Who will be the lucky winner this year?
The list of 14 villages selected for the twelfth edition of the program “The Favorite Village of the French”, presented by Stéphane Bern, was revealed this Monday at 10 a.m.
For a decade, this event has highlighted the richness and variety of French landscapes, culinary traditions, preserved architecture, folklore and artistic crafts.
Since the merger of the regions, 13 villages (one per region) plus one overseas are in the running.
For Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, it is
Grignan
and its legendary 12th century castle, in Drôme Provençale, which was selected this year.
The castle of Grignan.
France 3 © France 3
Île-Tudy
(Finistère), a former fishing village in the heart of the Pays Bigouden, will for its part wear the colors of Brittany.
For Center-Val-de-Loire, it is the town of
Saint-Dyé-sur-Loire
(Loir-et-Cher), nicknamed the “port of Chambord”, which will act as representative.
Several personalities, such as the photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson and Pablo Picasso, resided there.
Monthermé
(Ardennes), a village surrounded by the Meuse, will be the candidate for the Grand-Est region.
Cléron
, in Doubs, a small town of 300 inhabitants with old stone buildings, will represent Burgundy-Franche-Comté.
Cleron.
JGS25/Wikimedia Commons
Aregno
(Haute-Corse), a town nestled between sea and mountains, will be the candidate for the Isle of Beauty.
Located between Calvi and L'Ile-Rousse, the village is renowned for the quality of its oranges.
As for the overseas territories, it is
Deshaies
, in Guadeloupe, which will claim the title.
Located in the Somme, the seaside resort of
Mers-les-Bains
will wear the colors of Hauts-de-France.
With the hope of following in the footsteps of another commune in the region, Esquelbecq, winner of the 2023 edition. In Île-de-France, the Seine-et-Marnaise commune of
Thomery
, renowned in particular for its vine walls , will be in the running to try to collect as many votes as possible.
Read alsoSeine-et-Marne: Thomery will represent Ile de France on the show “The Favorite Village of the French 2024”
The Longs Sillons trail and its vine walls, classified as a historic monument.
LP/Pascal Villebeuf
In Normandy, it is the village of
Ry
(Seine-Maritime) which will have the honor of rubbing shoulders with the most beautiful villages in France.
He would have inspired Gustave Flaubert to write his novel Madame Bovary.
Villeréal
(Lot-et-Garonne) will also be in the race and will represent New Aquitaine.
This is the first village in the department selected since the show's creation in 2012.
Further east,
Collioure
(Pyrénées-Orientales) and its pebble beaches will represent Occitanie.
Cradle of art, the village has inspired many painters, including Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse.
Collioure.
Wikimedia Commons/Stanislav Doronenko
Sallertaine
(Vendée), located in the middle of the Breton Vendée marshes, will try to win the title for the Pays de la Loire.
The last contender for the title will be the municipality of
Gassin
(Var), which will represent Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.
Votes have been open on the France Télévisions website since Monday at 10 a.m., and viewers have until March 8, 11:59 p.m., to make their choice.
It is also possible to vote by telephone at 3245 (€0.80/min + call price).