Rochefort-en-Terre

Rochefort-en-Terre sits on a rock spur above two valleys, built of dark schist and granite, and it owes its present look to Alfred Klots, an American painter who bought the ruined castle in 1907, rebuilt it and pushed the villagers to plant geraniums at every window. The habit stuck: the flower displays are still the thing visitors come for, and the village has won national flowering awards repeatedly. In December the whole village is illuminated for several weeks, which draws large crowds in a season when Brittany is otherwise empty. The castle grounds and a small museum open in season.

What you actually see

• The flowered facades - geraniums at almost every window in summer.
• The dark schist streets - lanes of stone houses on the spur.
• The Klots castle - rebuilt from ruins by the American painter.
• The December illuminations - the village lit for the Christmas weeks.

When to go

May to October for the flowers; December for the illuminations, which are busy at weekends. The village is small and fills quickly on summer afternoons.

Honest expectations

It is tiny, walked in half an hour, and almost every ground floor is a shop or creperie. Parking is outside and charged. The illuminations draw heavy weekend traffic.

Nearby

Josselin lies north; the Gulf of Morbihan is southwest.