a visit to Pont-Aven

This small town, nestled in the verdant Aven estuary, owes its renown to the school of painters that had Gauguin as its master. Strolling along the ria, crossing the footbridges, it's easy to imagine the artists fascinated by the poetry of the landscape and the luminosity of the little port. The Aven flows through the town, transforming itself from a capricious river into a peaceful estuary lifted by the tides and a few pleasure boats. The stream bounces back and forth between large rounded boulders, turning one or two wooden wheels, preserved evidence of the 14 working mills. In the 19th century, the artistic colony that set up school on this bucolic site gave new colors to the village. Today, art galleries abound, perpetuating the bohemian spirit of yesteryear.