Gourmet Village of Vonnas

Welcome to your route to Vonnas, the first Village Gourmand of France. You'll start by crossing the River Saône and then drive through five small towns characteristic of the Ain department. One of the highlights of the tour will be the charming mediaeval centre of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne. Once you reach your destination, Vonnas, you'll discover its gastronomic history and admire its award-winning floral displays.

You're about to drive over the Belleville-sur-Saône Bridge, which crosses the River Saône and marks the border between the Rhône and the Ain departments. King Charles X gave permission to build a bridge between Belleville-sur-Saône and Guéreins in 1829 to connect the two departments. A suspension bridge was inaugurated in 1832, replacing the ferry that was used until then to cross the river. Considered dangerous, the structure was replaced in 1904 with a bridge similar to the current one. However, it was that bridge that eventually fell, due to a thunderstorm, and had to be built again. Discussions on its structure continue to this day, but its importance for connecting the two areas of the region is undisputed.

You're now entering Montceaux, the first of several villages you'll be driving through today. In a moment, to your left, you'll spot the church of Saint-Jacques and Saint-Philippe. While it preserved its Romanesque style, the building was modified and restored in the 16th century. As well as an interesting clock mechanism, the church is home to ‘La Pentecôte’, an oil on canvas listed on the French Supplementary Inventory of Historical Monuments.

At the end of the large lawn on your right you can spot the Château de la Bâtie, with its reddish colour typical of the Savoyard bricks of the Dombes region that were used to build it. Originally built in the 13th century by the Beaujeu family, this medieval castle underwent several changes across the centuries and since 2006 has been registered on the official Historical Monuments list. In the early years, it was a proper fortress with three enclosures, nineteen towers and an armed garrison. However, in the 18th century its owners transformed the château into a private residence. It's still a private home and the current owners organise tours of the property.

Right ahead of you, you're about to cross the commune of Chaneins, which sits in what was once the heart of the old primary forest of the Dombes. During Roman times, this small town was part of an important route on the north-south commercial and military axis created by Emperor Claudius in the 60s AD that continued all the way to Italy. From the 11th century, the Château de Chaillouvres, at the edge of the village, became the residence of the governing family in the area. Several families succeeded the Chaillouvres over the centuries but the castle remained the lifeblood of Chaneins.

While the villages you're crossing on this route might be small in size, they're all very rich in history. You're now driving through Baneins, which went from being a seigneury, to a viscounty and finally a county under Louis XIII. The name of the village comes from Raoul de Baneins, the knight who was the owner of its castle in the 13th century. Just some of the vestiges of the fortress remain nowadays and attest to its medieval origins. The church of Saint-Martin also belongs to the same time, with the first document referencing it dating back to 1152.

You're about to discover the medieval centre of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne, the heart of the region and also known as "Little Venice”, being considered one of the most beautiful detours in France. All around you can spot the half-timbered houses with their typical pinkish colour. Highlights of the town include the ramparts of the old castle, the wooden market halls from the 15th century and the gorgeous flowers adorning the bridges, which won the town the national prize in the flower cityscape competition.

As you come closer to the wooden market hall at the end of this road, look for a moment to your left and you'll see a small building on the square with the sign ‘Miniature Train Museum of Châtillon-sur-Chalaronne’. Created by Patrick Crolle in the 1980s as a passion project, this model railway exhibition is open to the public and in 200 square metres includes 1 km of tracks, 35 train sets, 400 wagons and 8,000 characters.

You can’t reach Vonnas before first learning about its most famous character, Georges Blanc, and his family. The internationally renowned chef and restaurateur is the owner of Vonnas’s Michelin three-star restaurant and hotel that bears his name, and is the creator of what's known as the first “Village Gourmand” of France. Around the main square, where the restaurant takes centre stage, an entire gourmet “village” of five hectares has been created, with a bakery, café, boutique, wine shop and additional hotels and restaurants. His great-grandparents were the first to launch a family business in the same square in 1872, making lemonade. Since then, the business has evolved into a restaurant, and Georges' grandmother Élisa, known as la mère Blanc (mother Blanc), was awarded the first Michelin star. Their recipes focus on regional ingredients and traditional dishes such as the famous Bresse chicken.

You have one more village on your route to Vonnas. You're about to enter Sulignat, a small, rural community whose inhabitants, called Sulignatis or Sulignacois, enjoy meeting in the beautiful wooden hall on your left and organising events, including the French Fries festival, which has been taking place every July for the past 40 years and in 2008 involved 1,600 kg of French Fries.

You're now reaching the end of your route to Vonnas. More than just a gastronomic destination, the town has won several prizes for the variety of its flowers and plants, including the prestigious “Four Flowers” award in the ‘Competition of Cities and Villages in Bloom’. It displays 30,000 plants of 500 different species that make an incredible frame to the colourful houses and reflect on the water of the small streams crossing the village.

The parking on your right is free at all times. Before walking towards the main area of the Georges Blanc Village that you drove through on your arrival, next to the car park you can see the church of Saint Martin, which was built after the original 12th-century church of the town, Centre Saint Martin, became too small to host the local parishioners. The small, open-air museum near the Georges Blanc Restaurant is a good spot to learn more about the history of Vonnas and the Blanc family.
You have now reached the destination of this route. It is great that I was able to accompany you here. I hope you enjoyed the tour and wish you a pleasant stay and safe onward journey.