LOIRE (42)
County of Rhône-Alpes
4774 Km2
About 739 000 inhabitants.
Chief Town : Saint Etienne
Sub-Prefectures : Montbrison and Roanne
The Loire County's beautiful countryside, with lakes, woods and ponds, is part of the Massif Central mountains, the Forested Hills on the West, the Beaujolais and Lyonnais area on the East, and surrounds the basin that spreads from the North to the South of the county.
Made of plains or mountains, the landscapes are spectacular. Full of history, arts, famous villages like Charlieu, Pommiers, La Bastie d'Urfé, Ambierle are some examples among many.
In addition to these visits, let you enjoy the flavour of the local produce : Montbrison blue cheese, goat cheese, chocolates and wines of the valleys.
The well-known cuisine combined with great wines : Côtes du Forez, Côte Rotie, Côtes du Rhône or Saint Joseph.....or even a glass of fresh springwater.
With the decline of heavy industries (iron and steal, mining....), Saint-Etienne takes the lead with new industries thanks to the proximity of Lyon. Capital of the arms and ribbon industry, old villages built in the 12th century, fortified in the 15th, got rich in the 16th and industrialized in the 19th, before becoming a regional pole specialized in the high tech sector.