Following Lamartine's footsteps

Follow the steps of the forerunner of Impressionism. Along the lecterns discover the landscapes, towns and life scenes that inspired the painter.

A family-friendly heritage trail starting from the town hall, punctuated by 14 markers, including 4 in the château gardens (accessible during opening hours). For each marker, you'll have to answer a question.Approximately 3km and 1h30. It's easy to get started. All you have to do is pick up a map (free, available from one of the region's 2 tourist offices (Pont-de-Beauvoisin or La Tour-du-Pin) and set off in search of the markers that point to remarkable sites (monuments, trees, paths, etc.). Two other routes are available in St Jean-d'Avelanne (on foot or mountain bike) or La Tour du Pin (urban).

Built in 1010. Military heritage and french gardens characterize this monument which offers visitors some beautiful rooms : you would particularly enjoy Louis XIII's room, the medieval kitchen, the XVIIe chapel and the peculiar dunjeon.Come and discover the Virieu's castle during a one hour visit with our team of tour guide. You will start your visit in front of an impressive entrace door with 2115 original nails, topped by its pediment, bearing the Virieu coat of arms. Then, you will be in the castle's court of honor, just in front of its dungeon. You can see at your right the cannons offered by Louis XIII in 1622, placed under the arcade gallery in brick of Italian style. A few steps and you will be in the peaceful atmosphere of Virieu's chapel. Inside of it, you will discover the Way of the Cross sculpted by Stéphanie de Virieu at the age of 80. With a few steps under the gallery, you can access to the ancient kitchen, which now used as a dining room. You will discover the monumental fireplace with its low arch and its XIIIth century fireback, a souvenir of the ancient Chartreuse de la Sylve Bénite. You will also be able to appreciate its furniture before entering the Great Hall full of history. The King's bedroom, impressive and majestic room, called like that because the King Louis XIII slept there in 1622, has kept its original aspect and part of its furniture. You will then reach the White Room, which should have been a chapel. The visit touch to its end near the dungeon, which is now a memorial place dedicated to the Resistance during German's occupation from 1940 to 1944.

A former outbuilding of the Sylve Bénite Carthusian Monastery, the Grange Dîmière dates from 1655. With its stone walls, monumental porch and remarkable structure, rising to a height of 18m, today it offers the perfect location for staging contemporary, ceramic sculpture exhibitions.OUTBUILDING WHICH HOUSES CONTEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS Located in Le Pin, near Lake Paladru, with its beach and restaurants, the Grange Dîmière is also a departure point for mountain biking; an ideal place to discover whilst walking on the PDIPR hiking routes...

Pupetières, burned down during the Revolution and rebuilt in 1861 by Eugène Viollet le Duc. This neo gothic castle is one of the masterpieces of architecture from the nineteenth century.The polychrome glazed tiles, the interiors, are the witnesses of what was the revival of decorative art at that time. Alphonse de Lamartine, Stéphanie de Virieu, Anna de Noailles, Johan Berthold Jongking found their inspiration in this romantic place.