The birthplace of Gothic architecture in France with no less than six cathedrals, Picardy is still predominately rural with deep river valleys, forests of mature beech and oak, peaceful lakes and sandy beaches providing plenty of contrast. France itself was born in this northern province located between the Marne and the Somme rivers, for it was here that the Franks β ancestors of the French β first settled.
Picardy tends to be a region that most people travel through, and this was the invaders' route. Evidence is visible in the 17th-century defensive citadels designed by Vauban at the end of a long period of conquests by English kings and Burgundian dukes. From a more recent age, acres of immaculately tended war graves are a sobering reminder of two Great Wars.
Elsewhere, almost every village between Arras and Amiens has its memorial. The region also has some of the best golf courses in France. A combination of flat and gently rolling terrain and possessing a quintessentially French atmosphere, Picardy is said to be the crossroads of France due to its proximity to Belgium in the east and Paris in the southwest. A picturesque region, it has a feeling of immense space and boasts some of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. The best-known part of Picardy is the Somme, an area synonymous with one of the most devastating battles of the First World War.
Many trenches and cemeteries remain as both a reminder and a warning of the desolation that conflict brings. Also in the Somme is Amiens, a lively city that lays claim to the largest, and arguably the most impressive, Gothic cathedral in France, as well as Le Crotoy with its fine, sandy beach β the only south-facing one in northern France.
History enthusiasts will love Picardy, exploring the Great War sites and admiring the architecture in between walking or cycling through lush green countryside.
