The social program being prepared by the organizing committee and is likely to evolve depending on the scientific program and the booking possibilities.
“Wine and cheese party” (1-2 hours, end at 7 pm)
Stay in the conference congress center in the late afternoon to discover the industrial exhibition and enjoy some regional specialities.
Touraine gastronomy is recognized in France thanks to its originality. Rabelais and Gargantua have made it famous with saint-maure-de-touraine (goat cheese), rillons and rillettes, Cormery macarons… Touraine offers most of ten AOC wines, red wines: bourgueil, saint-nicolas-de-bourgueil, chinon, touraine… and white wines: vouvray, montlouis-sur-loire, touraine sauvignon…
Excursion (2-3 hours, end at 7 pm)
Discover some typical places of the Tours region in the afternoon. You register on-site for one of the following excursions – we will provide the bus transfer and the guided tour.
Please note that, since all visits are booked in advance, the choice of the excursions will follow a first-come, first-served basis.
The excursion fee is included in your registration fees.
1) The city of Tours and visit of the Companions museum (Musée du Compagnonnage)
Tours city, between tradition and modernity, heritage and development, right in the idle of the Val-de-Loire region is part of the UNESCO worldwide heritage and has the label of City of Art and History.
The Musée du Compagnonnage (Trade Guilds Museum), housed in the former Abbey of Saint-Julien de Tours, exhibits a range of truly remarkable collections. Collective masterpieces from the 19th century, masterpieces of patience, masterpieces created for reception into a guild, along with Companions’ attributes (sticks, flasks and colours), commemorative pictures, tools, archives, traditions and works by Companions of the Tour of France, from their beginnings to the present day, are all represented.This is the only museum of its kind in the world.
2) The city of Tours and visit of the contemporary art center Olivier Debré (centre de creation contemporaine Olivier Debré)
The contemporary art center Olivier Debré opened in March 2017, as the custodian of an endowment granted by the painter Olivier Debré.
Throughout his career, Olivier Debré (1920-1999) showed a particular attachment to the Loire. The current temporary exhibition is: “Olivier Debré: A journey to Norway”. Norway, a destination he travelled to most frequently, was the birthplace for an outstanding collection of paintings with a unique color palette.
3) The castle of Chaumont-sur-Loire
A natural belvedere overlooking the unspoilt Loire, offering one of the most beautiful views of this royal river, the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire extends over an area of 30ha and welcomes more than 385,000 visitors a year.
The estate comprises the castle (15C-19C), stables and landscaped park designed by Henri Duchêne, and is also the venue for the International Garden Festival. The estate is also currently hosting installations by contemporary artists and exhibitions by famous photographers.
The château, which overlooks the Loire Valley UNESCO World Heritage site, is a fine example of the Gothic period’s defensive architecture as well as of the ornamental architecture of the Renaissance. Chaumont-sur-Loire’s stables are typical of what wealthy members of the aristocracy had built to accommodate their horses in the later years of the 19th century.
The international Garden Festival is organized on this 32-hectare domain from 20 April to 5 November.
Transportation by bus will be provided (45 minutes from Tours city). The visit includes the castle, the stables and the gardens.
Conference dinner (7 pm to midnight!)
The conference dinner will be organized in the surprising and relaxing “Espace Nobugoshi”. An aperitif will be served in the Japanese garden and the dinner will be served in the tropical hall.
Prices for best posters will be given at this occasion.
Transportation by bus will be provided (30 minutes from Tours city).
To know more about Tours and the Loire Valley, visit http://www.tours-tourism.co.uk/.
