France Off the Beaten Path Tips by traveldave

The small village of La Charité-sur-Loire has remained relatively unspoiled throughout the centuries.

Centuries ago, large numbers of pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela in Spain crossed the Loire River here. The townspeople provided free room and board to the travelers, and their charity provided the town with a name.

There is not a lot to see or do in La Charité-sur-Loire, although the Church of Notre-Dame is worth visiting.

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A beautiful town situated in the hills of Provence, Grasse is the center of the French perfume industry.

In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the rise of the big perfume companies in Paris led the Grassois to abandon their traditional industry of tanning sheep hides for the distillation of raw materials into concentrated fragrances for perfume making. This was a logical step, as the climate and fields around Grasse were good for growing lavender and other fragrant flowers.

Nowadays, factory tours of parfumeries (perfume factories) show visitors how perfume is made. The main parfumeries in Grasse include Galimard, Molinard, and Fragonard.

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The mountainous area near the Swiss border was a stronghold of the French Resistance during the Second World War. The guerrilla tactics used by the Resistance fighters hampered the German occupation of the area, and helped to turn the tide of the war in France.

A monument dedicated to the memory of those who fought for France has been carved out of the rock in the mountains. The words inscribed on the monument, "OÙ JE MEURS RENAÎT LA PATRIE" loosely translate to "Where I die is reborn the homeland."

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