Lusignan

I'm writing this week's blog in the wrong order. I told you the other day about my trip to Coulon because I was so impressed with it that I was keen to blog about it straight away. But the day before that Rob and I took the train to Lusignan having awoken to another perfect blue sky.

Lusignan is a small town situated south-west of Poitiers, on the edge of the Vonne valley. Despite being a sleepy town today, Lusignan has enjoyed an eventful history. Named after the powerful Lusignan family in the 11th century, the town has in times gone by been home to Lords that were also kings of Jerusalem, Cyprus and Armenia. Lusignan is at the heart of the 'Melusine' region, an area associated with the Melusine fairy. The fairy is strongly recognized in the town, with a street named after her, several carvings of her on buildings, and even a restaurant bearing her name. Legend has it that the château of Lusignan was in fact built in the 10th century by the Melusine fairy for her husband.

Today all that remains of the château are the outlining fortifications. At the top of this are the old castle grounds, which have since been turned into a large open landscaped garden which are beautiful to walk through as well as giving impressive views over the valley and distant viaduct.

Apart from this there is the imposing 11th century Eglise Notre-Dame et Saint-Julien and the wooden market place. The town itself is also very pretty with its cute cobbled streets, attractive houses, and pictoresque views.

Had the bus and train connections allowed us to spend a couple more hours there, Rob and I would probably have taken a walk in the woods below the town, which we briefly had a look at.

We both really liked Lusignan, but I think if the weather hadn't been on our side we would have struggled to find things to do and we would have got a much different impression of the place. While I wouldn't rush back there, as I feel I've seen all there is to see, I'd recommend popping by if you are ever nearby.