Summary

This handsome volume presents France and its rich culture in all its bounty--from landscape and tradition to literature and legend. Eminent French author Denis Tillinac takes the reader through provincial French villages to deluxe Riviera retreats and on to the City of Light, providing insight into Henri IV, the origins of champagne, and the development of the high-speed (TGV) train along the way. From Flaubert's Madame Bovary to the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte, and from La Fontaine's fables to the early feminist Joan of Arc, this book provides an insider's tour of the Hexagon.Discover France through its cultural legacy: the UNESCO-protected French gastronomy, the Bayeux Tapestry, the Tour de France, the Seine, Édith Piaf, or the perfect baguette. Photographs of iconic sights such as Notre Dame, Monet's Water Lilies, and the Place des Vosges, make this book the ideal Francophile gift.