As soon as you arrive in that small village you will feel a kind of "déjà vu" sensation. Thanks to its historical and cultural heritage Villeneuve used to be an important destination for the "Grand Tour" travellers.
Here passed by the famous English landscape painter Turner, the village and its ruins are on one of his paintings. The painter was certainly impressed by the imposing 18th century Tour Colin, residence of the noble Gontard. He was also amazed by the castle Châtel-Argent built in the 11th century on a previous roman site.
Today you see only the circular tower with its battlement and the ruins of the chapel Santa Colomba. The chapel has one nave and a rectangular shape ending with a semi circular apse. It is assumed the chapel was entirely coloured as some yellow, red and green ruins had been found inside it (not evident anymore).
The church Santa Maria, located at the bottom of the castle, is considered one of the most interesting religious monuments in the whole valley. During the excavation were found remains dating back to the 5th century. The crypt is made of three naves, the Romanic bell-tower is square shaped with one, two and three-light windows. The inner surfaces of the vaults show an interesting series of frescoes dating back to the 16th century.
The new church of Santa Maria Assunta is in the village centre, only few steps from a 16th century house showing gothic windows.
Villeneuve isn't only for intellectual ones, here you enjoy sports too: rafting, kayak, hydrospeed and adventure park are for grown up and children. Not far from the sport centre, with its outdoor swimming pool, is the fluvial playground and the keep-fit path.
Do not miss a visit to the hydroelectric plant in Champagne (booking is required). It's a real industrial monument of the Belle Epoque age . Built in 1921, the power station is very bleak outside while shows internal precious decorations and architectural ornaments.
Local craftsmen and
typical products are here to delight you.