The best traffic-free bike rides around Rioux

In the heart of the singles of the forest of St Leger

beautiful passages along the Charente with pretty monuments and small waterfront cafés in Port d’Envaux and Saintes.

Courcoury is a natural island surrounded by the Charente and Seugne rivers, giving it a unique landscape setting between marshes and waterways, conducive to biodiversity and outdoor activities. It is also the only village in Charente-Maritime to have been awarded 4 stars by the "Villes et villages étoilés" label, recognizing its efforts to reduce light pollution through intelligent and environmentally friendly public lighting.

The Gallo-Roman amphitheater of Sainte, also called the Arena of Saintes, is an elliptical monument built between 40 and 50 AD, probably during the reigns of Tiberius and Claudius. It measures approximately 126 meters by 102 meters and could accommodate between 12,000 and 15,000 spectators, making it one of the largest and oldest amphitheaters in Gaul. Located in a natural valley called the "Arènes valley," it takes advantage of the topography to limit construction work, with stands backing onto the hill. The site has two monumental gates, the "Gate of the Living" to the east and the "Gate of the Dead" to the west, and has been the subject of a major restoration project since 2021 to preserve this exceptional heritage. Accessible on foot from the city center, it offers an immersion in Roman history with an educational trail and activities for families

Parish church dedicated to Saint Lawrence, built in the 12th century. It opens with a semicircular doorway with three archivolts resting on sculpted capitals that have lost their columns. The doorway was narrowed by two jambs and an archivolt with prismatic moldings from the 15th or 16th century. The corners of the facade are each buttressed by a group of three large engaged columns, surmounted from the first entablature by five smaller columns bearing capitals decorated with vegetal motifs. Above the first entablature is a row of seven ogival openings, the columns of which have disappeared. A pediment with two ramps from the 17th century. Its facade is very interesting. A deep and vast portal with four arches occupies the entire ground floor. The archivolts are decorated with geometric motifs. On the first floor, a beautiful Romanesque arcading unfolds its seven arches supported by slender columns. A blunt gable pierced by a semicircular window and crossed by a cornice supported by modifications completes it. The square bell tower is placed along the north wall. It is adorned, between the first and second entablatures, on the west and north faces, with three arcading. Above the second entablature, it takes an octagonal shape supported by a sloped section. Amputated of its upper part, it has retained from the 12th century only its base, its square first floor with false semicircular windows, and its staircase tower is also square. The octagonal second floor, with its pointed roof, was rebuilt in the 17th century. The nave has three bays separated by strong half-engaged columns, but only the left wall survives from the original building. It is pierced by three undecorated Romanesque splayed windows; the semicircular vault is made of lightweight materials. A few Romanesque arches frame the false square, which, through a wide bay on the left, connects to the base of the bell tower. This space, covered by an octagonal dome on squinches, forms a porch. The apse with a straight wall, vaulted like the preceding bay and the nave, is lit by three modern bare windows. To the left, a slightly broken bay opens onto a rectangular chapel that follows the porch located under the bell tower. This chapel, also with a flat chevet, is lit by an axial window, unsculpted on the interior but beautifully decorated on the exterior. The church of Saint-Simon de Pellouaille suffered severe attacks during the Wars of Religion, attacks attested by traces of fire still visible at the base of the bell tower. In the 16th century, it lost its south wall, its apse, and the crown of its bell tower. In the nave, one can see a well-made painting and a curious stone font. Near the south wall, eight ancient burials were discovered at the beginning of the present century. The church was listed as a Historic Monument on September 19, 1923.

Very nice wood 🚴‍♂️🏰🤙

There are pretty singles in this forest

The Saint-Pierre Cathedral is located in the heart of the old town on the left bank of the Charente. According to tradition, the founding of this episcopal see goes back to Saint Eutrope. The construction of the first Christian building on the site of the current cathedral could not be dated with any precision. It probably dates back to the 6th century.