There was rain in the night – though it is hardly any cooler this morning. But no complaints – this is what we were dreaming of all winter!

Heading south from Montbard we finally left the Armancon valley and climbed into low hills to the east, aiming for the Chateau Bussy Rabutin. But whereas yesterday we arrived by chance just in time for the guided tour of Chateau Ancy le Franc, this time we toiled up the hill just in time for lunchtime closing! Oh well, there are only so many chateaux you can see on one trip.

Things improved greatly at our next stop – at Alesia. This has a significant place in French cultural heritage – as the man in the bar in Montbard had been keen to point out over our breakfast this morning. Here, in their hilltop fortification, the ancient gauls under Vercingetorix were finally beaten by the army of Julius Caesar. Please note the word hilltop. We climbed a long way at 10% plus just for this bit of cultural nourishment – so we are going to share it with you, like it or not! Napoleon III erected a huge statue of Vercingetorix – but really only to celebrate his own claim to have reunited an independent France for the first time since the gauls.

There was a fascinating, though hardly photogenic, archaeological excavation of the Gallo-Roman settlement that followed in the centuries after the battle – amphitheatre, temple, forum and all.

Then back to the valley before a final climb to the medieval hilltop village of Flavigny. This is on the site of the roman camp prior during the siege and battle of Alesia. But it is better known now for being the location for the filming of ‘Chocolat’. I assumed that our small hotel (the first since Paris) would be run by Juliette Binoche – but no such luck, though our hostess is as charming and the evening meal was superb.

Helen set off to scout the village in the evening looking for Johnny Depp. No luck, but we found the chocolaterrie window and attracted the attention of a friendly local who showed us the photo album from the film shoot, with all the locals looking nervous as extras. And there were photos of the two stars – the nearest we are going to get.

Filmic associations apart, this is a truly lovely village. We spent our previous two summer holidays cycling up to hilltop villages in Provence and in Tuscany, so we consider ourselves connoisseurs of the genre (and probably masochists)! This is at least as good as any, in a quiet, undeveloped way.