570km (354 miles) W of Paris; 205km (127 miles) NW of Rennes
The town that pottery built, Quimper, at the meeting of the Odet and Steir rivers, is the historic capital of Brittany's most traditional region, La Cornouaille. Today, its faïence decorates tables from Europe to the United States. Skilled artisans have been turning out Quimperware since the 17th century, using bold provincial designs. You can tour one of the ateliers; inquire at the tourist office . Today Quimper is rather smug and bourgeois, home to some 65,000 Quimperois, who walk narrow streets spared from World War II damage.
