All rights © L’Olivier Neffiès 2023

Home Availability About L'Olivier Neffiès Rates Contact Us

Culture

It is with some trepidation that we even included this page because there is just so much of cultural interest in the area. This is inevitably just a taster of things mostly less than an hour, and certainly no more than an hour and a quarter, away by car:

Museums

In Pézenas there is the Molière Scènovision, A toy museum, and a museum of doors, yes doors.

In Sete is the wonderful Musée Paul Valery with an excellent permanent collection of local painting and a, usually ravishing, Summer exhibition every year. For a relatively small town Sete is very well endowed with museums; as well as the Musée Paul Valery there are the Espace George Brassens dedicated to the famous chanteur, the Centre Régional d'Art Contemporain, and the Musée Marine

Agde houses the Musée de l'Ephèbe which is dedicated to underwater archaeology and has some fascinating finds including fine bronzes

Montpellier is the regional cultural hub has the nationally celebrated Musée Fabre with its extensive collections of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts. The Pavilion Populaire mounts excellent photographic exhibitions and the Musée Fernand Michel is an much praised contemporary art gallery. There are a further eleven museums catering to many specialities.

Lodève is home to the Musée Lodève recently undergoing renovation but whose Summer exhibitions are normally well worth visiting and very well curated. Check their web-site before visiting

Narbonne and Béziers too have interesting museums and,  and, and………. Come and discover.

Music and Theatre

Pézenas has the slightly alternative L'illustre théâtre de Pézenas which mounts performing arts of all genres as well as the plush Théâtre de Pézenas housed in a deconsecrated church given over to victorian velour. Of the two the Illustre is usually more rewarding. The  Eglise Collegiale Saint-Jean hosts annual choral master class sessions in late Summer and offers free or very cheap concerts. There is often sublime music there. Check Pézenas tourism website (in links).

Montpellier, as you would expect is home to excellent Music, Opera and theatre. The Opera Orchestre National Montpellier is a grand extravagant full flown opera house and its orchestra is highly regarded. The Corum is a totally modern auditorium and houses the Opera Berlioz. There are many smaller venues. Look on the Montpellier tourism web-site. (in links). Close by is the serene abbey of Maguelone which hosts an early music festival of some repute every June.

Very close to home is the Petit Théâtre de Pierres is in the middle of the tiny commune of Fuzillon which has a very eclectic programme of music throughout the year.

The village of Tourbes runs its own jazz festival, Tourbes ‘O Jazz each Summer which is well worth catching if you can. The food, pre-book, is excellent and there are usually local wine makers on hand to furnish liquid refreshment very reasonably.

Sites of Interest - a small selection

Pézenas - the old town centre, Hotels Particuliers, ghetto, full of galleries etc

Aigues Mortes - medieval walled city full of character, near Montpellier

La Grande Motte - One of the Grands Projets of the 1960s, a complete planned leisure community on a huge scale, architectural walking tours in Summer. On coast near Montpellier

Abbaie de Maguelone - Austere and beautiful church on coast near Montpellier

Abbaie de Valmagne - Majestic abbey, now deconsecrated, or rather re-consecrated to wine making, near Montagnac

Villa Loupian - Roman Villa excavation with extensive mosaics and lovely staff near Meze. Great insight into Roman Languedoc

Chateau de Cassan - Our largest local chateau, some interesting restored rooms, kitchen etc and a wonderful chapel.

Cathedral at Béziers - Dominant and imposing site high up and looking down on the Orb, great views

Neuf Ecluses - Unesco world heritage collection of staircase locks sweeping the Canal du Midi  into Béziers.

Ensérune - west of Béziers, fascinating remains of a Roman town, museum on site and adjacent the now dry Lake Montady

Montpellier - The whole of the old town centre

This is just a taster but hopefully you can see that as well as some stunning scenery, and idyllic rural villages, we also have much to keep the culture-vulture busy. We are happy to make further suggestions and have also produced a local pictorial guide book which is available to guests

Vineyards and Vignerons

Over the last twenty years the Languedoc has emerged from the shadow of cheap plonk and the wine lake to become the foremost area in France for finding Bio and artisan winemakers creating wines of exceptional quality and value. We can offer many suggestions to guests for tasting and discovery amongst the regions 5000 vingnerons.