Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, in France.
It has a long history due to its location at the confluence of the Ille and Vilaine rivers.
Rennes is not as famous as many other French town among foreign visitors, we chose to spend a few days there also for this reason, just a little out of most beaten tracks…
We had the pleasure to discover a very lively town, with many charming corners and an impressive old and colourful centre.
I have a special liking for timber-framed houses and in Rennes I was happy to find many preserved ancient houses with that feature. This tradition is explained by the presence of forests around the city.
As in the rest of the Duchy of Brittany, in Rennes, the mediaeval-style timber-framed houses continued to be built until the mid-17th century, much later than the actual Middle Ages themselves.
The fire which broke out on 23 December 1720 destroyed over 900 houses and buildings in just one week. Nevertheless, there are still numerous timber-framed houses to be seen in the streets off the city centre.