Sailing

Horseback Riding

Hiking

Golf

Historical Sites

Local Sites

"I love Brittany. Here I discover the wild, the savage. When my clogs fall upon its granite soil, I hear the dull, deafening and powerful sound I seek in my painting."

It was in 1886, that Paul Gauguin used these terms to explain the spell that Brittany cast upon the group of painters who had come from all over the world to invade Pont Aven. Perhaps more than his paintings, it was Gauguin's strong personality that first held the group together. Their works from the "Pont Aven school," (also known as "cloisonisme" or "synthetisme)" were precursors of "fauvisme" and featured large colored surfaces themselves outlined in contrasting shades. Ironically enough, it was not Soho, Chelsea or Monmartre but rather Brittany, with its druidic past, strong religious traditions and feudal remnants that provided the catalyst for such unprecedented modernism. Today, Pont Aven remains a focal point for contemporary art in Brittany.

Nestled at the end of the Gulf of Morbihan, Vannes has been a maritime political and commercial center for more than 2000 years. Known to the Romans as Darioritum, it was here that Cesar capped his conquest of Gaul. Vannes is also the site where the treaty linking the duchy Brittany to the kingdom of France was signed.

Today, Vannes is a lively port town and commercial center that has successfully maintained its medieval character within the ramparts of the old walled city.

Constructed in the 12th century, the fortress at Rochefort en Terre was the strategic site that controlled the route linking northern and southern Brittany. Consequently, the fiefdom and later on the aristocracy of Rochefort en Terre gained in local power and royal authority. As a result, during the French Revolution, the fortress became a target for the Republican Army, finally falling in 1793.

At the beginning of the 20th century the American painter, Klots, fell in love with the site and constructed a new chateau step by step. Today, Rochefort en Terre is one of the most visited villages in Brittany.

Sheltered from the North Atlantic by the twin peninsulas of Rhuys and Locmariaqer, the Gulf of Morbihan (Mor Bihan means "little sea" in Breton.) is considered a sailing paradise. It is about 10 square miles in area and is dotted by dozens of islands, many still uninhabited. Typically a peaceful haven for wind sports, the Gulf can also be challenging even to the experienced navigator.

Near Port Navalo, where the Gulf empties into Quiberon Bay and the Atlantic, the water is nearly 100 feet deep. However, because of the force of the tides that rush through this narrow passage the currents can run as fast as eleven knots. Twice daily the sea washes into the many creeks, inlets, wetlands and narrows making the Gulf a natural labyrinth and home for local as well as migratory waterfowl.

The first traces of human presence in Brittany date back half-million years. However, it's only beginning with the Neolithic period that substantial vestiges remain, the most impressive being the "menhirs" (standing stones) at Carnac.

Although many theories abound, the reason that more than 3000 stones (some measuring more than 20 feet tall and weighing several tons) were stood on end and arranged in parallel lines stretching for more than five miles remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it is known that this "army of stones," as one early visitor described them, archeologically rivals Stonehenge in importance and dates to 2800 BC.