After thirteen years of closure, the fairytale house of the naval officer, writer and member of the French Academy opened again on June 10. The opportunity to find the city in its footsteps.
Nothing appears outside there. It’s a low and white home like those in the center of Rochefort, A small peaceful city with 23,000 people in Arente-maarthm ; Port City, born of King’s dream, Louis XIV, who built it from scratch from his arsenal, more than 20 kilometers from the sea. Pierre Loti’s house is not the one we believe in, right next to him and who is “The opposite, with a very busy exterior, of Neonoisans,” He points out Claude Stephanie, a curator of the city museums, which leads us a few days before opening on June 10. Thirteen years, when she was closed to the public, five that she was under repair.
Nothing distinguishes him from another, in this center, where even the jasmines, the roses embark on a good order on the white walls of the cobblestone streets flooded with light. The exceptional is inside. You must enter to find the incredible universe that Pierre Loti, Born Julien Viad in Rochefort on January 14, 1850, a naval officer, a successful novelist from his first book, Aziyadé (1879), education to The French Academy against Emile Zola (1891) created in his parents’ house. After the door, the garden reveals the small pool that the restoration work has resurrected, as in its key story, The novel of a childS
« We wanted to restore the house as it was in 1923. At the death of Loti “Stresses Claude Stephanie, who caused the concrete to disappear, which mashes the architectural treasures with views of this narrow garden, classified as a historic monument in 1990, once planted with lush flora and populated by cats and turtles. Sominting by stabbing it, stabbing it by setting it, once planted with lush flora and populated by cats and turtles.
In the corner of the garden, it shines above the roofs, the dome and its golden croissant of the mosque, rediscovered nearly Loti. Next to the garden is the entrance to the Chinese room, created in 1902 and which is fully reconstructed.The Maison de Pierre Loti Mosque.
Pierre Loti House
Each piece reveals part of its “thousands of lives”; In original furniture and a selection of 10,000 sites that this intrusive collector has accumulated.« This is the Museum of Time,,, Slides Claude Stephanie. The part of the parts requires, visits are controlled in small groups of ten. From the room to the bees to the Japanese Pagoda, passing through the Renaissance room, the experience of this house of the famous house reveals the salt of a work belonging to the history of thought and celebrates the discovery. In his footsteps, we find this hometown, which was also his home port, where he tossed his memories and melancholy.
Visits
1. The Center of the City of Julien Viad
It is changing from the course of Demoiselles de Rochefor T whose statue of the throne places Colbert, fifty -seven years after Jacques Desi’s musical with Catherine Denev and Francoise Dorleac. In the footsteps of Pierre Lotti, the route offers a fairly 1.5 km walk in the center, which can be traveled in 30 minutes. But we can spend more time for this during an exciting visit with a Hebrew Museum teacher, which allows us to understand why Loti remains so attached to his city. Kevin Pearson is the scout, Thehe Child’s novelBy hand, stopping at each stage to read large extracts. So he led us first in front of the monument, raised to his glory (square trivial) in 1950. Lotti is there (we find that it was a small man just over 1.60 m), in the uniform of the naval officer, against the background of the bas -reliefs, causing two of his masterpieces, Fisherman Et Ma’am chrysanthemum S
At Pierre-Loti College (49, Rue Audry-de-Puyravault) he wakes up all the time. This is where Julien Viad did their hours As soon as his old parents admitted that it would be good that he often visits other young people his age; Therefore, at 12 years old. Renamed in his honor in 1924, the college presents his portrait at the entrance as an academic. The hub one day, of course, gives unexpected relief to its literature. A little further, our steps lead us to the Protestant Church of the Viaud family (17, Rue Jean-Jaurès) and whose young Julien wanted to be a pastor … He became an officer appointed to the De la Mariem Hotel where we were going because he wrote some of his work there. The Hèbre Museum shows its magnificent drawings and its restored boat cabin.
2. Old Naval Medicine School
Gustav Viad, the brother whose arbitrary sailing letters inspire Lotti, studied Navy Surgeon there. This is a unique place founded in 1722, the first and only school of naval medicine in the world. “An original and pragmatic pedagogy for training was invented here for more than two hundred and forty years, surgeons on board of warships ,,, Do we learn during a guide, which leads from the extraordinary wooden library to the exhibition of skin and skeletons of all ages.
3. Theater of the gold cup.
Sarah Bernhard came to play there and found her friend Pierre Loti there. The sequence is in the archives of this beautiful little Italian theater, which unfolds behind a street facade, decorated with pilasters and pedestals. “In 1888 the actress arrived in Rochefort to play in her room Adrienne Lecouvreur At Théâtre de la Cup d’Or and she visited her friend Pierre Loti in her old house, ” For lunch in the Gothic room. The affected scene of national interest, especially dynamic in its programming of young and contemporary, the theater of the glass of gold has a treasure: a ballroom with historical murals, but which is closed, terrible, in anticipation of a patron who will be ready to give him life.
To sleep
4. Mercury Roshfort La Cordy Royale
The only 4 -star hotel in the city, this beautiful restaurant extends into the old army army of the arsenal marine de Rochefort, at the end of Long Square on the grass of the Royal Coders, between the Arente and Kui Belot. It has 51 rooms, all on the first floor and in a unique setting. In each bedroom is Admiral Duperre on a wall. « He is the emblematic nature of the time born in La Rochel, who was appointed Admiral de France, Minister of Navy and Colonies. This reproduction was born of collaboration with the Marine Museum in Paris, ”,We explain to the hotel. Breakfast is generous, the table is correct, welcome pool, careful service.
5. The spirit of 8
Sandrine and Pascal Gravier are now devoting their entire lives to this magnificent 5 -bedroom house, which is a counterattack built around 1830 before being sub -formed. Bought in 2017 by this couple who is experiencing in exercise, this crazy address with crazy charm in their decor with chic and vintage design, with parking and swimming pool, offers a 4 -star comfort, playful in addition.
At the table!
6. Roseaux and jars
Fabienne Delerue is a gourmet eco -friendly. His cuisine, creative, local and respectful of the seasons, enjoys a restaurant of 40 covers, which we do not expect there, at a tourist site in front of the transparent bridge. In addition, it is the only mass in the corner that confuses more than one, but conquers anyone who loves to eat well, even serve in jars. It is original, simple and tasty, like this nougat goat and crunchy vegetables, this chicken with sweet spices, turnips, red pepper potatoes and this strawberry cheesecake.
7. The four seasons
To Loti’s home, this small large kitchen restaurant soothes, with its 7 tables, 4 menus and service in the evening. Patrick Bonud is in the kitchen, his wife is indoors. He is also a gerbier ofHermionethat he accompanied his last repair trip and whose photos decorate the walls of this charming place. On the plate: local and seasonal products like that evening, hot Oyso 3 Marennes Oléron White Butter with Confit algae (or cold) or this Gratin pork leg with fresh fried Fui cities.
Unusual
8. Lieutenant Belot’s pricing
Go to the cemetery. It is on the square, 4ItA division lying leasing of his inverted boat, as sometimes the roofs of churches, backed by four polar bears, bearings of an unusual pricef, built in 1862 in memory of Lieutenant Belot. His name is Kay in front of the Mercure Hotel. However, this researcher who left to find the passage from the Northwest to reach the Bering Strait to reach the sea disappeared under the icy flap.
Excursion
Saint-Porreha
This is the leading place of the intimacy of the youth of Pierre Loti, the Marie Bon House, his sister, a talented artist whose portraits are moving. Loti had his room there, here dissolved. The Lotti Pass stage in the Brint Valley next to La Roche Castle, they light their place in the family and his path as a writer.
Echillais
On the way to Vélodyssée and Flow Vélo, the Transbordeur Matrou Bridge replaced Bak, which Pierre Loti borrowed to go and spend his students in Echilla at Domaine de la Limoise. Lotti hated, covering the arrangement of this Gondova, hung above the mouth, this work of iron, cast iron and steel, modern with the Eiffel Tower.