LE PUY-NOTRE-DAME

At Le Puy-Notre-Dame, the beautiful 12th and 13th century collegiate church looks out over the wine-growing landscape and dominates the great diversity of architectural, culinary and human riches of the ancient fortified town.

As you wander through the narrow streets, you'll discover the collegiate church, which has been welcoming visitors for over 700 years, the beautiful 16th- and 17th-century manor houses, the old town gates, the ramparts and the many different porches. Adjust your steps to the soothing rhythm of the ancient pilgrims of Santiago de Compostela as you admire the carved shells on the walls of the old guest houses. On foot, on horseback or by bike through the 1,500-hectare ocean of vines that surrounds the village, Saumur's leading wine producer, you can visit the mysterious underground world of the tufa stone cellars, where mushrooms grow, sheltered from the light.