Andy Mossack travels to the sumptuous Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes to uncover lavender fields, hidden palaces, and living well beside the Rhone River.
Ferdinand Cheval was a postman in the small town of Hauterives deep in the rugged landscape of France’s Drôme Department. One April morning he stumbled on a stone lying by the road during his daily round and picking it up, found it such an exquisite shape, he popped into his pocket. Little did he know that stone would lead him on a thirty-three-year obsession to create the palatial masterpiece he called his Ideal Palace (Palais Ideal). A huge rambling homage to surrealism which, since its public opening in 1905, still almost defies belief.
Whilst many artists and historians flock here to debate Cheval’s incredible achievement, for visitors like us it is just one of many hidden jewels I found tucked away in this wonderful corner of south-east France.
This is what awaits you in the beautiful Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Drôme Provencal in particular.
Lyon
As Lyon is the capital of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and gateway to the Vecors Massif and French Alps, it is a perfect place to begin your Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes adventure. A city with twin rivers, twin hills and twin amphitheatres, it’s no wonder Lyon found fame and wealth.
France’s third largest city has long been associated with strategic importance for many historical suitors being at the confluence of both the Rhône and the Saône rivers. The impressively preserved Roman remains atop Fourvière Hill where Lyon was founded (then called Lugdunon) are testament to that; twin amphitheatres no less – one for performing tragedies and comedies, the other for music and readings.
Silk became part of Lyon’s very fabric if you pardon the pun and the district atop the second hill, La Croix-Rousse, became home to silk weavers, workshops and merchants. And it’s here you’ll find Lyon’s famous traboules; hidden passageways between houses where silk merchants could slip easily through the city without fear of robbery.
The French Resistance also used them during WW2. These days you can simply pick up a map and find them still hiding behind innocuous front doors.Lyon also deserves its place as the ‘gastronomic capital of France’ with no less than 18 Michelin-starred restaurants at one end of the spectrum and Lyonnais bouchon bistros, serving traditional offal dishes in Vieux-Lyon (Old Lyon) at the other – distinctive for their red-and-white checkered tablecloths!
The Drôme Valley Lavender Heaven
Considering lavender is only around for three of four weeks, I was lucky that mid-June was the ideal time to visit Drôme Provencal’s wonderful lavender fields, just some 90 minutes’ drive from Lyon. The whole region is a riot of blush, a heady mix of wild and cultivated organic lavender so essential in the production of Drôme Provencal’s famed beauty products.
One such producer is Odile Guerpillon Tassi, a plant enthusiast who took over an ailing farm estate and turned it into L’Essential De Lavande. An organic beauty product business that today offers not only all things lavender but the opportunity to rent a beautiful luxury cottage on the estate surrounded by peaceful lavender fields.
I took a fun workshop to make some delightful lavender balm (which you get to take home) after first indulging in a sensory test with different species of lavender. It seems there are three main varieties: lavandin, true lavender and spike lavender. Each have different levels of scent and camphor content which determine their product use. Who knew?
Truffles anyone?
Luka Boissieux is a 5th generation member of the Boissieux family who have been working the land here since 1870. These days together with his sister he runs the thriving Maison Boissieux focussing entirely on farming top quality black truffles. “We use our pygmy oaks and hazelnut trees as hosts to cultivate the truffles” he told me while we walked across to the orchard accompanied by his two truffle-hunting dogs, Tillya and Lulu.
“Truffles and trees have a symbiotic relationship; the truffles attach to the live tree roots for sustenance while in return the tree gets nourishment from the truffles”. And it’s not long before Tillya smells one and begins to dig her paws into the earth. “We have to stop her digging so we can extract the whole truffle without damaging it” he tells me as he bends down and gently scoops out a huge truffle.
All Tillya wants in return is to chase after a small thrown branch which she clearly feels is ample reward! She finds a few more around the orchard some better than others. Luka again: “those last two were too soft, so we plant them back into the patch as feed for next year’s crop”.
It was all fascinating stuff, and I ended my visit with a welcome coffee and a few truffles to nibble on in the farm shop.
Market Day in Nyons!
There is nothing quite like a traditional French market day. Particularly in this corner of France where olive trees grow for fun.
Nyons is famed for its Thursday market, when its historic old town squares and streets are filled with over 200 stalls, most of which are all local suppliers. The abundant food stalls offer everything from Nyons AOC black olives and Nyons AOP olive oil to seasonal local fruits and vegetables, honey and goat’s cheese. Not to mention Provençal herbs, local wines, artisanal crafts and plenty of clothing.
Cafes abound everywhere but find a shaded courtyard, and you may well find yourself serenaded by an accordion player or a guitarist while you enjoy a coffee and cake.
While you’re in Nyons take a walk across its medieval bridge spanning the River Eygues. It is a Kodak moment waiting to happen.
As I already mentioned, Nyons is famous for its protected black olives and olive oil, and at Maison des Huilles & Olives there are plenty of both on display to buy. But it also holds cookery lessons in its professional kitchen. I had a very successful session making some black and green tapenades together with some crunchy herb infused grissini to accompany them.
And the best bit is you get to eat it all afterwards.
One other place not to be missed is La Scourtinerie, a family-run artisan weaving business which has been here since Ferdinand and Marie Fert first opened it in 1882. Ferdinand invented France’s first circular weaving machine and introduced coconut fibre into the French weaving industry. In a moment of genius, he used these giant circular woven mats to filter oil from fresh olives and built a successful business on the back of it.
Ferdinand’s original machine is still working in the workshop today, but his great granddaughter and great great grandaughter have taken the business into the modern world creating multi coloured mats as decorative household items.
The museum is well worth a look as is the workshop and shop.
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. (The Most Beautiful Villages Of France)
This is a well-respected national association whose member villages are only accepted and awarded after being rated and endorsed by strict conditions of quality throughout France. Currently there are 184 approved villages and 6 of them are in the Drôme. I had the pleasure of visiting two, Grignan and Mirmande.
Mirmande is a beautiful hilltop village dating back to the 12th century and became prosperous thanks to its silkworm breeding to feed the growing silk industry in Lyon. Once that declined so did the village until famous cubist painter André L’hote discovered it, fell in love and established an art school there.
Art is still a very prominent factor in the village with various studios hidden inside the stone houses along its narrow twisty lanes. While right at the top of the hill the little Sainte Foy church is used as a gallery for various art exhibitions.
Restaurant Patine, tucked away in a courtyard near the base of the village, is an excellent restaurant for lunch or dinner.
Grignan on the other hand is very different but equally beautiful. Grignan is towered over by a huge Renaissance palace/castle, once the home of the Marquise de Sévigné in the 17th century. It was partly destroyed during the French Revolution and then beautifully restored by Victorian heiress Marie Fontaine. Walking up to the castle from the village takes only ten minutes but it’s uphill all the way but well worth the effort as the castle tour is excellent.
The village is very pretty with narrow cobbled lanes and a couple of lovely squares dotted with restaurants, cafes and shops
I can highly recommend staying at Les Maisons du Clair de la Plume Hotel, where the gorgeous rooms are scattered around the village as are two swimming pools. The hotel serves a fabulous breakfast buffet from its own country house kitchen which is a picture book in itself.
Cheval’s Palais Ideal
And so we return to Ferdinand’s masterpiece as we must. A glorious palace which ignores every architectural rule in the book simply through ignorance yet makes Cheval’s achievement even more brilliant. You get absolutely no hint of what your about to witness when you arrive at the site. A simple restaurant café greets you by the entrance, the whole structure almost invisible save a glimpse of a tower peeking over the wall.
But once you go through the ticket hall in the museum and out into the grounds you suddenly get the whole breathtaking spectacle before you. It’s a place where mighty artistic geniuses such as Salvador Dali, Andre Breton, Pablo Picasso, Roland Penrose and Lee Miller among a host of others made pilgrimages.
And to this day the arguments and debates continue as to whether this is a masterpiece worthy of Gaudi-esque proportions, or the insane ramblings of a naïve lunatic.
Whichever you may or may not decide it is, one thing is certain, Cheval’s legacy is an absolute jewel in the crown of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Drôme. An exceptional corner of France.
Images (C) Andy Mossack, P.Blanc and G. Reynard/Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme.
Tell me more about Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Drôme
Please visit Discover Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Discover the Drôme and Visit Lyon for more information on the region.
Les Plus Beaux Villages de France
Recommended Hotels
Les Maisons du Clair de la Plume Hotel
Recommended Restaurants
La Maisons des Huilles & Olives
Getting to Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Lyon-Saint-Exupéry International Airport – More than 120 direct destinations and 41 airlines.
Geneva International Airport – More than 120 direct destinations and 43 airlines.
Clermont-Ferrand Auvergne airport – Daily connections with Paris CDG.
Staying at London Gatwick
Holiday Extras is the market leader in UK airport parking, hotels, lounges, and transfers. Booking an airport hotel means you can enjoy more holiday with less hassle – and rest easy without having to drive through the night for an early flight.
One night’s stay in a Standard Room at the Sofitel, Gatwick Airport is available for £229.00 based on arrival on 20th September 2026. Plus with Flextras, if you need to cancel or amend you can without charge. For more information and to book, HolidayExtras.com or call 0800 316 5678.
Getting to London Gatwick
Fast, frequent train services are provided to Gatwick Airport by Gatwick Express and Southern from London Victoria, and by Thameslink from London St Pancras, through central London via Blackfriars and London Bridge. Single fares start at £11.90 (weekends on Thameslink); A Thameslink Anytime Return is £25.70. Please note that booking directly with Gatwick Express, Thameslink and Southern via the links above incurs no booking fees.
