Picardy Culture Heritage and Tradition

• Picardy and its 3 departments Aisne, Oise and Somme, accounts for a various cultural heritage including : the nature and its assest (forests, coasts)the gastronomy and its specialities, the population and its past.
• Picardy region consists of a history lesson, kept alive thanks to many and marvellous castles,popular with film makers.
• Picardy also includes many beautiful examples of gothic art and architecture including six cathedrals in Senlis,soissons, Noyon, Amiens, Laon and Beauvais
• Picardy is also rich of museums with their varied collections of archaeology, art, popular traditions, writers and war history.

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		Picardy Gastronomy
Drink		The traditional drink of the region is the cider, especially the pear cider from Bray. Picardy is also famous for Champagne with its 2 000 ha of vineyards in Aisne. (Pinot Meunier) Other alcohol are drunk in Picarde countrysides, including the "grénette" (oak leaf), the "flipe" (sugar, apple and honey)and the "hydromel" (honey).
Food		Picardy offers a large variety of regional gastronomic specialities. As starter: duck pâté from Amiens As main dish: ficelle picarde (pancakes), Flamiches (leek tart), pork rinds,lamb from the salt marshes, tart au Maroilles (cheese tart), potatoes, bean of Soissons, rissoles (fish or meat paté), mustard, caghuse (pork and onions) or shellfish from the Somme Bay, including cockles, prawns, soles and eels. As desserts: Maroilles(cheese from the Thiérache), Chantilly cream, gateau battu(brioche),macaroons,Confiture de lait.
		Picardy Leisure and Festivals
Leisure		Picardy accounts for games invented in ancient times an still practised today: such as Longue Paume, Javelin and Ballon au Poing Picardy has also been the home of many writers as varied as Paul Claudel, Chateaubriand, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Jules Verne, Victor Hugo, Marcel Proust, La Fontaine, Alexandre Dumas and Colette, inspired by Picardy lanscapes.
Festival Celebrations		Traditional festivals keep alive traditions which are of importance in the picard way of life. Picardy celebrate history, costumes, local products, music and fireworks through number of festivals throughout the region. Picardy is also the favorite region for cinema and has been used as decor in more than 250 films.
Language		The regional language of picardy is the "Picard" dialect. Some expressions, words and proverbs are still used by the old rural generations. The region is particularly known for is strong French accent, which accounts for one of the Picardy identity feature.
		Places of interest in Picardy
Fortifications		Picardy, one of the oldest provinces of France, accounts for number of splendids castles including : "Pierrefonds": built in 14th century as cinema decor today,"Compiegne": royal residence as national museum today," Vic sur Aisne": from 18th century and classified as historical monument, " Péronne":feodal fortress, "Condé-en-Brie" or "Troissereux" from the Renaissance.
Religious monuments		Picardy also hosts splendid religious monuments including:Gothic cathedrals of Amiens, Soissons,Senlis, Noyon, Laon and Saint Quentin, Abbeys of Longpont, Chaalis, Valloire,St-Germer-de-Fly or Saint-Riquier and many churches like Poix-de-Picardie.
“Beautiful Villages”		Picardy accounts for many picturesque villages including those awarded as " Most beautiful villages of France" such as Gerberoy in the Oise, Samara in the Somme and Parfondeval in Aisne.
Museums		Numerous museums in Picardie cover a large range of interests including: "Jean de La Fontaine" museum in his old house, "Picarvie" museum about typical picard life in 19th century or "Historial de la Grande Guerre" about Somme battles in 1916. Other sites regarding metal, textile and clothing handcraft have to be seen: "Manufacture Royale de la Tapisserie" in Beauvais, "fabriques de velours" in Amiens "fabriques de broderie" in Saint-Quentin "fonderie" in Fresnoy-le-Grand,and "poterie et verrerie" in Blangy-sur-Bresle.
Champagne Routes		The touristic round along the vineyards start from Chateau-Thierry to Romeny-sur-Marne and allow Champagne tasting.
Historical Routes		The road of "Lys de France et de la Rose de Picardie" accounts for famous castles, manors and abbayes trough the departments of Oise, Somme, across valleys, forests and countrysides,to the picarde coast.

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