France, double magic between lights and impalpable bubbles

(by Ida Bini) "October 30, 1908. The pilot Henri Farman flies over a stretch of land for the first time in Europe campaign, achieving the feat of connecting with a single flight the city ​​of Châlons in Reims, the capital of Champagne". Newspaper clipping reports that Farman took 20 minutes to connect the two places 27 km apart and that the plane stopped at close to the cathedral under the astonished gaze of passers-by. Today we travel differently but the amazement remains when, on board of the fast TGV train, destinations can be reached in a short time with unchanged charm, in every corner of France. The first surprise, landed in Paris, is the possibility of arriving in ten minutes to Disneyland Paris: the stop Marne-la-Vallée-Chessy is right in the heart of the park, which from 1992 amazes 15 million visitors every year with its attractions and which with its shows brings back to the world of childhood and fun. The park is double: Disneyland, with Sleeping Beauty's castle looming in the background and where classic Disney tales come to life, and Walt Disney Studios with the themed areas of the colorful worlds of Disney, Pixar and Marvel. Disneyland Paris is a real magic, where 7 Themed hotels are ready to host visitors from all over the world world and where exciting shows bring together characters most loved, such as the Disney Music Festival which, until the 7th September, offers 12 itinerant concerts in the company of the Disney and Pixar characters, and Disney Tales of Magic, 20 minute show at Sleeping Beauty Castle between pyrotechnic effects, colored lasers and new technologies. Info: disnaylandparis.com Starting from the park station in just 52 minutes of travel you arrive in Reims, the historic capital of the Champagne region (explore-grandest.com). And here the landscape changes dramatically: the train passes through silent, rolling countryside, where the The hills of the Marne and Aube are completely covered with vineyards and crossed by long strips of asphalt that connect isolated abbeys and elegant rural villages with terracotta roofs slate. In this territory, until the 16th century the vineyards they produced good white wines until a Benedictine friar, Pierre Pérignon, changed the history of wines and the region. Born in 1639 in Sainte-Ménéhould, he devoted himself to viticulture among the vineyards considered among the most noble in the world in the abbey of Hautvillers, built in the 12th century a few km from Eperney. The friar died blind and almost teetotal but became a full-fledged the father of champagne, assembling grapes for the first time different places and trying to obtain impalpable bubbles, irresistibly pleasant. He achieved this by adding liqueur du tirage, which releases carbon dioxide, and arranging the bottles tilted with the neck down so they can be rotated every day of an eighth to let any residual sediment settle near the cork. After a few weeks Brother Pérignon he decided to inject into the wine, removing the cork and the deposit, one alcohol and sugar syrup, to adjust the content sugary. Dom Pérignon used cork stoppers held with a string with pear-shaped bottles and thick glass and resistant; to ensure constant temperature for the aging of the wines caused tunnels to be dug underground of plaster, which drained excess water and retained heat of the day to return it in the coldest nights. Today his tomb in the Abbaye Saint-Pierre of the small village of Hautvillers is a destination of pilgrimages for those who love history and champagne: you visit the tomb and his statue, you walk among the vineyards, you can taste local products, including the vinegars from the Vinaigrerie Les enfants de Bacchus, which recycles the bottles of champagne. Lunch is served in the many restaurants and cellars, all marked with wrought iron signs such as 'Bar a vin le 36', which offers the tasting of 2 glasses of champagne and some typical products. Seven km separate Hautvillers from Epernay, a delightful town surrounded by vineyards and home to some of the most prestigious wineries, UNESCO heritage for 10 years, which are located along Avenue de Champagne, a road over a kilometre long overlooking elegant palaces and small castles. On July 4th the avenue celebrates a century of life with concerts, events, parties - 'Vigne art' with installations and the long table of July 14th - and guided visits to the different maisons: from Moët & Chandon to Mercier, from Ruinart and to Boizel. The latter is a company family-run in its sixth generation, whose vault houses bottles which date back to 1834, the year of its foundation. Under the iconic avenue intertwines 110 km of cellars and tunnels dug into the chalk up to 20 meters underground, where more than 200 million bottles on a journey through history and tradition of the most sparkling region of France. For the night among the many proposals there is the Jean Moët hotel, two steps from the avenue, and the hotel La Briqueterie, Relais & Chateau with 40 rooms, spa, two restaurants and a heavenly garden vineyard view. The journey continues to Aÿ-Champagne, where the Pressoria Champagne Interpretation Centre offers a sensory and interactive tour to discover the territory and the secrets of bubbles and where everyone can create, virtually, your own bottle. Here you can buy bottles but also the famous biscuit roses of the maison Fossier. Finally there is Reims which conquers with its two towers and the Notre-Dame cathedral, Gothic masterpiece celebrated by many artists and decorated with 2303 statues and the wonderful stained glass windows by Chagall, witness of the coronation of all the kings of France. Hard hit from the bombings of the First World War, the city was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century in art deco style, which today coexists harmoniously with its most famous face: that of capital of champagne, thanks to the oldest cellars and prestigious in the world, such as those of Taittinger, reopened in 2024 after a long renovation, where you can visit the cellars and taste 2 or 3 cuvées. For lunch, while waiting for the new Polychrome restaurant, there are many addresses, such as the Brasserie Boulingrin or the hotel restaurant La Grande Georgette. For the night, the ideal is Hotel Caserne Chanzy, 5 star hotel in front of the Cathedral. Info: france.fr/it