Somme in Picardy
To the west of the Somme department lies the Picardy Coast, stretching 60 km from the mouth of the Bresle in the south to where the Authie flows into the sea in the north, and set between them, the estuary of the Somme River or Bay of Somme. The sea air often casts a delicate veil across the sky, giving the light in this region a very special quality, much prized by artists. The high chalk cliffs give way to pebble beaches, then dunes and finally marshland. Behind the coast, the rolling hills and laughing valleys preserve a rich heritage.
Come and explore the Somme’s open spaces, on foot, by bike or canoe, as a family outing, with a guide, by boat or why not even land yacht - and don’t forget your binoculars!
Picardy is justly known as the cradle of Gothic architecture. The Somme department can boast its finest flowering in the cathedral of Amiens, light, airy and pure, whose vast size makes its lacy stonework all the more surprising. The Somme department is dotted with castles built in brick and stone, a reminder that this is a land of limestone and clay.
The scope of the cuisine is all the richer for the local produce from the sea, the rivers and livestock farming. The Somme is also an extraordinary vegetable garden, a long-standing leader in market gardening with hortillonnages (cultivated marsh lands) at Amiens and Péronne.
Some local specialities: Duck and andouillette (traditional offal sausage) pâté from Amiens; la ficelle picarde (ham and mushroom pancake); la flamique à porions or flamiche aux poireaux (leek quiche); le gâteau battu (sponge cake, often with calvados or cognac added); Amiens macaroons; smoked eel; salt-meadow lamb terrine.
The Somme sufered severely in the battles of the First World War : the invasion and the "race to the sea" in september 1914, the battle of the Somme in July-November 1916 and the battles of Picardy from March until September 1918. Today, this dramatic period of history can be explored by following the Circuit of Remembrance.
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