Doue en anjou

Doué-en-Anjou is a municipality in the Maine-et-Loire department, formed through the merger of several villages, with Doué-la-Fontaine serving as its historic centre. The area is known for its long-standing rose-growing tradition, still visible through several nurseries and gardens dedicated to roses, as well as for its troglodyte dwellings typical of the Saumur region, carved into the local tuffeau limestone. Old cellars and former quarries can be found throughout the area, bearing witness to a way of life once closely tied to stone extraction. The Bioparc de Doué, a zoo set within former open-air quarries, is one of the town's main attractions and draws a family-oriented crowd. The troglodyte arenas, remnants of past stone-quarrying activity, now host cultural events. The surrounding rural, wine-growing landscape of the Saumur area, with its vineyards and pale stone architecture, shapes the wider countryside. The town retains a distinctly provincial character, combining underground heritage, outdoor activities and the mild Anjou climate, making it well suited to gentle walks and local heritage discovery.