Villerest

A few kilometres to the South of Roanne there is a lovely little village to be visited. Medieval in origin, it has kept a number of corbelled or partly timbered houses. The remains of the ramparts which surrounded it in times past can mark the beginning of a walking visit. A self-guided visit is very well indicated, each stage is illustrated by very precise explanatory boards and, in summer, the old shops are occupied by arts and crafts.
In one of the Old Forez houses, the Time and Fire Museum (musée de l’Heure et du Feu) retraces the history of the creation and conservation of fire since Antiquity. The presentation is succinct and somewhat rapid but it has the advantage of making a simple, straightforward synthesis of all historic knowledge on this theme.
A few kilometres from the village you will find the Villerest dam. Intended to control the floods of the Loire, the dam is a huge construction more than 450 metres long at its crest. Around the artificial lake a whole series of leisure activities have been developed and there are lots of footpaths. A nautical base, a golf course, boat trips, this spot, initially intended for industry has become a tourist centre.

Information:
Tourist Office: tel: 04 70 31 35 99