GREAT DESTINATIONS ❘ LA VENDÉE B
eautiful sandy beaches and levels of sunshine more closely associated with France’s Mediterranean seaboard than its western shoreline have put La Vendée firmly on the map as a destination for sun seekers from all
over Europe. Yet there is far more to this Atlantic coast département than just an escape to the sun. The seaside resort and active fishing port of Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie, for example, is not just a town with two thriving industries, but also a town of, effectively, two towns. Saint-Gilles-sur-Vie and Croix-de-Vie were two separate entities on either side of the Vie river until 1967. The two parts of the municipality are linked by a bridge across the estuary, and a shared love of seafood…
From October to March, a fleet of 42 vessels crewed by 100 fishermen brings home hauls of mackerel and other fish to the town’s thriving port. When restaurants in the town offer the catch of the day, it really doesn’t get fresher than this, as a daily auction on the quayside sees that morning’s catch snapped up there and then by local restaurateurs as well as wholesalers. From April until the end of September, the fishermen focus their attention on the sardine, the first wild fish to be awarded the Label Rouge certification.
LA PERLE DES DIEUX This is a fish the town has taken to its heart, with around 3,000 tons of sardines caught during the season, making this one of the most important sardine ports in the country, as four generations of the Gendreau family can attest. Today, La Perle des Dieux is synonymous not only with the delicious sardines they prepare, but also the exquisite cans they are sold in. Each year, or vintage, features a piece of art created especially for the can, making them eye-catching enough to rival the most prestigious wine bottles.
Clockwise from this image: Saint-Gilles- Croix-de-Vie; cycling into Noirmoutier-en-l’Île; surfing at Saint-Jean- de-Monts; aeriel view of Saint-Jean; La Perle des Dieux sardine tins; (inset) at the entrance to Saint-Gilles harbour
These colourful blue fish also lend themselves as tour guides: depictions of sardines are painted on the ground to guide visitors to some of the most notable sights around town as part of Le Chemin de la Sardine. One of the town’s hidden gems on the route is the Maison du Pêcheur museum, where you can take a step back in time and see inside a traditional fisherman’s whitewashed cottage with its striking blue shutters and learn how locals used to live. The importance of the sea to this resort can be found on almost every street in some shape or form – even in the town’s church, where a special installation above the altar features a ship and full-size net spread out into the cloisters, embodying the importance of the fishing industry to the people of Saint-Gilles. The town’s seafaring heritage also saw the founding of leading yacht and motorboat manufacturer Bénéteau in 1884, with the firm still proudly based in the town, which now plays host to a number of prestigious sailing events throughout the year.
You can get a first-hand experience of life off the coastline by stepping aboard any of a number of fishing vessels that offer day excursions out to the fishing
34 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Apr/May 2020
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