Dompierre-les-Ormes
Dompierre-les-Ormes is a commune in the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France. It is a rural and touristic village, with characteristic landscapes: little mountains crowded with forests and pastures. The main part of its territory is protected under French and European fauna and flora protection programs. History. Dompierre is first mentioned in a Cluny charter from 951, where the name appears as "Domnus Petrus" and "Domna Petra." In 1820, the Comte de Marcellus brings the very famous "Venus de Milo" in France. During his journey, the precious statue made a halt  at the castle Audour before being offered to King Louis XVIII. The poet Alphonse de Lamartine stayed on occasion in the in Dompierre, writing of it in 1862, "It's a Mary Stuart chateau in a Scottish landscape." Since 1993 Dompierre has been a member of the "Association des Dompierre de France," an association of 23 French communes sharing the name. Geography. Nestled in a picturesque wooded area, Dompierre is known locally as la petite Suisse du Mâconnais (Little Switzerland in the Mâconnais). Tourism. Dompierre is a tourist destination, with campsite ("Le Village des Meuniers"), cottage colonies ("Domaine des Monts  du Mâconnais"), and lot of rural gîtes and bed and breakfast in the area. Sport. The village has a football stadium which serves for matches and training of FCDM (Football Club Dompierre-Matour), a handball and basketball stadium, pétanque courts, tennis courts and many walking trails. Walking trails are referenced by guides and maps for tourists. For water activities, there are two pools ("Le Village des Meuniers" campground and the "Domaine des Monts du Mâconnais" have each a pool). Transport and access. Dompierre is located in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, about southeast of Paris and west of Mâcon, where there is  a TGV (high-speed rail) station and A6 turnpike access. Due to its central location in France, the village takes full advantages of close infrastructures as the Route Centre-Europe Atlantique (east-west connexion road from Atlantic Ocean to Switzerland border), passing through the north of the territory. Dompierre is served by the road exit number 8 "Dompierre-les-Ormes".