Clisson and The Secrets of a Medieval Village Somewhere in France

The medieval bucolic dream and the gates of Hell

In Europe, there are numerous medieval villages spread across various countries. Some you may have heard of, while others you might never have imagined existed. I never thought one of these villages would become where my first grandchild would come into this world.

After visiting Nantes, we headed southeast on a thirty-minute train ride to Clisson. From the wide windows of the train, I see little towns in the French countryside, and I wondered what undiscovered surprises could be hiding there. Europe has thousands of years of civilization, and Europeans know that and protect their heritage like a baby. Tourism is Europe’s cash cow. But you’ll not find mass tourism in Clisson or around this out-of-the-way French peninsula of Bretagne.

When Americans visit Europe, they want to see the old Europe because that’s where the magic is. When arriving at the airport, they’re shocked by the modern world, but we want to forget that as soon as possible and immerse ourselves in the old world. It is nice to see buildings that are one thousand years old. We came here for that, and that’s what you get.

Clisson is the perfect fantasy Euro-medieval French village. It’s a cute, well-preserved…