All the Atlantic part of France (...) is of oceanic climate, with mild rainny winters and not to hot summers.
Well, on the northern and central shore of Aquitaine, summers are really hot. If you go to Bordeaux in summer, you're going to suffocate because the heat is wet. Summer storms are very frequent due to high temperatures and the proximity of the Atlantic ocean. If you look at European weather forecasts for May, you'll see that temperatures in Bordeaux compare to those in Athens, Algiers, Istambul or Beyrouth. Then it's the storm period — summer — and temperatures vary highly and abruptly.
Tarbes doesn't look like a an Italian city on the Mediterranean
No, but It doesn't look like most of the cities of southern France either.
Tarbes has developped a "ardoise"-based architecture because of it situation down the pyrenées mountains, where it rains a lot, and where the roman-tile roofs would be inadapted. It is more or less the same reason why those kinds of roofs can also be found in northern Spain :
Santander :
Even if Santander of tarbes are at the same latitude and are as "culturally southern" as tuscany, they have a different "ambiance".
Well, on the northern and central shore of Aquitaine, summers are really hot. If you go to Bordeaux in summer, you're going to suffocate because the heat is wet. Summer storms are very frequent due to high temperatures and the proximity of the Atlantic ocean. If you look at European weather forecasts for May, you'll see that temperatures in Bordeaux compare to those in Athens, Algiers, Istambul or Beyrouth. Then it's the storm period — summer — and temperatures vary highly and abruptly
True, the climate of the great south-west of France is different from the north-western climate, with much more hot summers.
But it is still classified as "oceanic", because of the very changing weather. In Landes, it can be very hot in summer, but two days after be as cool and as Normandy.
I think the climate of the south-west could be defined as "southern Europe oceanic", this same climate concerns also most of Portugal coasts.
Southwest France seems warmer than the rest of the country. I was looking at the weather forecast for Bordeaux and it said 21 degrees at 1400. 21 degrees in December! Even the weatherman felt obliged to point it out. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
There's actually a special word for this in English: they're called "pitched" roofs. When you call to get insurance on your home the insurance agent will ask you if your roof is pitched or flat. Many of ours are flat here, since rain run-off and snow weight are not problems here. But in the mountains, all roofs are pitched -- even to the point of being A-frames:
(Not a NM house -- we virtually never build with stone.)
Thanks Uriel for the "pitched roof"! Now I know it in English.
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This is definitely true. I tend to see France as one of the most diverse countries in Western Europe.
Yes, It is in big part due to its big size (for European scale), central position and the presence of different seas, montains, which creates a lot of microclimates and diverse landscapes (with specific architectural traditions).
And also a lot of "peripherical regions" that have been succesively in different countries during their history)
When it comes of diversity I think also to Spain (which is about the same size than France, which win the challenge to have at once regions that look like to Scotland and others to the sahara desert, passing by snow-covered montains, high aride and windy plateaus and warm palm-trees coasts.
Spain also share the same characteristic to have a "historical core" quite empty (capitals excepted) and fontier regions and shores more populated.
A lot of "independentist" regions are located at peripheries.
In France, the "preripherical" regions can share common "feel" and look than the neighbouring regions, for climatic of historical reasons (been part of one or another kingdom, or having recieved some or other influences.
For exemple, we could approximatively define regions that have "feels" to specific countries or european regions :
A lot of these regions have separatists activists.
3. Britanny ("celtic feel")
As its name clearly shows it, it is related to Celtic Britain, especially Cornwall, Wales or Ireland and to Galicia or Asturias in Spain. Its climate, traditional music, traditional architecture is tipically "Atlantic".
This "extreme western Europe" could be associated with traditionally apple/cider culture.
4. Normandy ("southern English feel")
As well as England, the history of Normandy is in great part characterized by the viking "colonisation", and then by the relation it had construct with England more than with the rest of France. The climate, the architecture, or even the people evoques generally England to most people.
5. Nord-Pas-De-Calais (fells with benelux, "flemish feel")
The extreme northern regions of France can evoques quite clearly the Benelux. In terms of architecture, climate and general ambiance it is one of unique places of France that really can evoque northern Europe (geographically speaking Lille is to me quite clearly in northern Europe). The flemish influence in often strong, especially in Lille area.
with Alsace, the only area with a strong beer culture in France, and some places where Flemish still traditionally spoken.
As well as the UK and Netherlands the area is the beguining of of the traditionally industrial, red-bricked and densely populated northwestern Europe.
6. Alsace (and Lorraine) ("south German feel/central Europe feel")
This region in permanently French only since 1945. So it is not surprising that it shows "German-type" characteristics. The traditional Alsacian language first, a strong protestant tradition mixed with catholic, the tipical southern German architecture and food and white wines.
7. The jura/Savoie - ("Alpine feel", swiss and italian)
Regions with "alpine" ambiances. Jura has quite some similartities with neighbouring french-speaking switzerland, in relief, climate and also some protestant influence. Savoie had also strong historical links and direct geographical conexion with northern Italy (region in France since 1860 only)
8. Comté de Nice and Corsica. ("Italian feel"- Ligurian and Tuscan)
Historically part of Piemonte, the comté de nice is integrated to France only since 1860, in architecture, since the Var river is crossed (former border between Provence and comté de Nice) architecture change itself in Ligurian-style. The same for Corsica, with Ligurian and Tuscan influences - and the traditional Corsican language which is closely related to Tuscan.
9. Roussillon ("Spanish feel", or more rightely Catalan)
This regions is "northern Catalunia". Not surptise it shares with the southern part of it.
10. Pays Basque.
The 1&2 could be considered to be the "core", the zones that look quite tipically French, from north to south and had less direct contact with other countries.
Very interesting and educational, Fab. However, I question the assumption that the entire Britanny peninsular is Celtic. I feel that it is a bit like Scotland where the Celtic character might have been overstated out of proportion. After all, Gallo was also natively spoken in the eastern parts of Britanny and the important Britanny capitals such as Rennes and Nantes historically spoke Gallo and not Breton. _________________ Hillary Clinton is an acquired taste which I have clearly yet to acquire.
3. Britanny ("celtic feel")
As its name clearly shows it, it is related to Celtic Britain, especially Cornwall, Wales or Ireland and to Galicia or Asturias in Spain. Its climate, traditional music, traditional architecture is tipically "Atlantic".
This "extreme western Europe" could be associated with traditionally apple/cider culture.
Mmmm... Difficult to say in reality. For instance Nantes is as Ligerian as Breton. Naoned, its name in Breton, is well known and cider is very popular there, just like pancakes etc. However, Nantes' hinterland, which is traditionally divided between Sud-Loire (toits en tuiles) and Nord-Loire (toits en ardoise)— although roof patterns obviously overlap —, clearly belongs to the wine civilisation, at least when you go eastwards. Not to mention that Western Brittany's traditional vernacular was Gallo, a Romance language once spoken in Nantes and Rennes.
Now look a at some pictures of an Atlantic city, Bordeaux (and vicinity), that's as close to the ocean as Nantes is.
Bordeaux looks probably French, for want of a better word. But also extremely diverse while retaining some degree of urbanistic consistency : it's a flat city where "scryscrapers" are a rare commodity. Its Atlanticity — which you can't escape weatherwise — doesn't seem to translate into a kind of architecural parti pris — except perhaps sedimentary rocks with ochre and yellow-earth shades traditionally used for buildings. This is why I find it hard to define a typical Atlantic architecture.
[img]Very interesting and educational, Fab. However, I question the assumption that the entire Britanny peninsular is Celtic[/img]
I agree, to me "celtic" nowodays, at least in Britanny (it may be different in the British isles) is not really a cultural rdescription, but more a word used to speak about what people identify as a "oceanic ambiance" : a mix of bagpipes, rainy weather, little fisher ports culture, similar windy and rocky coasts... I agree that the word "celtic" is quite inapropriated since only very few people really have a celtic culture in Britanny, and a lot of people who live there are not even decending of celtic-speaking peoples.
It is just an "ambiance". I called it "celtic" because this ambiance makes quite imediatly think about the other "extreme western european regions", that claim a "celtic" link.
The map I showed is not really only an architectural map, but more a very schematisation of the different regions that we sometimes associate with other places in Europe, due to localisation, climate, food traitions, architectural ambiance, regional language, and historico-political past.
It is just a superfiacial "feel". Britany with Ireland, Normandy with England, NPdC with Benelux, Alsace-Lorraine with southern Germany, Corsica and Nice with Italy, etc.
It is true that Nantes is at the limit of the area of Britany, although it is historically Breton, it is hardly Celtic.
As Greg said as soon as the Loire valley is passed, you enter in the roman tile areas.
In vendée, which is still geographically in northern France shows a almost mediteranean architectural ambiance :
The modern industrial houses in the Vendée region generally follows the "neo-provençal type":
In Burgondy often seen as a northern French region, some parts can shows a almost mediterranean ambiance too :
[img]http://www.grandsitedefrance.com/image.php?project=gsdf&name=vue77solutre[/img]
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Bordeaux looks probably French, for want of a better word.
Yes, I also find Bordeaux to be very "french looking", as well as Paris.
Bordeaux center is mainly made with pierre de taille like in Paris, with a french classical and neo-classical modenatures, typical of the 18/19th centuries, ardoises were used in the "official" buildings at that time because it was seen as more "noble" than tiles, which were used in countryside and popular housings.
As well as paris the urban structure is dense, and a organised classical structure of streets and public spaces is imposed on a previous narrow streets web of medieval origins. The main difference with paris (outside the size) is the huge presence of roman tiles in Bordeaux, which are very rare in Paris.
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