EZTrip.com International Destination Guide and Hotel Listings

In the grounds of the thirteenth-century château just outside the village of ARGENT-SUR-SAULDRE , on the D940 between Gien and Bourges, is the excellent Musée Vassil Ivanoff (May-Sept Mon & Wed-Fri 2-7pm, Sat & Sun 10am-noon & 2-6pm; 16F/¬2.44), which contains a small, fascinating collection of modern ceramics. The Bulgarian Ivanoff came to France in the 1920s and settled in La Borne, a small village in the Sancerre hills which has mutated into a highly commercialized pottery centre; there he produced a collection that has been described as a revolution in clay. The works on display in the museum - sensual forms expressing all the complexities of the human condition - demonstrate a range of his experimentation with different surface textures and glazes, the most successful of which is a unique, ox-blood red.

The other museum in the château is the Musée des Métiers et Traditions de France (mid-April to mid-Oct Mon-Thurs 2-5.45pm, Fri-Sun 10-11.30am & 2-6pm; 25F/¬2.44), a nostalgic meander through eighteenth- and nineteenth-century country crafts and trades, including bizarre machines for making brooms and clogs, looms, a windmill gear and a display about the production of weathercocks. The exhibits continue into the roofspace, giving a good opportunity to view the rafters of the château.

Close to Argent, 11km southeast on the D8 near Concressault, is a new witchcraft museum at La Jonchère, the Musée de la Sorcellerie (Easter-Oct daily 10am-6pm; 34F/¬5.18). It's a bit over the top with its animated reconstructions of witchcraft trials, but kids will probably enjoy it, and some of the prints and paintings of legendary witches are fun.

For accommodation and good food in Argent, head for the comfortable Relais de la Poste (tel 02.48.81.53.90, fax 02.48.73.30.62; 160-220F/¬24-34), directly opposite the château. Otherwise, there's a very pleasant hotel in the village of BRINON-SUR-SAULDRE , 16km west of Argent: La Solognote , Grande Rue (tel 02.48.58.50.29, fax 02.48.58.56.00; 300-500F/¬46-76; closed Wed out of season, mid-Feb to mid-March, last week in May & three weeks in Sept; restaurant closed Wed & out of season Tues evening).