DK Travel : Normandy

Normandy brings a dozen different images to mind: William the Conqueror, the D-Day landings, Mont-St-Michel; the bleak landscape of the Cotentin coast, the sparkling summertime playground of the Côte Fleurie; sumptuous châteaux, historic abbeys, famous gardens; the orchards of the Auge, the picture-postcard scenery of the Suisse Normande; Monet’s home at Giverny, the Cabourg immortalized by Proust – or perhaps it’s cider, calvados and camembert. Whatever your list, it will barely scratch the surface of this rich and rewarding region.

Pontorson

Pontorson is something of a gateway to Mont-St-Michel. Its 12th-century church is a fine example of Norman Romanesque.
Pork

Pale-fleshed Norman pork is highly prized, particularly porc de Bayeux .
Port Racine

En route to Cap de la Hague, France’s smallest port is tucked beneath the road. From here, follow signs to Jardins Prévert, an oasis at the head of a wild valley.
Poterie du Mesnil de Bavent, Ranville

Famous for its roof decorations and finials (épis de faitage ), this pottery also produces faïence animals, many of them life-size, as well as hand-decorated table-ware.
Pottery

With good-quality clay and a constant demand for jugs and mugs in which to serve cider and milk, there is a long tradition of pottery-making in Normandy. At the Musée de la Poterie in Ger (between Flers and Mortain), you can see how the craft has developed over 500 years, and watch a potter at work. In Noronla-Poterie near Bayeux, salt-glaze pottery has been made since the Middle Ages; several studios are still in operation. The painted earthenware of Forges-les-Eaux is on display in the Musée de Faïence there.
Poulet Vallée d’Auge

The key Norman ingredients, cider and cream, are combined to make this delicious chicken dish from the Pays d’Auge. Chicken pieces and mushrooms are sautéed in butter, then braised in a sauce of cider, Calvados and cream. Other classic Norman dishes served in a sauce of cider and cream are côtes de veau (veal cutlets) and filet de porc (pork fillet).
Pour les Vacances

This French website, where private owners advertise their homes for holiday rental, can be accessed in English. The emphasis is on quality, not quantity. The majority of the properties are handsome half-timbered Norman cottages or farmhouses.
Prieuré de St-Gabriel, Brécy

Set around a courtyard, the lovely honey-stone buildings of this former daughter house of the Abbey of Fécamp are now occupied by a horticultural school. They can be viewed from the outside only.
Putot-en-Auge

This sleepy Pays d’Auge village has little more than a church (with a fine Romanesque portal, and a cemetery for Allied soldiers), manor house and little brick-built mairie (town hall), but it somehow encapsulates the rural delights of the Auge region. Nearby Criqueville-en-Auge is also worth a visit for its enchanting manor house.
Querqueville

Beside the hilltop church, surrounded by a cemetery packed with ornate marble tombs, stands St-Germain, the oldest (10th century) chapel in western France.