Whenever we’re watching our favorite French TV travel show, Les 100 lieux qu’il faut voir (The 100 Places You Must See), Bill keeps his phone handy for two reasons. When a destination looks interesting, he first locates it on an online map to determine if there is a train station in town and if so, he then adds it to our ever-growing list entitled, “Want to Go”. While that initial map check lets us know if we can get there on public transportation, it doesn’t always guarantee that it will be on a train. Despite a train station building still existing, the tracks might no longer be in use and often now serves instead as the central bus stop. Such was the case for two towns around Poitiers, where we were staying for a week to discover that area of the country.

Given that Les 100 lieux qu’il faut voir is a television program, visual images are obviously very important and that’s what first gets your attention. That was definitely the case with Chauvigny where the episode’s opening scene showed the skyline dominated by 5 castles, as in today’s featured photo above. In reality, these fortresses are in various states of ruin with one being simply a wall, yet they combine to make a striking silhouette. 

We made the uphill climb into the medieval city to get a closer look at these former centers of power. These five castles in one spot existed because several lords held the land simultaneously, with each wanting to make their own claim over the territory. In the midst of these strongholds we went inside Collégiale Saint-Pierre, a 12th-century church known for the carved capitals on top of its interior columns. These were meant to be sermons in stone for parishioners who could not read so there are vivid representations of angels, demons, and monsters, all competing for your soul. Tip: if you go to the walkway behind the altar (the ambulatory) you can get a closer view of these carvings.

While time has not been kind to those 5 castles of Chauvigny, our next destination was more like disappearing into the Middle Ages. To enter Parthenay, we crossed over the 13th-century bridge Pont Saint Jacques and then stepped through its like-named, heavily fortified gate, Porte Saint Jacques, passing the iron and wooden grille plus the “murder hole” through which rocks were dropped on any invaders. Safely inside, we were greeted with cobblestones and the half-timbered houses of the narrow street, rue de la Vaux-Saint-Jacques, the photo in the 1st paragraph. That name appears so often because we were on the Way of St. James (Saint-Jacques) that pilgrims have been following towards Santiago de Compostela, Spain for centuries.

Continuing our walk through the historic center, we passed under the Porte de l’Horloge, a 13th-century clock tower that serves as a gateway from the residential streets to the commercial center. We then explored the 13th-century Château ruins before reaching the Jardin Férolle, a series of terraced gardens near the riverbanks below.

Now after being there in person, it’s clear why these two towns made it onto our “Want to Go” list. That’s 2 down and only 44 to go…until we add more, so stay tuned!

If you want to go: Our bus ticket to Chauvigny, Remi bus line 433, was 3.40€ per person each way, cash only (exact change preferred) purchased from the driver. Round-trip between Poitiers and Parthenay, Cars régionaux Nouvelle-Aquitaine bus line 100, was 4.50€ per person, online from the Modalis app.