La Gacilly, My Favorite French Village
In the department of Morbihan in Brittany France, there is no shortage of charming villages. Yet, no matter how many I visit, La Gacilly remains my favorite. I love wandering the cobblestoned streets lined with flower boxes and planters bursting with plentiful blooms. And stopping into a few of the local artist’s shops. On Saturdays, their weekly outdoor market offers visitors everything from fresh vegetables to Breton crepes and galettes. A visit is not complete without a stop at my favorite charcuterie for beautifully prepared and ready to go salads and main dishes to enjoy for a picnic or dinner at home.
As beautiful and unique as this village is, the real magic starts on the first of June, when the annual La Gacilly Photo Festival opens and the entire village morphs into a photo gallery. https://www.festivalphoto-lagacilly.com/ Only the photos themselves can express this rare experience. This year the festival runs through September 30th.
La Gacilly is also the birthplace of cosmetics founder Yves Rocher and you can tour the Yves Rocher museum and botanical gardens.
It’s worth going out of your way to visit La Gacilly. And if you do, you’ll find other “Petite Cités de Caractère” (small towns of character) close by, like Rochefort-en-Terre, Malestroit and Josselin. In Rochefort-en-Terre you can walk the grounds of Chateau de Rochefort-en-Terre once owned by American painter Alfred Klots and subsequently his son Trafford Klots and still haunted by Naïa the witch. In 2016, this medieval town was voted the “Favorite Village of the French.”
Another picturesque favorite is Maletroit, a medieval town along the river Oust and the Nantes-Brest Canal.
Be sure to spend a day in Josselin. Walk or bike along the River Oust, visit lovely stores and tour Josselin Castle and its formal French gardens.
Morbihan is a unique and special area of France not to be missed. It stoled my heart from my first visit and keeps pulling me back.
