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Pont-Aven – What to See and Do

Pont-Aven - What to See and Do

Pont-Aven is one of those super pretty little towns in France that you see on postcards, calendars and books for sale on Brittany. It's easy to see why when you stroll through the centre of town, meander along secret paths, cross the flower-covered town bridge or venture out to the port. It really is one of the prettiest towns I've visited. Following in the footsteps of painter Paul Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School painters was also a dream come true for me.

After strolling through the town, harbour and woods, dining on a galette and crêpe, wandering the pop-up antique market, visiting the museum and doing a spot of souvenir shopping, I eventually left Pont-Aven vowing to bring my family back with me for another visit. Here's what I'll be sharing with them when we visit together, and what I think are the best things to see and do in Pont-Aven.

In the footsteps of Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School painters

In the footsteps of Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School painters in Pont-Aven

Pont-Aven is known the world over thanks to the Pont-Aven School and the genius painter Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin. It's long been a dream of mine to visit the town and walk in the footsteps of the painters and discover more about their art and where they created it.

The rustic charm of the river Aven running through the town, secret bridges, ancient watermills, stone houses along the estuary and boats bobbing on their moorings, is what I'd conjured up in my mind from paintings and photos. But, I was not prepared for just how delightful Pont-Aven would be. It is simply darling! The town is also included in the prestigious group of 'Petites Cités de Caractère' or Small Towns of Character in Brittany.

Following in the footsteps of Gauguin, the Pont-Aven School painters and the Nabis artists was an amazing experience and I want to share it with you too. Here's how to walk in the footsteps of Gauguin and the Pont-Aven School painters in the darling town of Pont-Aven in Brittany.

Kouign Amann Recipe

Kouign Amann - A Traditional Buttery Dessert of Breton

In Brittany, cakes and biscuits are known for their star ingredient, butter and ranking right up the top of Breton favourites is the Kouign Amann. Invented in Douarnenez around 1865 according to Bretagne Tourisme, this speciality cake is made with a few simple ingredients and is essentially a bread dough to which you add sugar and salted butter, and then fold repeatedly like making puff pastry. The quality of the salted butter and the resting time of the dough are both essential to the success of baking this cake. During baking, the butter-sugar mixture melts, and gives the cake a crusty caramelised outside and a soft layered inside.

This regional speciality that is sold in boulangeries all over Brittany, even has its own association, the Véritable kouigan amann de Douarnenez Association. The Association is made up of bakers and pastry chefs who promote the Kouign Amann.

French Street Signs – Famous people and Places

Have you noticed on any of your trips to Paris or around France, (or even just on photos) that many of the streets are named the same? It can be a bit confusing when searching in your GPS, and the same street name comes up in many different towns. That might be because the street is named after a person of interest or it simply describes a location or significant building that is on the street. Our early experiences of finding towns and streets that have the same names is something we still laugh at. You'll find more in our post Our Story #4 - Aussies in France.

French Street Signs - Famous people and Places

Examples are rue de la Mairie, translated as the Town Hall Street, or rue d'Église, which simply means the Church Street. These street names describe the main point of interest along the street. Interestingly, rue d'Église is the most popular name for a road in France.

Iconic French men and women are honoured with streets and squares all over France, but not everyone knows about some of the lesser known people, places and events which appear on plaques throughout the country. The French town planners do though and they love their politicians, presidents, philosophers and writers. Wars even made household names out of prominent soldiers!

Locronan – The Most Beautiful Town in France

Locronan in Brittany simply overflows with charm and is one of the most beautiful villages in France. In fact it's been titled the 'Most Beautiful Town in France'.

Locronan - the Most Beautiful Town in France

Locronan is situated only five kilometres from the bright blue Baie de Dourarnenez on the craggy Côte de Cornouaille. The most accessible ferry port is at Roscoff where Brittany Ferries regularly operate from. It’s an easy two hour drive by car from Roscoff to Locronan, and with its narrow streets lined with stunning bright hydrangea bushes and colourful flowering window boxes, this village well deserves its Petites Cités de Caractère (Small Town of Character) status.

Author Patricia Sands – A Favourite France Author

Cover artwork of book Drawing Lessons by author Patricia Sands

Patricia Sands is a favourite France author who brings the magic of France alive on every page of her books, and also in real life on her South of France Memories Tours. I know, that if you don't already love Patricia's novels or haven't yet toured with my lovely dynamo of a friend, you're going to love getting to know her in this meet-the-author post.

Author Patricia Sands - A Favourite France Author

Patricia lives two hours north of Toronto, but her heart's other home is the South of France where she spends part of each year on the Côte d'Azur. Patricia’s work has been described as “Celebrating the rewarding friendships and bonds women share, [with] stories that examine the challenges life often throws in our paths. Location features prominently in all of her novels. Her philosophy is that it's never too late to begin something new, to seize each day and be a possibilitarian! As the saying goes, just do it!” – Amazon bio

Found in good bookstores, on Amazon and other online book outlets are Patricia's books: The Bridge Club, Love in Provence Series, Drawing Lessons, Les Villa des Violettes Series and The Secrets We Hide. Now let's meet the gorgeous Patricia Sands…

Brocante de Durtal – Durtal Antique Fair

Market stall with people near pink blossom tree at Durtal Antique market

Recently shared on social channels was a beautiful golden rattan chair I found at the Durtal Antique Fair in the Loire Valley. I thought I’d share more about this incredible market with you. It's coming up again in a few months, so now is a good time to plan your visit.

The Durtal Antique Fair

Each September at Durtal you’ll find an amazing antique fair that entices local, regional and international visitors. I drove for over three hours to get to Durtal from my village as I’d read so much about this incredible fair and the really good quality of all the stalls. More than a whopping 450 exhibitors come from far and wide to show off their wares here. The market gets over 20,000 visitors in one day, so it's a biggie on the antique market trail.

The event overtakes the town’s streets and extends along the walls of the city’s castle. Officially the Rendez-Vous International de la Curiosité et de Brocante de Durtal (Durtal International Flea Market Fair), it’s also more casually known as Brocante de Durtal or Durtal Brocante. I love decorating my home in Brittany with vintage and antique items and share more on the best ways to find them in my post Finding French Antiques and Vintage Items in France. Take a peek into my home on Instagram @my_french_village_home

National Rosé Day and Provence

Bottle of Rosé wine with glass of rosé wine

When Rosé is mentioned, most people likely think of Provence. That's probably because Provence is recognised as the birthplace of Rosé wine and new varieties are still compared to those created in the South of France. Let's find out more about the world's favourite pink drink and the day it's celebrated across the globe - National Rosé Day.

National Rosé Day

When is National Rosé Day celebrated?

Celebrated by some on the second Saturday in June, and others on 14 August each year, Rosé day is a fun day on the calendar whether you celebrate it in June or August. Some even say that it's the whole month of August that we should be celebrating, so I'll leave this one up to you!

There's even an official hashtag to use if you want to share your pink bubbly photos - #NationalRoséDay

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