Domaine de La Charmette : Visit Essoyes, Renoir fundation. Essoyes en Champagne near from Troyes and Auxerre.

The surroundings

Discover ESSOYES, RENOIR’s adopted village.

Essoyes, located in the south of Champagne and near the Burgundy border, offers its visitors a wide spectrum of excursions with something for everyone. Set amongst vineyards and forests, it is the ideal environment for relaxing and walking.
Every year, over a period of 20 years, Renoir and his family spent their holidays in the house that still belongs to the same family. The artist’s studio has been donated to an association and 2010 will see the opening of a museum dedicated to RENOIR and his sons, Pierre and Jean.
 
Explore TROYES, a medieval town with a rich, preserved heritage, always a real pleasure for tourists and history enthusiasts. Not forgetting of course the opportunity to shop for great bargains in the nearby factory outlets of well-known stores.
Not far from Essoyes, visit CHAOURCE, famous for its XII th and XVI th century church, harbouring an entombment of Christ sculpted in wood in 1515. Numerous museums are also open to the public, such as the cheese or doll museums and a cooperage.  
Moreover, some wine-producers open their properties to the public so that they may discover and taste their produce. Or savour a delicious mushroom fondue at Chaource, try snails cooked in different appetising ways and taste the famous “Chaource”, a soft cheese made from cow’s milk.
 
To the north of Essoyes, enjoy the freshness of the lakes in the “Parc Naturel de la Forêt d'Orient” (Oriental Forest Nature Reserve), where lovers of fauna and ornithology will not be disappointed.
Alternatively visit CHATILLON SUR SEINE, an old fortress town, and explore MUSSY SUR SEINE, where a rich medieval past and memories linked to the Resistance are united in the same museum.