Snuggled into countryside north of Paris is another of ”the most beautiful villages of France”(Les Plus Beaux Villages de France) at Gerberoy (60 Oise, Hauts de France). In June every year (2 June 2024) the village holds a rose festival (Fete des Roses)
There is a definite hint of Picardy and Normandy in Gerberoy whose houses are half-timbered or brick and flint and form a charming mix that attracted the post-impressionist painter Henri le Sidaner. The village owes some of its charms to him : the wonderful Italian gardens and the Rose Festival which has been organised every year since 1928 with unfailing popularity.
Sited on a small hilltop amidst rolling farmland countryside this is a small, quiet village of some charm, and devoid of the usual tourist trappings and the “too quaint” aspects of may such places. It is a strange mix of Normandy and Picardie, somewhat frozen in time. It is small enough to walk around the ramparts (well signposted) and to explore the unusual church with its box pews and slate roof.At the rear of the church are the Jardins Henri le Sidaner, which are charming and impressive – but only recommended for the sure-footed. Le Sidaner was an impressionist painter, friend of Monet and Rodin and the gardens were an inspiration for some of his paintings.
For more info on Gerberoy
The village is situated in the middle of a triangle between Beauvais, Rouen and Amiens about 50 miles north of Paris.
Nearby(15 minutes) in Achy there is a pleasant B&B Le Jardin de Marie-Jeanne, a guesthouse surrounded by a flowered garden of 2.500 m² with a pond.
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