Autumn 2023

After your visit, hot foot it to the Comptoir des
Loges, the oldest restaurant in town. It has a
zinc counter and glistening bar which looks
like they’ve been lifted straight out of a Renoir
painting. Try ravioles du Dauphiné – a cheese
and parsley-filled pasta speciality loved by the
locals since the 15th century when the recipe
was introduced by Italian charcoal burners
working in the area.
Shoes fit for a queen
The museum showcases the history of
footwear, and the collection of 20,000 shoes
is astounding (though not all are on show),
ranging from ancient Egyptian and Roman
sandals to eye-wateringly high 49cm high
platformed shoes from medieval Venice,
Queen Catherine de Medici’s silk shoes,
legendary French footballer Kylian Mbappé’s
unique football boots and Laboutin’s delicate
glass slippers made for the release of the 2012
Disney Cinderella film, plus a regal pair of
sexy stilettos created for the Golden Jubilee
of British Queen Elizabeth II. Made by Patrick
Cox, a pair were sent to the Queen though
she never wore them as far as is known. The
collection is fascinating, surprisingly fun, and
even quite emotional seeing shoes of the type
your mum wore, or that you wore through the
decades that bring back memories, the Dr
Martens loved by punk rockers and rebels in
the 70’s, and shoes that make you think of
Princess Diana.
The collection charts the changes in fashion
and is full of fascinating facts. Details:
museedelachaussure.fr
Romans-sur-Isère has another claim to
fame – its where the first strike was held.
When shoe company owners upgraded their
factory and machinery, they cut the women
workers wages by 25% to help pay for the
cost. All of the workers went on strike - and
won. It gave the locals a reputation for being
strong willed that has lasted to this day. I can
tell you that they may well be that, but they
Bernard, the 'wizard of shoe making' at Cité de la chaussure
are also very friendly and welcoming and
have an ethos of solidarity.
This is totally reflected in the town’s other
must-visit – the Cité de la Chaussure. Alas
the shoe industry here followed the pattern of
the wool and silk industries; cheaper imports
bought an end to the shoe industry here.
But a local group aiming to create new jobs
and preserve the shoe heritage bought up
old machinery, trained artisan shoemakers
and now create shoes that are unique and
fabulous. Don’t leave without a visit to see the
shoes being made and the fabulous onsite
store where you can buy shoes, leather goods,
and the most gorgeous umbrellas.
Comptoir des Loges
Then walk off the calories at the gorgeous
gardens of Erik Boraja just 10km from Romans.
This Japanese and Mediterranean inspired
garden located between the Isère valley and
the Vercors massif is astonishingly beautiful
and a zen paradise.
Art of chocolate at Valrhona
Tain-L’Hermitage – wine
AND chocolate!
A short journey south will bring you to the town
of Tain-L’Hermitage, named, according to
legend, after a French knight called Gaspard
de Stérimberg, who on returning from the
Crusades in 1224, decided to live the life of
a hermit on a local hill. He built a chapel on
the site of a former Roman temple, which he
called the Hermitage. There is still a chapel
there, though it dates to the mid-1800s, and
you can visit it via a 30-minute walk/climb
from the town.
Well the good lord must have smiled down on
the town because the hills are covered with
luscious vines that make the most delicious
wines. And within stone throwing distance is
Erik Boraja jardin zen
the Cite du Chocolat Valrhona where you can
learn about the whole bean to bar process
– did you know that there are sommeliers of
chocolate? (I want that job). And even better
– you’ll enjoy a chocolate tasting. Just across
the road, follow this up with a wine tasting
at M. Chapoutier and visit their vineyards
on that legendary hill. Harvesting is done by
hand here and it’s easy to see why – you need
to be part mountain-goat to pick grapes on
those slopes!
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