Hortillonnages, Amiens, Picardy, France
The hortillonages “floating gardens” are emblematic of Amiens. You can discover them in special boats known as “barques à cornet”. The hortillonages cover 300 hectares. They are interlaced with 65km of small canals, known as “rieux” in the local dialect.
These market gardens, gently lapped by the Avre and the Somme, have been cultivated since the Middle Ages.
This idyllic place is the fruit of the work of men who shaped these fertile islands on land recovered from the marshes. Until early last century, fruit and vegetables from the hortillonages fed the town of Amiens. Still today, this rich land produces up to 3 harvests per year.
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