Loire Atlantique

Straddling the Loire estuary, the Loire-Atlantique département (county) is part of the Massif armoricain. The county's logo, blue for the sea and green for the countryside, perfectly symbolises the characteristics of this area.

Blue represents a maritime culture - Nantes rose to prosperity thanks to triangular trade (between Europe, West Africa and the West Indies), and Saint-Nazaire is now France's biggest shipbuilding port.

Green is for nature - woods and pastures, beaches, forests and vineyards all blend into one another, an ecosystem with a great variety of flora and fauna.

You can't leave this great historic area without touring the Guérande ramparts, admiring Nante's architectural legacy and Clisson's elegant, Italian-inspired buildings, or lounging on La Baule's fine sandy beaches.

Corbilo, a river port on the Loire estuary known as Portus Namnetus, became an important commercial and administrative town during the Roman occupation. The town was invaded by the Saxons in 285, the Franks in 500 and the Normans in 843. In 937, Alain Barbe-Torte drove away the Normans and founded the duchy of Brittany.

In 1154 Duke Conan IV abandoned Nantes to Henry Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, who had just been crowned king of England. The king of France, Charles VIII defeated the Bretons and married Anne of Brittany in 1491. Brittany was then incorporated into the kingdom of France by the treaty of 1532. In 1700, Nantes became the biggest trading port in the kingdom and began to thrive.

20th century: The department is now one of the most industrialized in France. The city boasts a dynamic industrial and educational infrastructure, thanks to the Nantes-Saint-Nazaire shipyards, a strong aeronautics industry and Nantes university.

In the Loire-Atlantique or Western-Loire region, there are two major activities: handicrafts and cooking!

The faïenceries (tin-glazed earthenware factory) in Pornic has been maintaining a tradition that is over three centuries old! Indeed, it is one of the last places in France to produce hand-painted goods. Once upon a time we all owned a mug with our name on it…

Nantes has a reputation for gastronomy, but it is also the birthplace of the famed LU biscuits which appeared in the late 19th century. Named after Mr Lefèvre and Miss Utile, the LU and the BN (or Biscuits Nantais) biscuits are two of the landmark brands of Nantes culture.

As a coastal region, it is obvious that seafood and shellfish remain one of the most important local specialties. If you prefer fresh water fish, then you can enjoy some choice specimens seared in light butter with some of the delicious vegetables grown near the riverside and don't forget to try some curé nantais, a characteristic local cheese variety.

For dessert, the gateau nantais, or Nantes cake, (a mix of sugar, almonds, butter and island rum) is definitely on the menu, or, alternatively, some LU biscuits will do the trick.

To keep you warm during the meal, savour a fine local muscatel.