Sansais-La Garette et son village-rue

This commune, located on the edge of the Gulf of Pictons, is composed of 2 large villages: Sansais perched on the hillside and La Garette on the edge of marshes. The future King Henry IV visited the latter in 1576 and later said of the Marais that … Among these deserts are a thousand gardens where one only goes by boat… La Garette is typical of the traditional market garden habitat providing direct access to water for each house. A major cargo transit port between Bas-Poitou (north) and Saintonge (south) until the middle of the 19th century, this village-street was completely restored in 1995 as part of Operation Grand Site. It became a major stage of discovery of the Green Venice. A wooden footbridge on stilts connects it to the one of Coulon.

To see: St Vincent church in Sansais, Maison du Cheval, lock-dam of Chail, educational route on flora and fauna market gardens...