Normandy

Normandy is one of the biggest region of France located in the north between the Bretagne and the Somme. It is a peaceful country surrounded by fields and meadow. It is divided in two parts: Upper and Lower Normandy. The two regions are really different from the landscape to the English Channel seacoast and architecture.

Upper Normandy: The Upper Normandy is famous for the 120 km of chalk white cliffs between Dieppe and the world famous city of Etretat. No other place of the French shoreline looks like the breathtaking seascape of the Alabaster Coast. In the 19^th, the particularity of the landscapes and the ever-changing light has attracted many writers and painters, especially the Impressionists. Above the cliffs you can look at the rare sea birds located on the plateau of the Pays de Caux. If you go inland, you will find the capital of the Upper Normandy called Rouen. The gothic façade of the impressive Cathedral Notre Dame was the subject of a series of paintings done by Monet, nowadays exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The Castle’s tower is also famous as Joan of Arc was brought there to be tortured in 1431. An astronomical clock made in the 16th century characterizes the main pedestrian street called Rue du Gros Horloge. Each four years, the city welcome the largest sailing ships from all over the world during the “Armada”. Millions of visitors come tovisit the quays of the river “La Seine” to enjoy both s

hips and entertainments.

Lower Normandy: The famous island of the Mont St Michel part of the UNESCO World heritage site, impressive for the speed of its tides, is part of the Lower Normandy. Long beaches of sand and great equinox tides characterize the seascape chosen during the Second World War by the Allies troops to land on the 6th of June 1944. The immense AmericanCemetery of Omaha Beach or even the blockhouses along the seacoast are ones of the many preserved traces of the event. The capital of the Lower Normandy is called Caen. As the city of William the Conqueror for the anecdote buried in the city, Caen is full of history and complex monuments.

I would recommend visiting the both part of Normandy. In the same region you will discover two different culture, history and landscapes for a memorable and emotional holiday.