The long-awaited Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie will open its doors in Lyon this autumn. A crowning achievement for the city with its rich culinary tradition, the birthplace of the famous chef Paul Bocuse and the bouchons. France.fr opens the doors of this hybrid venue in the heart of the Grand Hôtel-Dieu, on the banks of the Rhône.
The much-anticipated Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie, scheduled to open on 19 October 2019, should further cement Lyon's place as a popular destination for food lovers.
At once a museum, a cultural centre, a place of life and innovation, the city explores the most fundamental of human experiences: growing food, preparing a meal and gathering around the table.
*The objective is to propose a vision of culinary culture where excellence, diversity and accessibility will be the key words to make the heart of the historic monument beat faster," explains starred chef Régis Marcon, president of the strategic orientation committee of the Cité internationale de la gastronomie de Lyon.
The city is not only a journey through the pleasures of the table but also explores the themes of health, well-being and the French art of living.
These themes are reflected in the layout of the city and its 4,000 m² spread over four floors. On the first floor, in the oldest part of the building, the permanent exhibition focuses on the links between food and health.
The gastronomic meal under the microscope
Conceived and produced by the Musée des Confluences and designed by the Casson Mann agency, the permanent exhibition explores Lyon's gastronomy by reconstituting a real banquet to which the visitor is invited. It also shows all the stages of the gastronomic meal as well as culinary traditions from the four corners of the globe and the history of the Hôtel-Dieu, where food and health were one and the same.
Restaurants, shops and now a hotel. The Hôtel-Dieu, in Lyon, is the perfect place for a stay combining gastronomy and heritage. France.fr has set up shop at the InterContinental Lyon Hôtel-Dieu... Until the Cité de la Gastronomie opens next autumn.
On the second floor, the Gastro'Lab is dedicated to new professional initiatives in the sector, while the MIAM MIAM! space offers an understanding of the food cycle, from product to consumption. The top floor houses temporary exhibitions and an open kitchen for cooking demonstrations and other thematic tastings open to the public.
The Cité internationale de la gastronomie de Lyon is located in the Grand Hôtel-Dieu, a former hospital founded in the 12th century along the Rhône, recognisable by its imposing Grand Dôme designed by the architect Jacques-Germain Soufflot, who also built the Pantheon in Paris.
This jewel of Lyon's architectural heritage has been entirely renovated and continues to serve as a place to live. It now houses restaurants, shops and the InterContinental Lyon Hôtel-Dieu hotel, which opened before the summer.
The Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie, installed in the oldest part of the monument, completes this offer around gastronomy and well-being.
By Andrew Milne
Andrew Milne is the content coordinator for us.france.fr, juggling original creations, translations, and social media—as well as his endless quest to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie. He's a self-described foodie, wanderlust victim, and history nerd. Andrew has traveled extensively in Europe, studied in Paris and worked as an assistant teacher in Pau. Contact: andrew.milne@atout-france.fr
