In France between exhibitions, festivals and nature itineraries

PARIS - From Normandy to the French Riviera, from Provence to Champagne: throughout 2020, France hosts festivals, exhibitions, concerts and sporting events and presents new paths in the countryside. «There are many news and proposals for those who want to organize a weekend or a holiday in France» comments Frédéric Meyer, director of Atout France «since 2018 the country has been visited by almost 90 million people and this year the forecasts they are optimistic because France's cultural and tourist offer is varied and rich with a keen eye on nature ». The Director of French Tourism in Italy points out seven destinations not to be missed among the many original and unique travel proposals for those who love art, good food, sport, music and fun.
First of all, the great event dedicated to art in Normandy: from April 3 to September 6 the fourth edition of the "Normandy Impressionist" festival takes place throughout the region with large exhibitions, shows, parties and multidisciplinary events; starting from Le Havre which hosts the exhibition "Electric nights" dedicated to the fascination of artists for this new light source with works from Monet to Boldini, from Pissarro to Whistler.
2020 is the year of comics: from 30 January to 2 February the city of Angoulême hosts the 47th edition of the Festival international de la banda dessinée d'Angoulême, the second largest event dedicated to comics in Europe and the third in the world.
One destination to reach this year is Lille, in Upper France: until 5 December the city is the capital of design with events, thematic itineraries, meetings with 1600 designers and the discovery of innovative neighborhoods, creative museums and the new Le Residence hotel Corbusier, designed by Jean Nouvel.
The Côte d'Azur is always fascinating and offers many travel proposals and ideas: the lemon festival in Menton from February 15th; the Mougins gastronomy festival, scheduled for 6 and 7 June; 60 years of the famous jazz festival of Antibes-Juan-les-Pins from 9 to 22 July; Saint Tropez and its vegan restaurants; Nice, where the Mamac - the museum of modern and contemporary art - turns 30 and from where the prestigious Tour de France starts on 17 June.
Another pleasant destination full of surprises is Lyon which with Marseille and Dijon is part of a new greedy project, all to be discovered: for the first time the three French cities combine their resources and their territories to promote a tourist destination dedicated to food. In fact, the Valley of Gastronomy-France was born which offers high quality local culinary experiences, from tastings to workshops and the discovery of doc products.
From 18 to 21 June Bordeaux, the wine capital, celebrates its most famous product by involving cellars and producers and transforming itself into an open-air wine road. The event takes place throughout the city, a UNESCO heritage site. Also in Bordeaux, a former World War II bunker has been transformed into the largest digital art center in the world: Les Bassins de Lumieres can be visited from April 17th.
Finally, a destination that never ceases to surprise is the capital: new pedestrian areas to visit the center are arriving in Paris, but among other novelties, the opening of the Hôtel de la Marine stands out in a grandiose building overlooking Place de la Concorde; major exhibitions such as "Body and Soul" in the Louvre, from 6 May to 17 August, and the retrospective on Turner at the Jacquemart-André museum, from 13 March to 20 July; and the event of the artist Christo that from 19 September to 4 October will pack the Arc de Triomphe.
For more information and to find out all the news: france.fr (ANSA).