Five castles on one rocky spur is an unusual sight anywhere, and Chauvigny wears them well. The upper town stands on a limestone ridge above the Vienne river, east of Poitiers, with the ruins of medieval fortresses, a Romanesque church and narrow lanes packed onto the hilltop, while the lower town spreads along the river below. Approaching from the west, the skyline of towers and walls above the trees is a surprise.
The castles were built by different lords between the eleventh and fifteenth centuries, the most important being the baronial castle of the bishops of Poitiers, who held the town. Its ruins host a falconry show in summer, with eagles, vultures and hawks flying over the battlements. The Collégiale Saint-Pierre, at the top of the town, is famous for its carved capitals, with monsters, demons and biblical scenes in vivid detail, some of the finest Romanesque sculpture in the region. The surrounding hills were quarried for limestone for centuries, and the town has a long history of stone working and porcelain making.
The wider area is rich in Romanesque art. About twenty kilometres east, the abbey church of Saint-Savin-sur-Gartempe has one of the most complete sets of medieval wall paintings in Europe and is on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Poitiers, to the west, has its own Romanesque churches and the site of the famous battle of 732, and the Futuroscope theme park lies north of the city.
The riding is easy and pleasant: the roads follow the river valleys and cross low plateaus of fields and woods, with gentle bends and little traffic. The valley of the Vienne and its tributaries, the Gartempe and the Clain, offers some charming routes, with villages, mills and bridges. The climb into the upper town is short but steep, with cobbles and tight corners, so take it slowly. The summer heat can be intense, and spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons.
Chauvigny has fuel, supermarkets, cafés and restaurants, so it is a convenient place for a break. Local dishes include farci poitevin, a herb and vegetable pie, and goat's cheeses, as well as the macarons of Montmorillon to the south. Park in the lower town or near the top, walk the lanes, admire the carvings and look out over the valley from the castle walls.