Situated in the Creuse to the south of La Châtre is the quaint market town of Boussac. It has a medieval château and a regular Thursday market, with fairs held every first and third Thursday of the month. George Sand once lived here and one of her novels was set in the 12th century castle.

Châteaumeillant

The roman town of Mediolanum and a prospering wine growing area. The town, which has a Friday market, boasts a reknowned archaeological museum, which houses all the roman finds from local excavations including more than 200 amphorae. Mediolanum was a 44 acre gallic town fortified and protected by an earthen bank.

In the Boischaut Sud the Châteaumeillant wine region extends into the Cher and Indre. It was in roman times an important cross roads the Gallo roman wine trade. St Gregory of Tours mentions the vineyards in 582AD. It is particularly well known for its vin gris made from the pressing of Gamay grapes just after they are picked. Awarded AOVDQS status in 1965, Châteaumeillant produces red and rosé wines from Gamay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris grapes. There are plenty of opportunities for wine tasting in local vineyards.

Châteauroux

Principle town of the Indre, Châteauroux in on the main railway line from Paris (2 hours) and has regular bus routes to La Châtre, Sainte Severe and Montlucon. It is a hive of activity in the summer with cultural and artistic events. It has a good shopping centre with boutiques and restaurants.

La Châtre

The delightful market town of La Châtre was once a Roman camp or ‘ceastra’ from which it gets its name, there are one or two vestiges such as the roman bridge that crosses the river Indre. There are also numerous wonderful medieval buildings in the centre, which leads to the market place where the Saturday market with dozens of stalls is a definite must to visit. La Châtre also has five supermarkets (2 with petrol stations), several boulangeries, patisseries, charcuteries plus many traditional family owned shops that offer a full range of goods and services. There are many restaurants, bars, a cinema with occasional English films, fabulous swimming pool facility, and the George Sand Museum.

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Culan

The town of Culan is dominated by the impressive château (12^th – 15^th century) open to the public for guided tours. The tour includes the gardens and a falconry display. There is a restaurant on site. During the summer months there are night-time candlelight evenings and special events.

Gueret

Situated in the Creuse, Gueret is a thriving town with all the usual facilities. It is also home to Rodin’s famous bronze statue ‘The Kiss’ displayed in the Museum of Art and Archaeology, along with a good selection of paintings from the impressionists.

Montlucon

In the south in the department of the Allier, is Montlucon. Again with all the shops and restaurants associated with a town of its size it also has a beautiful medieval quarter.

Sarzay

In the little village of Sarzay is the magnificent ancient feudal castle dating from the 14^th and 15^th centuries. Open to the public, you can climb its high towers and see how people may lived several hundred years ago. It was the setting for George Sand’s novel Le Meunier d’Angibault. Sarzay is remarkable in that it was in ruins a few years ago, and was rescued and painstakingly restored by the efforts of one man and his family. It is one of the most visited buildings in France.

St Chartier

The small village of St Chartier is host to an International Music Festival every year in July (www.saintchartier.com). It is held in the grounds of the château and performers and visitors from all over the world visit annually. St Chartier is featured in George Sand’s novel about the Maître Sonneurs. If you want to come especially for this event it is vital to book early as this festival is extremely popular and accommodation runs out very quickly. 2003 sees artists from England, France, Crete, Bulgaria, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Mexico, Sweden, Sardinia amongst others from the 11^th to 14^th July.

Ste Sévère-sur-Indre

This charming small town on the river Indre has barely changed since Jacques Tati filmed his delightful film Jour de Fête here in 1947.

However, Ste Sévère, has a much longer history. It has a beautiful medieval halle in the market square dating from the 17^th century. A 15^th century gateway opposite leading to the 18^th century château. There is an excellent boulangerie, two family run small supermarkets, pharmacy, garages, bars, restaurant, and many more. A new museum and tourist office centered around Jacques Tati is due to be opened in 2003.

Ste Sévère-sur-Indre photo gallery

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