The smallest of France’s old provinces, the Pays
d’Aunis is a land of plains and marshes
stretching from the abbey of Maillezais in the north
to Saujon in the south, and from Surgères to the
sea. In fact, until the Middle Ages, the sea came as
far as Niort, and the Marais Poitevin, nicknamed the
Green Venice, is the result of years of painstaking
labour, recuperating plots of land with a system of
dams and canals.
Ruined abbey of Maillezais
The production of sea salt, and the ultra-fine fleur
de sel, was entwined in much of the region’s
history, until the cheaper mineral salt appeared in
the 19th century.
Take the smaller roads and you will come across
some enchanting towns and villages. The
picturesque Surgères, with a manor-house and a
16th-century château, is famous for its butter.
Aigrefeuille-d’Aunis is well worth a visit too, and
Esnandes, at the edge of the Poitevin marshes.
Esnandes, Charron and Marsilly are also wellknown
for their mussels – the Bouchot mussel is
particularly prized.
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