This route invites you to discover the Orne department, between nature and art. From Falaise to Chemilli, visit charming villages in the area while enjoying the program of the Normandy Impressionist Festival.
Step 1
Begin your journey in Falaise, a town of artisans and merchants and the birthplace of William the Conqueror. Visit the Château Guillaume-le-Conquérant, one of the first stone castles in Normandy.
In Falaise you can also discover the visual and sound installation The unresolved wave – A sound garden.
© Clément Davout & Léo Fourdrinier, The Unresolved Wave, Le Confort Moderne © Adagp, Paris, 2018
On July 8, head to Athis-Val de Rouvre to see SLOW, a dance performance resulting from a three-day participatory workshop, which stages the interaction between the garden space, the plants and the bodies.
Stage 2
Head to Carrouges. This village, birthplace of the legend of the fairy of Carrouges, offers a peaceful stroll through its narrow streets and a visit to a 14th-century castle.
As part of the Normandy Impressionist Festival, you will also discover an installation and a series of paintings byAlexis Defortescu, 50 cm above the threshold, with which the artist recreates a suburban garden where human order meets the unpredictability of life.
© Alexis Defortescu, Rain Curtain, 2023-2024. Oil on canvas 130×162 cm
Don't miss a stop in Alençon, the city of Alençon Point, a needle lace technique listed as part of UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage.
Finish your journey in Chemilli where you can discover the exhibition Impression, nascent garden by Olivier Masmonteil, an artist who creates pictorial and sensitive works of landscapes.
Step 2b
To go further, visit Mont Saint-Michel, whose mount and bay are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
As part of the Normandy Impressionist Festival, at the Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey, you can discover an exhibition, Radiance of Spring, by Cai Guo-Qiang.
© Cai Guo-Qiang, Study in Progress, 2026. Gunpowder on canvas. Photo by Mengjia Zhao, courtesy Cai Studio
