Saturday 30 December 2023

Piero della Francesca Frescoes in Arezzo

We visited Arezzo for the day in June while we were in Tuscany and loved it. It's on our list to go back to because the Vasari house was closed and there are other things we didn't see. What we did see though were the Piero della Francesca frescoes depicting the Legend of the True Cross in the Basilica of San Francesco (now a museum).

Piero della Francesca (c1412 - 1492) came from a fairly wealthy family and was trained as a mathematician before becoming an artist. Because of his interest in mathematical concepts such as perspective he pioneered a new style of fresco, with images depicting depth and naturalistic light effects. His characters are lifelike, not stiff, formulaic and stylised. 

His subject matter in San Francesco is a story cycle, arranged in panels around the altar. It was commissioned by the Bacci family. It tells the story of how the True Cross came into being, from Adam's time, through Solomon and up to Helena, the mother of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine.

 

The small panel to the left shows the Emperor Constantine asleep in bed, guarded by servants. He dreams that an angel visits and tells him he will be victorious over his rival Maxentius. The next day, the dream comes true, as revealed in the long panel on the right, as Constantine watches Maxentius flee across a river (and ultimately drowns).The lighting in the night time scene is a technical triumph, delivered in a way that had never been done before. The source of the light is the angel's torch. No one had thought to depict light this way before and it wasn't until Caravaggio 150 years later that the technique was used again. Light is used in a new way in the other panel too, with the armour of Constantine and his companions glinting in the sun.

Detail of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, Arezzo, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


At the top, in the semi-circle, the death of Adam. It is his request that his son Seth asks the Archangel Michael for a cure that begins the whole story. Seth comes back with a branch from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the Garden of Eden. But he is too late and his father has died, so he places the branch on Adam's grave, whereupon it grows into another Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and will ultimately be made into the True Cross.

The small panel on the left shows the wood from the tree being buried on the orders of Solomon. The men represent lust (not wearing hose and one of his testicles is escaping from his loincloth), wrath (clenched teeth), and gluttony (well dressed, wearing a crown of vine leaves).

The central scene shows the Queen of Sheba encountering the sacred wood on her journey to visit Solomon. He had cut the tree to use in the Temple, but it was not suitable, and was then used as a bridge. The scene on the right is Solomon receiving the Queen of Sheba, when she tells him of the prophecy of what the wood will ultimately be used for.

Detail of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, Arezzo, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Centre left Helena (in black), mother of the Emperor Constantine, unearths three crosses near Jerusalem, one of which is the True Cross. She identifies which one by placing them over a dead body. The True Cross is revealed because a young man is resurrected. On the right, a Jew who knows the whereabouts of the True Cross is being tortured so he reveals the location to Helena.

Detail of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, Arezzo, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


In the semi-circle the True Cross is being worshipped after it has been successfully recovered from the Persians, who stole it. Below that you have the crosses being dug up by Helena's team.

Detail of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, Arezzo, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The Christian Emperor Heraclius defeating the Persian pagan Kosroes. The fresco depicts a great melee of men, horses and weapons. In the foreground Kosroes is about to be beheaded.

Detail of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, Arezzo, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The Bacci chapel.

Bacci chapel of the Legend of the True Cross by Piero della Francesca, Arezzo, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Friday 29 December 2023

Walking From Preuilly sur Claise

Simon and I popped out for a quick walk (5 kilometers, one hour) on Christmas Eve because it was a beautiful day.

Claise river and lavoir, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Mistletoe in poplar trees, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Mobylette and trailer, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Preuilly sur Claise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Old mill, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Thursday 28 December 2023

Unblogged 2023 1_ Grenoble Gondolas

Because circumstances have conspired to keep us inside I thought I might look to see what we have done this year but not really written about.

In June we were in Grenoble for a night on our way to Italy. These days it isn't the most obvious route to Italy, but we were wanting to see the mountains rather than just driving under them and staying in Grenoble made it a relaxed two day trip rather than a one day blast.

We arrived in Grenoble after visiting Brezé: slightly later than we expected because the car's navigation had decided that autoroutes were to be avoided. Once we had checked into our hotel (Première Class - cheap but clean) we asked reception about restaurants. The young man on the desk suggested we go in to town, a good idea because I wanted to ride the gondola to the top of the hill.

We arrived at the gondola a couple of hours before closing time and bought our 9€ tickets. The gondola consists of two sets of 5 bubbles, each bubble carrying 6 people. It's excellent, taking you from near the centre of Grenoble to the Bastille fort 700 metres away and 266 metres above the city on the other side of the river.


There was a party on at the restaurant at the top of the hill - a very noisy party - so we didn't spend much time there. You get a spectacular view of the city and the mountains that surround it. Behind you are the Chartreuse Mountains, and in front of you the Alps.

 

We thoroughly recommend the gondola in Grenoble - even at its busiest (sunset) it's really efficient, and so much easier than walking up the 25% slopes


Wednesday 27 December 2023

Mistletoe

Mistletoe is gui in French, pronounced 'gee'. Be careful not to lengthen the vowels so they sound like the word has two syllables 'ge-e'. It is short and sharp, and the g is hard, like in good.

European Mistletoe Viscum album, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

It is a hemiparasitic plant which does not have roots, but fixes itself to a host tree and proceeds to divert some of the tree's sap to itself. It only takes water and mineral salts from the tree, and has its own chlorophyll so it can also photosynthesise to obtain nutrients. That means it does not attack the tree at a cellular level and does not decay wood. However, it can stress the tree in times of drought sufficiently to cause the tree not thrive.

European Mistletoe Viscum album, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Mistletoe on plantation poplars.

The berries appear in the winter, and several species of bird, such as thrushes, blue tits, blackcaps and nuthatches eat them happily and are responsible for disseminating the undigested seeds. One in every ten thousand will produce a new plant. The berries are however toxic to humans.

Eucalyptus bridgesiana with mistletoe, Canberra, Australia. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Eucalyptus bridgesiana with an Australian native mistletoe, in Canberra.

In the past harvested by Druids, it is a plant, along with holly, that is associated in Europe with decorations for Christmas and New Year celebrations.

Mistletoe on an oak tree, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Mistletoe on an oak tree.

Mistletoe is most commonly found on apples and poplars, very rarely on elms and oaks, and never on beech and plane trees. 

Mistletoe on trees, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Because mistletoe remains green throughout the winter, when the host tree loses its leaves and looks dead, it was associated in Celtic cultures with immortality. It was considered a sacred plant, believed to chase away bad spirits and cleanse souls, as well as cure bodies and neutralise poisons. The most sought after was mistletoe that grew on oak, because it was rare, and because whilst mistletoe was associated with the moon, oak was associated with the power of the sun.

Sticky mistletoe seeds, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.
Sticky mistletoe seeds, deposited by a bird.

In northern Europe, France included, there is a long tradition of hanging mistletoe from the ceiling or above the front door. At midnight at Christmas and/or New Year, people take a berry and kiss, symbolising prosperity and long life.

European Mistletoe Viscum album, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

In France it was sometimes hung above the entrances to cabarets, and in a few places it was associated with ceremonies involving the rich giving gifts to the poor at New Year.

European Mistletoe Viscum album, Indre, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

These days there is some interest in European mistletoe Viscum album (Fr. gui blanc) as a possible source of medications for cardiovascular disease, a diuretic or as a treatment to reduce tumours (benign or otherwise) and warts.

Tuesday 26 December 2023

So Much for a White Christmas

It's been warm here of late. Not only warm though, it's been warm, quite dry (the last couple of days) and sunny. Yesterday (Christmas Day) the minimum was 9°C (7° above average) and the maximum was 11°C (2°above average).


On Christmas Eve we went for a walk, and it didn't occur to either of us that we would need a coat. It wasn't a long walk nor particularly difficult, but by the time we got home we were both glowing.


Monday 25 December 2023

Merry Christmas

 

Christmas decoration, Bossay sur Claise, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Merry Christmas!

Peace and Love in Abundance,

for the rest,

just enough.

Saturday 23 December 2023

Visiting the Uffizi Gallery

In June we spent a week in a villa near Florence, so a visit to the Uffizi was obligatory, of course. I hired Paolo Russo https://www.florenceprivateguide.com/ as our guide and he was terrific. We opted for the two and a half hour highlights tour, and I let him know that I would be interested to see anything that had a connection to the Valois kings of France. He customised our tour extremely well and we had a great time. We had very much wanted to experience the Vasari Corridor too, but it has been closed for restoration for some years and there is still no real indication of when it will reopen. Nevertheless it was such a privilege to see all these superb works of art, many of which I was familiar with from books and documentaries, and we felt very lucky to have Paolo as our guide.

 Roman sculpture of a Molossian hound, a type of flock protection dog or heavy hunting hound.

Roman sculpture of a Molossian hound, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Detail of an angel from the Virgin and Child Enthroned surrounded by angels (aka the Rucellai Madonna) by Duccio di Buoninsegna from Siena, commissioned 1285 by a group dedicated to worshipping the Virgin in a nearby Florentine church. Paolo pointed out the disembodied fingers gripping the base of the throne. Tempera on wood, with lots of gold. The artist was probably a colleague of Cimabue. The painting is Byzantine in tradition, but with elements of Gothic naturalism in the draping and shading. In the 16th century the Rucellai family owned the painting.

Detail from the Rucellai Madonna, Uffizi Gallery, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Annunciation with Saint Margaret and Saint Ansanus by the Sienese artist Simone Martini, thought to be a pupil of Duccio, who ended his days in Avignon in 1344. We were vastly amused by the Madonna's facial expression. She is clearly thinking 'Seriously!? What a load of nonsense. And in any case, frankly, I had other plans...' Paolo pointed out that artists depicting the Annunciation had a choice of three emotions that they could show Mary exhibiting -- surprise, doubt, and humble acceptance, all demonstrated by how her hands were portrayed. In this painting she is somewhere between doubt and acceptance, despite the expression on her face -- the hands show the real message. Tempera on wood with a gold background.

Annunciation with Saint Margaret and Saint Ansanus, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Spring (Primavera) by Sandro Botticelli, easily in the top ten of 'must sees' in the Uffizi. Tempera grassa on poplar wood, c1480. The meaning of this painting has never been fully deciphered, but Paolo pointed out that it is full of political allegory, referring to a regime change. It is remarkable for the 138 species of wild flowers in the grass, all identifiable by botanists. It was owned by a member of the Medici family, and the oranges may represent the golden balls which where the Medici emblem. The whole Spring setting no doubt refers to 'rebirth' and Mercury, on the left, is pushing away a dark cloud with his staff.

Spring by Botticelli, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci, oil on wood, c1472. In this case the Madonna is expressing surprise, with her raised hand, rather than as in the Martini painting above, with the hand nervously clutching the clothing at her breast. I'm amused that in both cases she is determinedly keeping a finger marking her place in the book she's been interrupted reading. The setting is naturalistic and may be a real place. Paolo believes he has seen the place, once, on a chance visit to a monastery not normally open to the public.

Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The imprint on a staircase ceiling of a window blasted inwards in a terrorist attack in 1993. The Sicilian Mafia packed a Fiat full of explosives and blew it up in the street outside the Uffizi after the boss of the Corleonesi clan was arrested. The Nencioni family, including a baby, were killed, along with an architecture student, and forty-eight people injured. Three paintings were badly damaged, the Pulci Tower was destroyed, and the library of the Accademia dei Georgofili, an agronomy institute, was damaged.

Impact mark made by window after terrorist attack, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Cosimo I de Medici, Duke of Florence, in armour, by Agnolo Bronzino, 1545, oil on wood. Bronzino was Duke Cosimo's court portraitist for most of his career and excelled at giving his subjects a sort of cold assurance, much admired at the time. The Uffizi has a small corridor gallery dedicated to his work, and I'm a big fan. Cosimo was born the same year as his cousin Catherine (who would go on to become Queen of France), but he came from a different branch of the family. Nevertheless, he found himself Duke of Florence at the age of 17, and later, Grand Duke of Tuscany. He did not grow up in Florence, but on the Medici's ancestral lands. However, he proved himself an astute and capable Duke right from the start. It is Cosimo who is responsible for the building of the Uffizi (which means 'offices', and was the administrative hub of Florence). He married Eleanor of Toledo and they formed a formidible and faithful couple at the head of Florence for more than 20 years until she died from malaria.

Portrait of Cosimo I de Medici in armour by Bronzino, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


This painting by Giorgio Vasari highlights the importance of drawing and design. A goddess hands a piece of paper with a drawing on it to a craftsman. He is then able to make her commission because of the drawing. The message is that you can make anything, so long as there are people skilled enough to draw the concept first. Vasari was instrumental in setting up the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno ("Academy of the Arts of Drawing").

Allegory on the importance of design by Giorgio Vasari, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


On the right, a portrait of Bia de Medici, the illegitimate daughter of Cosimo I de Medici and an unknown Florentine noblewoman, by Bronzino, oil on panel, sometime between 1542 and 1545. The child, born before he married, was raised in the household of Cosimo, his wife Eleanor and his mother (Bia's grandmother) Maria Salviati. It's clear that everyone was very fond of her, but she died at the age of five in 1542. The boy on the left is Francesco, one of Cosimo and Eleanor's sons, also by Bronzino, from c1551.

Bia de Medici by Bronzino, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Federico Ubaldo della Rovere as a swaddled baby born in 1605, by Alessandro Vitali. Federico was a member of the Medici family and became the Duke of Urbino at the age of 16. He was probably poisoned by his families enemies and died at 18 years old.

Portrait of Federico della Rovere as a baby, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Like the version in Loches of the Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio, this painting in the Uffizi is considered to be a copy. There are several versions of this painting, two of which have been signed by Caravaggio -- one in Potsdam on display at Sansouci and one in private hands known as the Trieste version. Research published last year on the Trieste version has shown that it appears to be the original, full of pentimento, and possibly commissioned as part of a Counter-Reformation trio (The Taking of Christ and the Supper at Emmaus being the other two) by the Mattei family. Curiously though, there is evidence showing that this is the painting that Philippe de Bethune bought from the artist and owned in the early 17th century. It was confiscated from the Chateau de Selles sur Cher during the Revolution then makes its way somehow to the collection of the Tsar of Russia, but kept at the Russian Embassy in Rome. Once again Revolution dictates its fate and it was sold at auction to a banker in Trieste in 1918. It was sold again in 2019 and remains in a private collection. Where that leaves the Loches version I don't know, except that it does confirm the official opinion that it is a copy, albeit contemporary with the original, and possibly even from the Caravaggio 'factory' (ahem...I mean workshop) itself.

Doubting Thomas by Caravaggio, Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Thursday 21 December 2023

Sad News From Tours

Yesterday the local newspaper revealed that Papy, the emu that lives in the botanical gardens in Tours, has died at the age of 43 years.

 

Papy, photographed by me a few years ago.

Papy, an emu, in the Botanical Gardens of Tours, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

He arrived at the gardens in February 1982 and came from the Parc Floral de la Ville d'Orléans.

Papy was the oldest of the hundred or so animals that live in the Botanical Gardens of Tours. In the wild emus only live 10 - 20 years.

Wednesday 20 December 2023

Visiting a Herbalist

Our friend Summer, the Loire Valley Concierge [link], was very keen to introduce us to Juliette Mallet, who has created La Cabane à Plantes [link] at Sennevières, near Loches. Summer had taken clients there earlier in the year and totally fallen in love with the place. Juliette was hosting a Christmas market with some local artists, paysan/nes* and artisans, so that seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet up at the beautiful Tourangelle farm that Juliette works from.

Summer being let into the drying shed by a small child who is a friend of the family and was enthusiastically if erratically giving us a guided tour. The child was wearing a dinosaur parka and announced proudly that they were an archaeologist. When quizzed about what they had found in their digs it seemed that a horse shoe was the star find.

Herb drying shed, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Inside the drying shed, paper bags full of dried herbs.

Herb drying shed, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Chillies being dried in the shed.

Chillies drying, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Juliette's workshop.

Herbalist's workshop, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Inside Juliette's workshop.

Herbalist's workshop, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The back lawn and garden behind the farm house.

Back lawn of a farm house, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


A rustic addition to a barn.

Farm building, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The back of the farm house.

Back of a farm house, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


A local seed producer, based at Saint Flovier.

Seed producer, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


Farm outbuildings. The low building and pens on the right would have been for pigs I assume.

Farm outbuildings, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.


The main farm house and one of the big old barns. The farm buildings are arranged in a U shape and there is a pond behind me. It's a very traditional and practical layout.

Farm house and barn, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

*paysan/ne translates literally as 'peasant', but it is not a perjorative term. Being a paysan/ne is an honorable profession, someone who knows intimately and cares for the land they farm.

Tuesday 19 December 2023

Walking From Le Grand Pressigny

On Thursday 7 December I joined Joel and Denise, Dominique, Martine and Danielle, Tilly and Helene for a 10.5 kilometre walk from Le Grand Pressigny. We went out via Courvaulx, up to the Chateau de Vienne, through fields and forest, then back along the voie verte (greenway) from Etableau. It took us two and a half hours with photo stops.

 

This parcel was pasture a few decades ago.  It is slowly regenerating into forest.

Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

Trooping Funnel mushrooms Clitocybe geotropa (Fr. Tête-de-moine) doing their thing through a hedge.

Trooping Funnel Mushroom Clitocybe geotropa, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

Dominique and Joel raiding a holly tree with berries for Christmas decorations.

Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

One of the male ferns Dryopteris sp.

Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

Salmon Coral fungus Ramaria formosa (Fr. Clavaire jolie) is an uncommon species found in European beech forests. You can also see blue staining in the log from another fungus, Chlorociboria aeruginescens.

Ramaria formosa, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

A wicker basket weaver's workshop.

Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

Monday 18 December 2023

Marrons Glaces

These artisanal candied chestnuts from Provence available in my local supermarket work out at €1.52 each. There are 10 in a box. Definitely just an occasional Christmas treat.

Marrons glaces in the supermarket, Vienne, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

Glacé chestnuts (Fr. marrons glacés) are one of the culinary extravagances of Christmas time, and beloved by French people. They are more or less impossible to make at home, and quite expensive to buy. Their texture is very distinctive and they are rarely eaten outside of the winter holiday period.

 

If I buy them it will be in this cheaper version, which is pieces of candied chestnut, not whole ones.

Pieces of marrons glaces in the supermarket, Vienne, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

 

Saturday 16 December 2023

What the Lavender Fields of Provence Really Look Like

When he was planning our holiday to the south of France earlier this year Simon asked me if I wanted to see the famous lavender fields in Provence. It would mean a detour of a couple of hours but we would be there at the perfect time of year (late June) and I said 'yes please!'.

 

Lavandin.

Lavandin crop, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

They are beautiful, but Simon found all the cars crawling along narrow country roads as the occupants oohed and aahhed at the view very annoying. And he found the sight of tourists parked up on the side of the road and merrily cavorting (ahem...trespassing...) amongst the rows of lavender to take photos intolerable. 

 

Lavandin in the valley.

Lavandin crop, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

So I don't have any Instagram worthy photos of the lavender. I have a lot of photos taken from a slow moving vehicle. It would have been nice to stop and visit one of the farms, because they do a lot more than just lavender, but Simon wasn't in the mood. It doesn't help that he hates the smell of lavender anyway.


Looking down in to the valley from the plateau. You can see fields of lavandin down below.

Near Valensole, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

We didn't bother looking for the stone cabin or the 'heart-shaped' tree in the middle of the lavender fields. No point. Why take a photo that has been plagiarised hundreds of times? And in any case, crop rotation means that these fields quite likely don't have lavender in this year. 

 

Curry plant.

Curry plant field, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

The area we drove through was the Valensole plateau, regarded as the very best place to see fields of lavender. As well as lavender you may also see almond trees, bee hives, rosemary, clary sage, thyme, everlasting, saffron and olive trees. There could also be a few goats, and crops of soft wheat, chick peas and lentils. The farms here are remarkably diversified. Lavender isn't necessarily the main crop on each farm either. Terraroma, for example, is the largest almond producer in France, with 20 000 trees producing top quality nuts which are much prized by confectioners (Fr. confiseurs). The sweet almonds are grafted onto bitter almond stock, and some of the trees are 200 years old.

 

Curry plant.

Curry plant field, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

The plateau of Valensole is about 600 metres above sea level. The lavender flowering season is short -- mid-June to mid-July.

 

Tourists by a lavender field.

Lavender field, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

There are many species and varieties of lavender, the best known being Lavendula angustifolia. This lavender is a perennial plant, that grows at altitudes of between 500 and 1500 meters; it can be ingested, is widely used in perfumery and has medicinal properties (healing, disinfectant, soothing, etc.).

 

Clary sage.

Clary Sage, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

But not all of the lavender crop is L. angustifolia. Some of it is Lavandin, which is Lavendula x intermedia, a hybrid of L. angustifolia and L. latifolia with a stronger, slightly camphorated fragrance that produces more essential oil per kilo of flowers. It can be grown at lower altitudes and is often found in the valleys. 

Organic almond orchard.

Almond orchard, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

In English, L. angustifolia is known as English Lavender and is native to cool upland areas of the Mediterranean. L. latifolia is known as Portuguese Lavender and is native to hot lowland western Mediterranean habitats. In French L. angustifolia is known as "lavande", "vrai lavande" or "lavande fine". The hybrid is called "lavandin".

 

Lavender field on the plateau.

Lavender field, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

As well, three species of Everlasting (Fr. Immortelle), Helichrysum sp or curry plant are grown for their oil which is used as an antibacterial. Two of the species, including H. stoechas, grow wild and are native to Provence, the other is native to Corsica. A hectare of flowers harvested will produce between 3 and 12 kilograms of essential oil, depending on the season. Once harvested it is distilled in small batches immediately. The plants are cultivated in the same way as the lavender.

 

Tourists blythely trespassing in a lavender field, with a sign asking them not to pick the flowers.

Lavender field, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

The other aromatic plant we saw being cultivated is Clary Sage Salvia sclarea (Fr. Sauge sclarée), once again native to the Mediterranean and its essential oil long used medicinally as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial and anti-oxydant. It is also used in culinary preparations, in alcoholic drinks such as vermouths, and most importantly, luxury perfumes. Like the other plant essential oils it is made by distilling the steam from flowers and leaves. 

 

Organic lavender fields.

Lavender field, Valensole plateau, Alpes de Haute Provence, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

It is the third most commonly cultivated fragrance plant after lavender and lavandin in France, virtually all of it on the Valensole plateau. It needs calcareous soils that do not retain water and heat up quickly. It is never the main crop, but used as an important alternative crop as part of a farm's rotation. It is harvested at about the same time as the lavender. It is pollinated by carpenter bees Xylocopa species, unlike the lavender and lavandin, which are more attractive to honey bees Apis mellifera. Unlike in France, where production concentrates on the essential oil which is almost exclusively for luxury perfumes, in other parts of the world Clary Sage is cultivated primarily to extract sclareol and used to perfume detergents and soaps.

Many producers are organic, which means that many fields are not neat rows of bushes divided by rough ploughed bare earth. The organic fields, or those managed for maximum biodiversity, are full of 'weeds' (opportunistic wild plants). The 'weeds' help protect against random grazers, drought and erosion. A bare row loses the fine sand in the soil, which is the most fertile component. I wouldn't be surprised if the decision not to precision manicure the fields is at least partly taken in the hopes of discouraging the some of the Instagrammers too.

Climate change is becoming a challenge on the Valensole plateau, with colder, wetter springs impacting particularly on bee hives. More bees are surviving the milder winters, only to starve in the spring because of lack of nectar. 

Friday 15 December 2023

Vignoble de Touraine-Noble-Joué

We had to go to Chambray-les-Tours a couple of weeks ago for an appointment at the Pôle Santé Léonard de Vinci. When I checked on OrganicMaps for the best access, I noticed Vignoble Municipal Noble Joué. Municipal??

 

Map showing location of Noble Joué municipal vineyard, Indre et Loire, France.


Touraine-Noble-Joué Wine is a pale rosé wine, sometimes referred to as vin gris due to its silvery reflections, and is often drunk as an aperitif.

The roots of Touraine-Noble-Joué wine trace back to the Middle Ages, and it's reputed to have been a favorite of Louis XI. Its reputation waxed and waned, flourishing in the 18th century before facing challenges from the phylloxera epidemic in the 19th century. By the start of the 20th century it was regaining popularity, earning prestigious awards at the Universal Exhibition of 1900, but urbanisation meant that the vineyards gradually disappeared.

In 1975 a group of winemakers replanted vines, supported by the municipality of Joué-les-Tours. AOC status, which was originally applied for in 1939, was granted in 2001. The municipality maintains a vineyard, an idea so novel to us we had to investigate.

 

Noble Joué municipal vineyard, Indre et Loire, France. Photo by Loire Valley Time Travel.

The vines are grown in clay-limestone soils at altitudes varying from 85m to 95m, in Chambray-lès-Tours, Esvres-sur Indre, Joué-lès-Tours, Larçay, and Saint-Avertin. Covering 28 hectares between the Cher and Loire rivers, Touraine-Noble-Joué relies predominantly on Pinot Meunier grapes, complemented by Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir varieties. About 210,000 bottles of wine are produced annually, by five producers.