The area is a true mixture of colours, savours and landscapes.  Through the vineyards, the forests, and valleys, to the liking of the rivers and ponds, the area offers a broad choice of open air activities.
It’s also a ground of tradition where the history preserve a place of choice.

Following the water
Throughout the Dronne the small villages shelter castles, abbeys, churches and museums, as in Chalais with the castle of the Talleyrand-Périgord, the St martial church classified monument historic and the cloisters of the Xlll century.  With Brantôme one of the favourite to the  English visitors, picturesque shops, with bars and restaurants also on the edge of the Dronne.

A little further
Cognac lends itself to the tasting of « liquor of the gods » and to discovered its wine storehouses.  Capital of the comic strip, Angoulême, from the top of its powerful ramparts, offers to you a splendid signt on the surrounding countryside.  To stimulate your papillac, return to St Emilion and Bordeaux for their remarkable viticultural products.  The town of Périgueux with its norrow streets, its stones of haute couture, chocolate and its local speciality the foie gras, is nearl most famous prehistoric sites.

Inheritance
A Simple glance on the town of Aubeterre is enough to apprehend the richness of its architectural heritage.  The village preserved of its past of multiples vestiges witch makes  the place of interest most remarkable of the Charente.

Aubeterre, old fortified town
At the top of the village the tower of the castle still exists.  Attacked in turn by The English at the XVe century and the Huguerots during the war of religion, the castle did not resist to the one of its last owners who transformed it into stone quarries.  This building accompdated Henrey IV, Louis Xlll, Anne d’Autriche, Louis XlV, there remains today a square tower from the XlV century and one wing of the commun runs in a very good state of conservation.

27meters long, 16 meters wide and 20 meters high
They are the exceptional dimensions of the monolith St Jean Church, one of the largest religious building in Europe. Monolith, means of only one block of stone, that it is dug out of the same cliff, and more exactly in the bank of the hill under the castle. The building did not deliver all its secrecies yet. The origin seems to go up with the Vl century but it would have taken its current form with the Xll century. This rupestral church contains single vestiges:
- a gallery suspended with 15 meters in height.
- a monument of romance style, mausoleum or reliquaire, released of the rock mass.
- a baptismal tank which raises many questions.
- an enigmatic crypt discovered hardly 50 years ago.
- and a necropole sheltering 80 sarcophag, cut in lime stone.
To bore the mysteries of this monument, of the visits with accompanying notes are proposed by the office of Tourism.

On the road to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle
Another jewel from the sacred art, the church Saint Jacques and its remarkable romance frontage of the Xllth century inspired of eastern art, overhangs the village.  The frontage is more than 18 meters that is decorated finely of carved arcades and curves. The hispano-mourish of this religious building recalls us that the pelerins on the road towards the Compostelle would came to rest there.
Other building testify to the enthusiasm of those witch raised them : The vault, the cloister and the undergrounds of the old “couvent des Minimes”, the “convent des Clarisses”, its terraces and its gardens and that of “Cordeliers” nature and leisures in open air.

Nature and leisures in open air ... falling in love with nature
The valley of the Dronne is an invitation to discover the natural richnesses of a preserved environment. The green landscape is favourable with a strol. Many circuits are proposed to discover the countryside by shortcuts.

By foot, by bicycle, by horse
Pedestrian excursions, tracks VTT, routes for horses, brings you to the heart of the shaded paths, while the quiet course of the Dronne invites to go for pretty excursions with canoe kayak.

Nautical activities
In the summer you will be able to benefit from the beautiful white sand beach, bordered with trees for the bathes to swim in the river, ideal for the children.  The impassioned for fishing will not be in remainder, you will be able to even profit from a chart of “fishing holidays” to benefit fully of the Dronne and of its affluents.

To combine sport and discover
With the wire to mark out paths, you will discover varied landscapes, green valleys, small valleys, underwood, ponds and a rich fauna and flora.  On the traces of the medieval and gallo-romains ways on thoses of the pelerins walking towards the Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, the hikers discovers the local history, churches and castles, fountains, furnaces and old fashion washing facilities, farms and mills which are marked out through out the walk. 

To consume without moderation
The soft and sunny climate of the South Charente is appropriate particularly for the fruits of the ground: tomatoes, red fruits. In the summer, the Pineau is tasted and accompanied by a juicy and scented melon. Baptised “liquor of the gods” by Victor Hugo, the Cognac is the guest of choice of our aperitif (to be consumed with moderation!).  In autumn, it’s the time for gathering in the woods to collect mushrooms “cepes”, snails “cagouilles”, chestnuts, hazelnuts and walnuts, to fill your baskets and plates.

Craft industry
All to known from the local crafts and art
By traversing the lanes of Aubeterre, you will stop in front of workshops of the craftsmen of art.  The charm of this village allured within this frame work that they draw their inspiration.  Creators, glass blowers, painters, ceramists, potters, craftsmen of wood or leather, open their doors to their workshops.  In the close streets, the antique dealers and second hand dealers invite you in. 

The rich collections
The Puppet Museum has a collection of approximately six hundred puppets, old and contemporary from a number of different countries. And the Museum also puts on shows, where the public can assist which can be seen in French and English.

Pour une visite en français, cliquez ici.