Rhone Valley at a Glance
Long hailed for its innovative and simply delectable dishes, the Rhone Valley
has the distinguished reputation as being home to France's finest food. Throughout
the region are restaurants run by the world's most talented chefs, such as the
Troisgros
family in Roanne
and the inimitable Paul
Bocuse in Lyon, Rhone Valley's
capital city.
An example of both competence and ingenuity, by1473, only shortly after the
invention of movable type, Lyon was already Europe's leading printer. From the
mid-1750s on, the city also produced the continent's most sought-after silks.
Hundreds of traboules in Vieux
Lyon - secret, covered passageways from building to building - were used
to transport the expensive fabrics safely, also acting as clandestine communication
routes during the Second World War. Regional attractions include Perouges,
a medieval village whose classic features have been often filmed and photographed,
and the market town of Valence
distributes much of the Valley's fresh produce. The province of Beaujolais
is loaded with wineries and vineyards, and the gorges, grottos, waterfalls and
woods of Ardeche
reveal nature's time-line of an ancient land.
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