Dominic Nelson, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Niort
Niort rises like an amphitheatre above the Sèvre Niortaise, still crossed by old medieval stone bridges. Dominating the town, the imposing Romanesque keep built under Henry II Plantagenet recalls its past as a strategic stronghold between the kingdom of France and the duchy of Aquitaine.
Old Niort, with steep lanes, half-timbered houses and 19th-century market halls, has kept a merchant character inherited from its former prosperity in the hemp and chamois-leather trades. Today the French capital of mutual insurance, the town is above all the gateway to the nearby Marais Poitevin, whose canals and traditional boats begin in the suburbs. The quays along the Sèvre offer fine walks beside façades reflected in the calm water.
