of Apchon (in modern-day Cantal) is trapped by a […]
Auvergne is Home to France’s Least-Polluted Region
Since Roman times, Auvergne has had a reputation as a perfect destination to, as the saying goes, “take the air”. Visitors and residents were well-aware of the positive impact of its montane landscapes and pristine water on the mind and the body. Although Auvergne is still regarded as one of the most eco-friendly geographic districts […]
