Annie Sargent just got back from the Allier department, dead center of France, and almost nobody visits it. In this episode, she sits down with Elyse Rivin to talk about Vichy, Moulins and her trip. Annie shares what surprised her: a gorgeous Art Deco café, and a 19th-century mansion frozen in time for a hundred years and empty streets in Vichy in December. Elyse then digs into Vichy's real history, the Romans, hot springs, and a beautiful pottery called sigillée, long before it became famous for World War II. They also cover medieval villages, forests, and a local wine called Saint-Pourçain. Press play to discover a part of France you've probably never heard of. Subscribe to Join Us in France!

Table of Contents for this Episode




• Today on the podcast: Vichy's Story and the Best of the Allier Department
• Podcast supporters
• Welcome to Allier
• Why Allier Is Overlooked
• Vichy vs Moulins
• Moulins Culture Finds
• Guided Tour Frustrations
• Bourbonnais History Bits
• Maison Mantin Time Capsule
• Medieval Villages Stops
• Forests Valleys and Wine
• Winter Travel and EV Cold
• Settling and Getting Around
• Clermont Ferrand Detour
• Vichy WWII Shadow
• Beyond War Memories
• Romans And Hot Springs
• Sigillee Pottery Boom
• Medieval Lull And Renaming
• Sevigne Makes Vichy Chic
• Royal Spa Town Era
• Napoleons Build Modern Vichy
• World War One Hospitals
• Why Vichy In World War Two
• Liberation Without Destruction
• Postwar Identity And Industry
• Vichyssoise Not Vichyste
• Patron Thanks and Perks
• Free Patreon News Post
• Notre Dame Window Controversy
• Court Ruling and Petition
• Modern Stained Glass Favorites
• Spring Cleaning Update
• Newsletter and Credits
• Next Episode and Farewell
• Copyright More episodes about specific French departments

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