On my road warrior trips was close by and we eat a lot of goat cheese from here so why not pay a visit to the town itself. The visit was nice the food nicer and we will be back to Saint Maure de Touraine!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.
The town of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine is in the department of Indre-et-Loire no, 37, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. The town is known for the production of a goat cheese, the Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine. the town is served by the A10 highway at exit 25 and the RD910. It is located halfway between Châtellerault and Tours. Paris is 275 km away via the A10 highway. It was in 1959 that the town adopted the name of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine.
A bit of history I like
A mound was probably erected in the Merovingian period on Saint-Maurian territory. It would contain, according to the texts of Bishop Euphrône, the remains of Saint Maure and Saint Britte. A chapel, in its first state, would have been erected overhanging this tumulus. Around the 11C and 12C, the site of Sainte-Maure was a rural type town, During the 12C, a dungeon, called the Tour Foubert, or La Tabagie, was erected on the Sainte-Maurienne lands from the city of Tours, In December 1323, Charles the Fair donated the fiefdom of Sainte-Maure to the Chapter of Saint-Martin de Tours. In 1467, Jean d’Estouville, Grand Master of Crossbowmen and Provost of Paris saw Sainte-Maure raised to barony status.
Towards the end of the 16C, Sainte-Maure was included in the ducal domain of Montbazon, this duchy-prairie having been founded for the benefit of Louis VII de Rohan-Montbazon, On July 8, 1661, Louis XIV, returning from Saint-Jean de Luz, the town where he had just married under the Treaty of the Pyrenees, and accompanied by his wife Marie-Thérèse of Austria (Infanta of Spain), stopped at the fortress of Sainte- Maure, In the second half of the 18C, a chapel was erected near a spring, called the “Fountain of the Virgins”, a site which until then had been the subject of frequent pilgrimages to the building, dedicated to the Maure and Britte saints, it was inaugurated on April 8, 1760 by the local authorities, then blessed on May 5 of the same year. Two statues, sculpted with the effigy of the two virgins, are incorporated into the enclosure of the chapel.
Other things to see are
The halles or covered market, commissioned by Anne de Rohan and built under the direction of Charles d’Estevou in 1672, consist of 3 naves each with a roof supported by a framework. The halls have two entrances, one located on the west side and the other on the south side. These two doors, decorated with decorations and coats of arms, are each crowned by a pediment in an arc of a circle and resting on 2 pilasters.
The Maison d’Estouteville, dating from the 16C, is located at 2, rue Auguste Chevalier, in the town center. The facade, partially redesigned, has a frieze comprising three escutcheons associated with ornaments in the form of tracery and stamped monograms. The Boumiers dolmen, brought to light around the middle of the 19C, is a megalithic site erected during the Neolithic period. The monument, of simple structure, is established in the south of the town’s territory, 3 km from the town center.
We did not see the above just passed by the Espace Trianon which is the cinema while walking in town. In 1696, to replace the ruined Hôtel-Dieu, Count Voyer d’Argenson set up a hospital in a house opposite the church, called Maison Gueffault. Due to a lack of money dedicated to its operation, it did not begin to receive patients until 1766, thanks in part to the generosity of the Rohan family. As early as 1847, a room in the house was used to accommodate the kindergarten called the “asylum room”. In 1881, a decree transformed the asylum halls into a kindergarten which evolved in a more educational direction. The Ciné Off association, a partner of the municipality since 1997, was associated with the design of the project. This association is responsible for screening films with the active support of members of the cinema section of the Foyer des Jeunes, which is still very active in the town. The choice of Patrice Leconte to give his name to this room is linked to the municipal desire to mark a priority for the cinema while honoring a great director from Tours.
We arrive and we had lunch as usual road warrior tactic smell the food and go for it. Homemade natural by loving restauranteurs. This was the case entering the town on the D910 road and there it was le Petit Marmiton restaurant. Juicy steaks, homemade fries, salads, local red wines and express coffee great for the run, nice friendly welcome, great service , excellent food: we will be back! webpage: https://restaurant-le-petit-marmiton-sainte-maure-de-touraine.eatbu.com/?lang=en
And from the restaurant guru reviews site on the resto: https://restaurantguru.com/Le-Petit-Marmiton-Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine-2
Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, is a soft goat’s cheese with a natural rind, Its best consumption period extends from April to August , Bacterial fermentation and the decomposition of plants into black manure in the earth. It also promotes the growth, in particular the specific ripening of cheeses and consequently ensures their preservation while the simple curds of goat’s milk remain so easily altered In the shape of a truncated conical log, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine is a cheese goat cheese made with whole raw milk. Its soft paste is obtained by mainly lactic coagulation with a slight addition of rennet. Drainage is spontaneous. The cheese is salty and ashy on the surface, with superficial moulds.Sublime we eat it without moderation at home !! We got our load at the recommended Ferme Les fromages d’Angel pic with same lady who served us: webpage: https://www.bienvenue-a-la-ferme.com/centre/indre-et-loire/ste-maure-de-touraine/ferme/les-fromages-d-angel/592935
The AOP cheese of Saint Maure de Touraine :http://www.stemauredetouraine.fr/decouvrez/le-sainte-maure-de-touraine/
There you go folks a small introduction to the town of Sainte Maure de Touraine, come here for the goat cheese , one of the best of France. WE will be back!!! And see the main sights in another post to follow for the curiously inclined!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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