Flavigny-sur-Ozerain Where to sleep near the anise village and Chocolat

Flavigny grew up around a Benedictine abbey founded in the 8th century. The village prospered in the Middle Ages thanks to pilgrims who came to venerate the relics of Saint Reine and to those journeying towards Santiago de Compostela.

In the 12th and 13th centuries, powerful fortifications encircled the town: the Porte du Val, flanked by a 13th-century inner gate and a 16th-century outer gate, and the 15th-century Porte du Bourg still bear witness to this golden age. The town has passed through the centuries without ever losing its medieval outline.

Since 1591, the abbey's monks have handed down the recipe for the little white beads scented with green anise. The Fabrique des Anis de Flavigny still occupies the buildings of the former Benedictine abbey: a guided tour of the sugar-coating workshop (40 minutes, Monday to Friday), and free access to the museum, the Carolingian crypt and the shop.

In May 2000, Lasse Hallström chose these very lanes to film Chocolat with Juliette Binoche; two hundred and fifty villagers appear in the credits. The setting has not changed: the church square and the façades from the film can be found almost exactly as they were.