Original subtitles

(gentle whooshing)

(lively music)

(lively music)

- Our journey begins at the vineyards

around the town of Chablis,

one of the best-known names in French wine.

(gentle music)

10 miles to the east is the Chateau de Tanlay,

one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture

in the Burgundy region.

Our journey now heads south to one of the oldest

and most complete Cistercian monasteries in Europe,

Fontenay Abbey, once home to over 300 monks.

Continuing south past the vineyards of Burgundy,

we come to the city of Lyon, France's third largest.

Some of the most dramatic landscapes in France

can be found in the Gorges of the Ardeche,

known as the European Grand Canyon.

Our journey ends at the Pont du Gard,

a masterpiece of Roman architecture

which has stood for well over 2000 years.

One of the best-known white wines in the world

comes from a small area

in the northern part of the Burgundy region.

It's centered on the town of Chablis,

which gave its name to the wine.

With a history stretching back to the Middle Ages,

the stone-built town has a rich heritage

with many fine buildings to explore.

Chablis is also known as the Golden Gate of Burgundy,

as it's the starting point for the Route of the Grand Crus,

a wine lover's road that runs southeast

through some of the greatest wine-producing areas

in the world.

During the medieval period, it was the Catholic church

who established winemaking in the area.

Today, Chablis has a reputation as a fine white wine,

but being so far north,

the vineyards can be subject to spring frosts,

which annually threaten to freeze off

a sizeable proportion of the year's crop.

Depending on the amount of damage,

the price of the wine will vary from year to year

depending on quantity and quality produced.

This is the magnificent Chateau de Tanlay,

one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture

in the Burgundy region,

famous for its beauty and setting.

(triumphant horn music)

The Chateau is approached along a double-lined avenue

and through a gatehouse.

The visitor then turns sharply to the left

to see the house for the first time.

The building we see today was constructed

around an unfinished house of the 16th century,

which in turn was built on the ruins

of a 13th-century castle.

The unfinished house and estate

was bought by Cardinal Mazarin,

King Louis XIV's chief minister, in 1642,

who then bestowed it on his finance minister,

who then set about completing it

with designs by the architect Pierre Le Muet.

He added a grand canal, the moat, stables,

and servants' quarters.

Carriages would be driven across the bridge,

marked by a pair of obelisks, and then through a gatehouse

built as part of the earlier house in 1558.

The perfect symmetry of the house and courtyard

could then be appreciated

and added to Tanlay's tranquil charm.

Ahead of us is the hilltop town and abbey of Vezelay,

now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

(folksy guitar music)

Since the ninth century,

this hilltop has been an obvious site for a town

as it was easy to defend.

Benedictine monks were given land to build a monastery

and later one of the brethren brought back

some of the supposed bones of Mary Magdalene.

As a result,

and with the Pope's authentication of the relic,

pilgrims began to journey to Vezelay,

and so in 1104, a new church was dedicated,

the Basilica of Saint Magdalene.

It was then extended

to accommodate the ever-growing numbers.

However, a century and a half later,

the abbey began to decline

and this was accelerated by the discovery

of the body of Mary Magdalene in Southern France.

This seriously undermined Vezelay's claim

to be the main shrine to her in Europe.

(church bells tolling)

As a result, the abbey continued to decline

and the building slowly deteriorated.

It was not until after the Revolution in the 1830s

that extensive restoration took place

and travelers began to replace pilgrims.

Today, this outstanding Romanesque basilica,

along with the ancient and beautiful town,

is an important tourist destination,

attracting visitors from around the world.

At the head of this valley is one of the oldest

and most complete Cistercian monasteries in Europe,

Fontenay Abbey.

(woman singing hymn)

In order not to be distracted by everyday life,

Cistercian monks built self-sufficient monasteries

in isolated areas and refused to use servants.

They were austere places centered on work and prayer.

Each monastery was entirely independent

under the strict rule of an abbot.

By 1200, the monastic complex was complete

and able to serve as many as 300 monks.

The French Revolution of the late 18th century

saw the forced end of monastic life

due to dechristianization

and the abbey was sold off to become a paper mill.

It was in 1906 that an art-loving banker bought the abbey

and spent five years painstakingly restoring Fontenay

to what we see today and opening it to the public.

In 1981, this important religious complex

became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 52 BC, at the battle of Alesia,

the victory of the Roman forces of Julius Caesar

over the united tribes of Gaul under Vercingetorix

finally gave Rome control of what is now France.

Following the victory,

a Roman town was built over the Gauls' stronghold.

It was only discovered in the 19th century

as Napoleon III developed an interest in the location

of this crucial battle in pre-French history

and saw the command of Vercingetorix

as a symbol of the French nation.

The Emperor erected a seven-meter-tall monument to him

in 1865 on the supposed site of the battle.

The inscription reads Gaul united,

forming a single nation animated by a common spirit,

can defy the universe.

Vercingetorix surrendered to Caesar

to save the lives of the men, women, and children

when all was lost.

He was taken to Rome, and five years later, he was executed.

(tense music)

One of the great ways of enjoying France

is by cruising the historic canals.

This one is the Burgundy Canal,

which runs for 242 kilometers,

linking the Yonne and Saone Rivers.

It's a marvel of 18th-century engineering

with 189 locks along the route.

Its use for transporting goods

was only successful for a relatively short period

as the new railways being built in the second half

of 19th century took most of the trade away.

Today, canals of all sorts have had a revival

as a popular holiday destination.

The city of Dijon is one of the great cities of France.

From the 11th century to the 15th,

it was a place of enormous power and wealth.

It was also one of the great European centers

of art, learning, and science.

The historical center of the city

has recently become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

For many people around the world,

Dijon is perhaps most famous for Dijon mustard,

which originated in 1856 when verjuice,

the acidic green juice of not-quite-ripe grapes,

was substituted for vinegar

in the traditional mustard recipe.

(gentle strings music)

The city has retained a range of architectural styles

from many of the main periods of the past centuries.

Dijon architecture is distinguished by, among other things,

Burgundian polychrome roofs made of tiles

glazed in terracotta, green, yellow, and black.

This style also decorates the roof

of the medieval abbey church

dedicated to Saint Benignus of Dijon,

a Christian martyr from the third century.

Building began in the 13th century

following a fire that destroyed much of the city.

It only became a cathedral following the Revolution,

when it was made the seat of the bishops of the Dijon.

In the 18th century,

salt was an essential and valuable commodity.

This magnificent complex of buildings

designed by King Louis XV's architect,

Claude Nicolas Ledoux in 1775,

are the Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans in Eastern France.

With so many uses, salt became an ideal product to tax,

but it was very expensive to produce.

Before the arrival of railways,

which could deliver sea salt across the country,

most of it was produced by boiling down saline springwater,

which required an enormous amount of wood

to keep the boiling pans going.

The support of these saltworks by the king and the state

probably explains why the buildings are so grand.

However, the salt tax was very unpopular

and was one of the many complaints

that led to the French Revolution just over 10 years later.

With stiff competition from cheaper sea salt,

the Royal Saltworks ceased production in 1895.

The site decayed until the 1930s,

when the government acquired the complex

and began a restoration project.

Its importance as part of France's architectural heritage

cannot be underestimated,

as it was the first instance of a factory being built

with the same care and concern for architectural quality

as a palace or an important religious building.

It is therefore not surprising that in 1982,

it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

France is rightly famous for the wine

it produces throughout the country

and in quantities that exceed

a staggering seven billion bottles per year.

It's one of the largest wine producers in the world

and can trace its history to the sixth century

with many of France's regions dating their winemaking

even further back to Roman times.

(gentle guitar music)

The wines produced range from the most expensive, high end

to the more modest, everyday wine.

Great importance is attached to the region and the location,

both of where the grapes are grown

and of where the wine is produced.

This has given rise to the appellation d'origine system.

This closely defines which grape varieties

and winemaking practices are approved for classification

in each of France's several hundred

geographically-defined appellations,

which could cover entire regions, individual villages,

or even specific vineyards.

In recent years, the French wine industry

has seen a decline in domestic consumption,

while internationally it has had to compete

with the growing success of many New World wines.

The Clos du Vigneau is the largest in the area

and it's entitled to use the Grand Cru designation

only for areas producing the finest wines.

This vineyard was founded by Cistercian monks

at the beginning of the 12th century.

It became their flagship vineyard

until Napoleon confiscated it in 1790, after the Revolution,

and sold it off.

In the 16th century, a Renaissance-style chateau

was added to the existing buildings.

With its medieval vat house and presses,

Cistercian cellar and original kitchens,

it forms a unique architectural whole,

attracting history lovers, architecture lovers,

as well as wine lovers.

In 1945, a brotherhood of wine enthusiasts,

the Chevaliers du Tastevin,

acquired the chateau and started to restore it

and opening it to visitors.

This is the wine capital of Burgundy, Beaune.

It's an ancient and historic town

with features remaining from the pre-Roman and Roman eras,

as well as a great number of medieval

and Renaissance buildings.

The city still retains much of its ancient wall,

including ramparts and battlements.

Indeed, the walls are so thick

that wine producers use them as above-ground cellars

to store wine.

In the heart of the city is the Hospices de Beaune,

once a medieval hospital

and now a museum and charitable foundation.

It also owns around 61 hectares of donated vineyard land,

much of which is classified Grand and Premier Cru.

Since 1859, a charity auction has been held each year

to sell off hundreds of barrels of their wine,

raising considerable sums of money

and giving an indication of the season's quality.

(lively music)

As we head south, a TGV or Train a Grande Vitesse,

meaning high-speed train, travels in the same direction,

but considerably faster than we can fly.

A special TGV test train

set the fastest wheel train speed record,

reaching 574.8 kilometers per hour in 2007.

Three years later, conventional TGV services

continue to operate at the highest speeds

of any wheel train service in the world,

regularly reaching 320 kilometers per hour.

This country-wide high-speed service

was developed in the 1970s by the French State Railway.

Originally designed to be powered by gas turbines,

the prototypes evolved into electric trains

with the 1973 oil crisis.

This express is heading for our next location, Lyon.

(gentle piano music)

Built on the confluence of the Saoune and Rhone Rivers,

Lyon is France's third-largest city

after Paris and Marseilles.

The old historic center

is built on a long peninsula between the rivers,

which gave it a huge strategic advantage

recognized by the Romans

when they named the place Lugdunum.

The Emperor Marcus Agrippa made the city the capital of Gaul

and made it the starting point of all Roman roads

across what is now France.

On a hill on the west bank, he built a large amphitheater,

showing the importance of the city to the empire.

In fact, two emperors were born here.

Most of the Roman city was built on the hill

and where the forum stood,

the 19th century Basilica of Notre-Dame now stands,

with fine views over the old medieval city,

further down the hill,

and across to the modern heart of the city on the peninsula.

It's here that Lyon's claim

as a cultural and gastronomic center can be appreciated,

along with outstanding museums, theaters, an opera house,

and of course, luxury shops of every kind.

(triumphant music)

There is also a museum dedicated

to the city's silk weaving industry.

With a history stretching back to the 15th century,

by the end of the 18th century,

Lyon was producing the finest silks in the world.

The peninsula is now joined to the west and east banks

by a series of bridges, as well as the main train station,

which offers fast TGVs to Paris and beyond.

A few miles south down the Rhone River is Vienne,

with a history stretching back well over 2000 years.

From the Chapel of Notre Dame,

there are wonderful views across the city and river

as it flows south towards the Mediterranean Sea.

The city was a major Roman colony

founded in 47 BC by Julius Caesar and then expanded

until the collapse of the Roman Empire four centuries later.

(somber piano music)

The visitor can explore many Classical remains,

including the first-century theater,

as well as smaller sites that have been gradually uncovered.

Dominating the city is the 96-meter-long

Cathedral of Saint Maurice, built in the 12th century.

It's very unusual in that it has no cloisters

or transepts on either side creating the shape of a cross.

There is another fine view of the city and river

from the ruins of the old medieval castle.

A powerful cannon could easily sink an enemy

approaching along the river.

Our journey now heads east away from the river

and into the region of Provence,

towards the hilltop village of Grignan.

(gentle music)

And dominating the village

is the magnificent Chateau de Grignan,

which during the Late Renaissance of the 17th century

was transformed from a fortress to a pleasure palace

by the Adhemar family.

The Classical front is an architectural feat

and was much admired at the time.

But like so many beautiful buildings,

it was partially destroyed during the Revolution,

with the furniture and paintings being sold off.

It lay in ruins until the 1840s,

when attempts were made to stabilize them.

It was then abandoned until 1912,

when a savior came along in the form of Madame Fontaine,

who spent her entire fortune restoring the castle

to its former glory.

She studied old prints, archival documents,

and used expert advice of architectural scholars.

Today, the chateau belongs to the local authority

and is a major tourist attraction.

From the wide terrace,

it's possible to see our next location to the west,

the high plateau of the Ardeche.

The area has been named after the Ardeche River,

and for 30 kilometers,

flows through a series of gorges

known locally as the European Grand Canyon.

(inspiring music)

The gateway to the Gorges is at the natural stone arch,

Pont-d'Arc, straddling the river.

It has taken more than a million years

for the river to slowly carve out this dramatic landscape.

The result today is a landscape of limestone cliffs

which can reach heights of 300 meters.

They are one of the most stunning

scenic highlights in France.

The area is heavily protected

from any form of commercialization

and even the airspace above the Gorges

has a height restriction for aircraft,

which is set at 600 meters.

A great number of trails give walkers a choice

of the degree of difficulty and of length.

It's an easy place to get lost.

Perhaps the best way of exploring the Gorges

and get a real sense of their size and grandeur is by canoe.

Several companies operate along the river.

Some offer short journeys, which can be done in a day,

to others traveling the whole length,

which would take several and will need an experienced guide.

There are 26 rapids along the route

and depending on the state of the river,

they can be very exhilarating.

Short or long, when the journey ends,

visitors will be driven back to the start.

Each year, this dramatic landscape

draws over a million visitors.

Our final location is a masterpiece of ancient architecture

and one of the most beautiful, the Pont du Gard.

(triumphant music)

This magnificent aqueduct bridge,

which crosses the River Gardon,

was built to supply water to what is now Nimes

as part of a 50-kilometer water course.

One of the best descriptions of it

is by Jean-Jacques Rousseau,

the 18th-century French philosopher.

It's an account which any visitor today will identify with.

"I had been told to go and see the Pont du Gard.

"It was the first work of the Romans that I'd seen.

"I expected to see a monument worthy of the hands

"which had constructed it.

"This time, the object surpassed my expectation

"for the only time in my life.

"Only the Romans could have produced such an effect.

"The sight of this simple and noble work

"struck me all the more

"since it is in the middle of a wilderness,

"where silence and solitude render the object more striking

"and the admiration more lively,

"for this so-called bridge was only an aqueduct.

"I wandered about the three stories of this superb edifice.

"Although my respect for it almost kept me

"from daring to trample it underfoot,

"I felt myself lost like an insect in that immensity.

"While making myself small, I felt an indefinable something

"that raised up my soul and I said to myself with a sigh,

"'Why was I not born a Roman?'"

This truly is a perfect place to end this journey.

(lively music)

(whooshing)