82 | Cycling World
- St Apollinaire Cathedral in Valence was rebuilt by Hugenots onto road . Bear R , passing between hotel L and large carpark R , then continue ahead over roundabout and bear R ( Rue du Rhône ) into Bourg-lès-Valence ( 20.5km , 111m ) ( accommodation , refreshments ).
Continue ahead at next roundabout ( first exit , Rue Gay-Lussac ) and follow road over motorway bridge . Go ahead again at next roundabout and follow Rue Gay-Lussac bearing R parallel to railway L . At next roundabout ( Place de la République ) take third exit onto dual carriageway ( Boulevard du Général de Gaulle , cycle lane R ) and continue uphill into Boulevard du Cire . Pass Jardin de la Préfecture behind high walls L and turn L at miniroundabout past modern préfecture of Drôme département L . Continue into dual carriageway ( Boulevard Vauban ) and bear R following bus and cycle lane past statue R of Compte de Montalivet ( 1766 – 1823 ). Pass through bus station and bear R past monumental fountain into Boulevard Bancel to reach end of stage outside tourist office R in centre of Valence ( 24km , 128m ) ( accommodation , refreshments , camping , tourist office , cycle shop , station ).
Hongrie de Ruisseau
Valence
Valence ( pop 65,000 ) regards itself as the gateway to southern France , a claim based on its location near the northernmost limit of olive cultivation . This is reflected in a local saying : à Valence le Midi commence (‘ at Valence the south begins ’). Main sights include 11th-century St Apollinarie cathedral , which was badly damaged in the French religious wars and restored in the 17th century . Inside is a monument and the heart of Pope Pius VI ( 1717 – 1799 ) who died here in exile after being deposed when Napoleon captured Rome . The nearby maison des Têtes is a former 16th-century mansion that derives its name from the many carved heads decorating the façade . In the Champ de Mars is the kiosque Peynet , a highly stylised bandstand , while the nearby Jouvet park has views across the Rhone valley to the hilltop ruins of the Château de Crussol . An Armenian church and Armenian museum reflect the ten percent of the population of Armenian origin . Local delicacies include the Suisse , an orange flavoured pastry said to be named after the Pope ’ s Swiss guard . On a higher gastronomic level , Maison Pic restaurant , managed by Anne-Sophie Pic who was French chef of the year in 2007 , is the only Michelin three-star restaurant with a female chef .
3
D5 3
Ruisseau de Hongrie
Cornas
0 1 mile
0
N
2 km
St Péray
D86
Rhone dam
Guilherand-Granges
Mialan
Mialan
A7
Guilherand-Granges
Rhone
N7
Bourg-lès-Valence
VALENCE
- Pope Pius VI died in Valence ( 1799 ) and his heart is kept in the cathederal
A7
Jouvet park
Maison des Têtes
kiosk Peynet pr