Located between Paris and Calais, the region of Picardy (Picardie) is an excellent choice for holidaymakers who want to see the real France without having to travel too far. In fact, because the region is so close to the capital, cottages in Picardy make an excellent base for day trips to Paris.
In the first half of the 20th century Northern France became a stage for two global conflicts - WW1 and WW2. It is impossible to overplay the importance of the region’s recent history, yet there is much more to Picardy than memories of conflict. Cottages near the capital of Amiens benefit from access to this hub of culture and modern living. Properties around the city can be said to typify cottages in Picardy. The town is known for its cultural quarter, quartier de St-Leu, where La Lune des Pirate concert hall and Chés Cabotans local language puppet theatre offer uniquely Picardian shows. Cottages around Picardy’s capital also benefit from being located between major European destinations without being directly connected to them. In other words, Amiens has the advantages of a well connected city, without the disadvantages of busy commuter routes.
While staying at a cottage in Picardy do not be surprised to hear the locals talking in a strange variant of the French language. Like many regions of France, Picardy has its own minority language – Picard. Part of the Oïl language group Picard has coexisted with French in much the same way as Welsh and English have in the UK.
The food of Picardy is rural French fare with an idiosyncratic twist. The region’s trademark dishes include the medieval Amiens duck paté and Flamiche aux Poireaux - a rich leek tart. Without a doubt the most famous of Picardy’s gastronomical exports is Chantilly cream which is rumoured to have been invented by a maître d' who was such a perfectionist that he committed suicide rather than serve a second class banquet.
Arguably the région’s most famous son is Jules Verne, author of A Journey to the Centre of the Earth, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days. Although he was born in Nantes, in Pays de la Loire, Verne spent much of his life in Amiens. His grave can be found in the Madeleine Cemetery where it is marked by the distinctive statue of a man breaking free from a tomb to reach for the sky. All in all this makes a cottage in Picardy the perfect place to relax with a book.
There are three département to choose from when selecting cottages in Picardy, each of which has their own character and charms. Oise, being so close to Paris, is more metropolitan, while Somme in the north is more rural and distinctly Picard. Cottages in Picardy’s third Département, Aisne, combine the best of both with excellent opportunities to nip across the border to Belgium.