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Lyon
"Lyon est un sabodet. On ne sait jamais ce qu'il y a dedans, mais tout finit toujours vapeur et en rondelles. C'est la magie de cette ville"
Neuf des plus beaux spécimens lyonnais se retrouvent autour d'un mâchon - un casse-croûte festif qui s'ouvre à l'heure du petit-déjeuner. Entre deux tranches de sabodet et un verre de beaujolais, ils essayent de percer le mystère de la capitale des Gaules. La conversation balaye plus de 2000 ans d'histoire, et nous fait découvrir les multiples manières d'habiter la plus nordique des villes méditerranéennes.
Une ville, un auteur, 5 itinéraires
Des romanciers nous guident dans une ville qu'ils connaissent bien. Nous découvrons ce qu'elle a d'unique, et qui prend des années à comprendre. Les sens s'aiguisent. Les lieux prennent du relief. Comme si la réalité était augmentée.
Un guide à dévorer comme un roman
~ Un récit pour tout comprendre
~ 5 itinéraires pour l'expérience
~ Une infographie insolite
~ Pour voir plus, et voyager mieux
Neuf des plus beaux spécimens lyonnais se retrouvent autour d'un mâchon - un casse-croûte festif qui s'ouvre à l'heure du petit-déjeuner. Entre deux tranches de sabodet et un verre de beaujolais, ils essayent de percer le mystère de la capitale des Gaules. La conversation balaye plus de 2000 ans d'histoire, et nous fait découvrir les multiples manières d'habiter la plus nordique des villes méditerranéennes.
Une ville, un auteur, 5 itinéraires
Des romanciers nous guident dans une ville qu'ils connaissent bien. Nous découvrons ce qu'elle a d'unique, et qui prend des années à comprendre. Les sens s'aiguisent. Les lieux prennent du relief. Comme si la réalité était augmentée.
Un guide à dévorer comme un roman
~ Un récit pour tout comprendre
~ 5 itinéraires pour l'expérience
~ Une infographie insolite
~ Pour voir plus, et voyager mieux
172 pages, Paperback
Published February 19, 2026
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 11, 2026
I heard an interview of François Beaune in a podcast, in which he was presenting this book. This could not have been timelier since I was planning a visit to Lyon.
His proposal is very original. Through a dinner of nine people of various ages, professions and origins, they try to establish what is the centre of Lyon. In the interview Beaune reminds us that with Paris it is very easy to identify that this is the Île-de-la-Cité, but with Lyon this is not so crystal clear since its centre has shifted as the history of the city unfolded. The fact that there are two rivers (the Rhône and the Saone) and that at the tip of the ‘presqu’île’ they become now (a wider Rhône) certainly complicates things.
In this group of guests three of the people are women, there is a Moroccan man, two are teachers, one is a librarian, another an artist and there is also a butcher. The author is not originally from Lyon but from nearby Clermont-Ferrrand, although now Lyon lies in his heart. The number of nine guests has a symbolic meaning since there are nine ‘quartiers’ in Lyon and their discussing all this around a dinner table is certainly closely related to the fact that Lyon is the culinary capital of France. Food is important there and an intricate part of its history.
When defending the various urban hearts we learn about the Roman occupation in what is now referred to as the Lugdunum area; about the history and urban planning of the Vieux-Lyon (now an UNESCO site); about the important silk and textile centre that the city became during several centuries; about how the ‘Mères’ were the originators of the gourmet tradition; about the invention of cinema by the Lumière brothers; about the large and beautiful Tête d’Or park. And several other things.
After the lively discussion of the nine guests, the author provides 5 possible walking itineraries.
I was pleased to see that this very original way of writing a guidebook belongs to a series. Other volumes are dedicated to Rome, Brussels, Bogotá, Berlon, Congo, amongst others. To keep in mind.
His proposal is very original. Through a dinner of nine people of various ages, professions and origins, they try to establish what is the centre of Lyon. In the interview Beaune reminds us that with Paris it is very easy to identify that this is the Île-de-la-Cité, but with Lyon this is not so crystal clear since its centre has shifted as the history of the city unfolded. The fact that there are two rivers (the Rhône and the Saone) and that at the tip of the ‘presqu’île’ they become now (a wider Rhône) certainly complicates things.
In this group of guests three of the people are women, there is a Moroccan man, two are teachers, one is a librarian, another an artist and there is also a butcher. The author is not originally from Lyon but from nearby Clermont-Ferrrand, although now Lyon lies in his heart. The number of nine guests has a symbolic meaning since there are nine ‘quartiers’ in Lyon and their discussing all this around a dinner table is certainly closely related to the fact that Lyon is the culinary capital of France. Food is important there and an intricate part of its history.
When defending the various urban hearts we learn about the Roman occupation in what is now referred to as the Lugdunum area; about the history and urban planning of the Vieux-Lyon (now an UNESCO site); about the important silk and textile centre that the city became during several centuries; about how the ‘Mères’ were the originators of the gourmet tradition; about the invention of cinema by the Lumière brothers; about the large and beautiful Tête d’Or park. And several other things.
After the lively discussion of the nine guests, the author provides 5 possible walking itineraries.
I was pleased to see that this very original way of writing a guidebook belongs to a series. Other volumes are dedicated to Rome, Brussels, Bogotá, Berlon, Congo, amongst others. To keep in mind.
Displaying 1 of 1 review