Haut-Allier ~ France's hidden secret

A heritage area in every sense - music, history, art and environment

Music -  Discover great music in a relaxed and generally informal atmosphere in the historic churches and châteaux of the Haut Allier. Music Valley means music for all... at very affordable prices. Indeed, plenty of events are actually free. As for the musicians, they go from top international performers, to talented amateurs for whom music is just a pleasurable pastime.

Art -  Haut-Allier is not just about music. Far from it. The area is has recently developed as one of the major centres for art in rural France. Every two years, the Brioude Biennal, France's premier watercolour event, hosts artists from around the world, and every year the Decades de la Peinture (decade means ten days in French, not ten years) showcase the work of budding and established amateur artists from all over France.
  And the icing on the cake: since 2018, Brioude's historic 13th century Deanery building has found new life as a Modern Art centre, and each summer hosts a major exhibition. In 2018 it was Chagall, in 2019 Miro, in 2021 De Staël, and for summer 2022 Picasso, an exhibition of works from the artist's later years.
   In addition, summertime sees small exhibitions and art workshops in a number of locations including historic monuments around the Music Valley area, while the small town of Brioude is home to ever more art and craft boutiques and galleries.
   For historic art, the churches and abbeys of Haut Allier are home to a remarkable collection of medieval frescoes murals and polychrome sculptures, possibly the greatest surviving concentration of such medieval art in France.