After Vienne, we sailed south to our next mooring point at Tournon-sur-Rhône, with Tain-l’Hermitage across the river. Although well known for its wine, the main visitors are tourists off the river cruise ships.
Tournon-sur-Rhône is an attractive setting with the Alpes Maritime to the east with their bare granite tops catching all the sunlight. The village is dominated by its C16th “Chateau”:https://www.ardeche-hermitage.com/en/catalog/activity/chateau-musee-129669/ which is now a museum.
Nestling along the banks of the Rhone, this was originally a walled town with twelve watch towers. Now only two remain on the hillside above the town.
We moored up at Farconnet Quay, a large open space lined with sycamore trees and popular with boules players. Rue du Doux behind was once a very prestigious part of town where wealthy merchants and officers from the chateau garrison had their houses.
The C14th “St Julien’s Collegial Church”:https://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/review/attraction/205384-review-st-julien-s-collegial-church in the centre of the town was still open and had some beautiful C14th frescoes.
Grande Rue is the main shopping area and lined with tall C16th stone houses. At the far end of the town is the C16th Lycee Gabriel Faureon which is still educating children today. Next to it is the college chapel.
Around it, is a network of narrow streets, some with tower houses.
This is an attractive, unspoilt village and repays exploring. For those with longer, it is possible to walk top the hillside above the town to visit the “Botanical Garden”:https://www.france-voyage.com/tourism/tournon-rhone-2092.htm with the wonderful name of garden D’Eden, set in the remains of an old convent.
This was Day 4 of Burgundy, the River Rhone and Provence, A river cruise with Riviera Travel.
My full account with all the pictures can be found here.
http://wasleys.org.uk/eleanor/otherholidays/rhone/index.html
