Mâcon sits on the west bank of the Saône, where the river runs broad and unhurried at the southern end of Burgundy. It is a busy, practical town, often overlooked by people speeding down the A6 towards the south, but it has a pleasant riverside, a long stone bridge and a relaxed southern atmosphere. The light here already feels different, warmer and softer, a hint of the Mediterranean that lies further down the Rhône.
The poet and statesman Alphonse de Lamartine was born in Mâcon in 1790, and he is the town's great figure, with a statue, a museum and streets named after him. He spent much of his life in the surrounding countryside, at the châteaux of Milly and Saint-Point, and his romantic poetry was inspired by the landscapes of the Mâconnais. Of the old cathedral of Saint-Vincent, only the twin towers and narthex remain, after it was largely destroyed during the Revolution.
The real riches of the area lie to the west. The Mâconnais hills are covered in vineyards, producing white wines from Chardonnay, including the famous Pouilly-Fuissé. Above the vineyards, the Roche de Solutré, a dramatic limestone escarpment shaped like a ship's prow, rises above the villages. At its foot, archaeologists found the remains of thousands of horses and other animals from the Palaeolithic era, giving its name to the Solutrean culture. François Mitterrand used to climb the rock every year, and the walk to the top is well worth it for the view.
The roads through the Mâconnais vineyards are a delight, winding through the hills, between the vines and the villages, with constant views of the rocks and the valley. They are narrow and twisty in places, with little traffic outside the harvest season. Mâcon has plenty of fuel, food and services, and the riverside quays are a pleasant place to take a break. Summers are warm and sunny, and the vineyards are particularly beautiful in autumn, when the leaves turn gold and red.