In the land of Vlaminck

The second stage of this journey through Vlaminck country will take us from La Ferté-Vidame to Senonches via La Puisaye. After crossing an agricultural plain, the path takes us into the woods of La Saucelle, then into the Senonches State Forest. We will pass through Tardais, a small village where the painter often came to hunt with his friend Michel Erlisch, the village mayor, and where he painted a picture of the church as seen from the town hall. We will finally arrive in Senonches, a small town of character where he often went to enjoy joyful and hearty feasts with friends.

To mark the centenary of Maurice de Vlaminck's move to La Tourillière near Rueil-la-Gadelière, a few kilometres from Verneuil-sur-Avre, recently renamed Verneuil d'Avre et d'Iton, this tour offers a three-stage discovery of the region that inspired the painter.A hunter, fisherman, walker, cyclist, motorist and motorcyclist, he came to settle here to find peace and inspiration. From 1925 until his death in 1958, under an often changeable sky dotted with clouds, the painter tirelessly explored these landscapes of fields, copses and the vast forest of Senonches, in search of subjects for his many paintings.We will first go from Verneuil to La Ferté-Vidame, passing by his grave in the cemetery of Rueil, his bust sculpted by his friend Paul Belmondo in front of the town hall, and above all his home in La Tourillière, preserved in the state in which he lived.

This last stage of our journey through the Vlaminck region takes us from Senonches to La Loupe. Initially mainly wooded, the route then crosses the Eure valley, passing close to the Fontaine-Simon water park, where you can stop for refreshments. La Loupe station provides a quick return to Paris-Montparnasse.