HUGH PALMER
Normandy is a vast region of open country and woodland as well as a coastal land of towering cliffs and sandy beaches, punctuated by delicious villages - some fashionable resorts, others still working fishing communites. The area is crossed by rivers along the banks of which stand many gems of villages, like exquisite Carrouges in the south, and Clécy in the valley of the Orne at the heart of the Suisse Normande. Normandy is also famous for the good things in life; picturesque architecture, a rich local cuisine (this is Camembert and Calvados country), and its strong associations with the arts - Claude Monet's garden at Giverny; Lyons-la-Forêt, home to Maurice Ravel and coastal Étretat, surrounded by towering cliffs, is associated with de Maupassant, Courbet and Monet.
