Louresse-Rochemenier the Troglodyte Village
24km from Saumur, the Troglodyte Village of Louresse-Rochemenier takes you back in time to discover an underground world. Children and grownups are plunged into the world of troglodyte galleries and the way of life in these underground villages.
Explore the mysterious, fascinating world of troglodytes in Val de Loire !
24km from Saumur, the Troglodyte Village of Louresse-Rochemenier takes you back in time to discover an underground world. Children and grownups are plunged into the world of troglodyte galleries and the way of life in these underground villages.
Troglodyte galleries are part of the historic and cultural heritage of Anjou. Resulting from quarrying tuffeau or falun stone, most of the traditional troglodyte villages are hollowed out in cliffs, whereas the one at Rochemenier consists of dwellings hollowed out on flat ground.
When visiting the Loire Valley, you will notice lots of troglodyte caves on the hillsides and plains around Saumur. Some troglodyte homes are still inhabited in Maine-et-Loire today. As you walk, cycle or drive around the region you will see a succession of galleries in the tuffeau cliff which overlooks the Loire between Montsoreau and Saumur. Troglodyte galleries are the home of many different activities including wine cellars, mushroom farms, artist studios and the zoo at Doué-la-Fontaine. A host of heritage attractions to discover for some strange experiences beneath the ground of Anjou !
Many enthusiasts have revived the troglodyte tradition, there is even a troglodyte gite – definitely a holiday home with a difference !
Louresse-Rochemenier a genuine troglodyte village !
Louresse-Rochemenier has a hectare of troglodyte dwellings to visit either alone or with a guide. There are around twenty rooms including two farmhouses dug out of the falun rock, with a display of tools, furniture, everyday objects and utensils which belonged to the countryfolk who once lived there. There is also a farmyard with animals and an underground chapel. You will be amazed to see how the living space is laid out in these strange subterranean dwellings.
As well as the traditional underground visit of the living spaces and everyday objects, modern digital, sound and visual technology installations are present so you can experience life on these farms as if you were really there.
Fine Anjou food
Just a stone’s throw from the entrance to the troglodyte village, is the pretty little church of Sainte-Madeleine-et-Saint-Jean built on top of the caves, plus troglodyte restaurants. There’s no better way to round of your underground experience than by tasting local specialities like fouées (or fouaces) and galipettes.
Cooked in a wood-fired oven, fouées or fouaces are small bread rolls filled with rillettes, mogettes (haricot beans), goats’ cheese and other local products. They also come in a sweet version for dessert, filled with fruit, jam or chocolate.
The other Anjou speciality, galipettes, are delicious large stuffed mushrooms. They get their name from the fact that if you let the mushrooms grow very big, the caps fall off and roll away like a somersault (galipette) !
A few metres from the troglodyte village of Rochemenier, stop off for a delicious break at the Délices de la Roche restaurant and tea room where Sabrina and Henri warmly welcome customers inside or outside on the landscaped terrace. Enjoy their inventive, home-made food based around local produce in this peaceful, historic, rural spot. There is also a shop selling products made by Henri and nearby producers : fruit jellies, biscuits, honey, wines, apple juice and so on...
Louresse-Rochemenier is 10 minutes from Doué-la-Fontaine, 25 minutes from Angers and Saumur. There is a free car park 100m from the museum entrance.
Discover Maine-et-Loire with Gites de France Anjou : Terra Botanica Angers , Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine, Angers, Saumur, La Mine Bleue"
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