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As you travel from Sens towards Auxerre, the next place of any size on the Yonne is the modest town of JOIGNY , its elegant old houses ranged up the slope above the river. Its first fort was constructed here at the end of the tenth century, with houses built beneath it, though much of the original settlement was destroyed in a fire in 1530. The town is not worth a prolonged visit, but makes a pleasant rest stop, particularly on market days (Wed & Sat). Buildings worthy of attention are the Chateau des Gondi , built by Cardinal Gondi in the sixteenth century and borrowing Italian influences from the chateau at Ancy-le-Franc , and the remains of the twelfth-century ramparts on Chemin de la Guimbard. In addition you can see a few half-timbered houses that somehow escaped the 1530 fire on rue Montant-au-Palais , the street leading up to the church of St-Jean, including the best-known Maison du Pilori , combining Gothic and Renaissance styles, with some carvings strangely reminiscent of crocodile heads. The tourist office is at 4 quai Ragobert (Mon-Sat 9am-12.15pm & 2-6pm, Sun 10am-noon & 2-4pm; winter closed Mon; tel 03.86.62.11.05, fax 03.86.91.76.38, www.ville-joigny.fr ), by the gare routiere . Cheap hotels include the simple but adequate Relais de L'Escargot , 1 av Roger-Varrey (tel 03.86.62.10.38; under 160F/?24), and the Relais Paris-Nice , Rond Point de la Resistance (tel 03.86.62.06.72, fax 03.86.62.44.33; 160-220F/?24-34; restaurant from 75F/?11.43, closed Sun evening & Mon). A much classier and more modern establishment is Rive Gauche on chemin du Port-au-Bois (tel 03.86.91.46.66, fax 03.86.91.46.93; 300-400F/?46-61), with a very reasonable restaurant overlooking the river (menus 98-138F/?14.94-21.03). There's a decent bar , the Montmartre , on place de Jean-de-Joigny. But the nicest place (both to stay and eat) is a little way out of town to the west, 6km along the D182 towards St-Julien-du-Sault - Le P'tit Claridge , in Themes (tel 03.86.63.10.92, fax 03.86.63.01.34; 160-220F/?24-34; closed Jan & Feb), with a restaurant offering a very good-value menu at 90F/?13.72 (closed Sun evening, Mon, Jan & Feb). An interesting side trip from Joigny is the village of ST-SAUVEUR-EN-PUISAYE , the birthplace, in 1873, of Colette. The Musee Colette is in the chateau (April-Oct daily except Tues 10am-6pm; rest of year Sat & Sun 2-6pm; 25F/?3.81) and includes a reconstruction of her apartment in Paris, as well as personal items and original manuscripts.
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