Travel Guide Tourtenay

Built into the tufa rock, Tourtenay is thought to have exploited the rock since the Bronze Age, creating a troglodytic settlement unique in the Deux-Sèvres region. This astonishing subterranean city, with its dwellings, stables and washhouses, provided protection against the cold and invasion, and the hilltop was equipped with a sentry walk. Some sites, such as La Mazoire, were inhabited until the 1960s. A wine-growing area, Tourtenay is the only terroir in the 79 region to boast the AOC Saumur appellation. Several wineries are open to visitors, including Clos du Bois-Ménard, home to the famous troglodyte dovecote, and Cave Fort, reinvested in 2022 by young winemaker Clément Bos.