Auvergne Visit 2013

I visited the Auvergne in France for the seventh time in June 2013. It is one of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the world, as well as being packed with chapels, shrines, statues and Romanesque basilicas. Natalie Leavy came with me and agreed that it is quite breath-taking.

The Auvergne is a region which is named after a chain of now inactive volcanic mountains in the Massif Central, the highland area of south central France. The original Auvergne, the mountain range, is only part of the Auvergne region as designated in the Napoleonic period. Also in the region are the Monts de Margeride, la Madeleine, Livradois and Forez, as well as the open hilly country of the Gevaudan, Dauphine, Bourbonnais, and Velay.

The capital of the Auvergne is Clermont-Ferrand, situated on the Allier plain close to one of the highest volcanoes of the chain, the Puy de Dome. The view of the Puy de Dome from Clermont cathedral features on the cover of my novel, Calling, because of an event in the book. The Allier flows through some awe-inspiring gorges in its higher sections, and chapels such as Chazes, Rochegud, St Ilpize and Estours (just off the Allier in its tributary, the Seuge) add to the amazing scenery.

I recommend a visit.

Notre Dame d'Estours, Auvergne, France