Poitiers is for the discerning few. By that, of course, I mean people like me. Mature and civilised, we are as hip and cool as an Austin Princess.

On our travels, we avoid techno-chic cocktail bars, purple-lit boutique hotels and anything at all described as “cutting edge”. We favour lived-in landscapes, church frescoes and meals that come from recognisable sources rather than laboratories.

We also favour quite a lot of wine, flavouring, as it does, the calm of continuity rather than the clamour of the contemporary.

“Yeah, right, has-beens,” says a juvenile close at hand.

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“No, my boy,” I reply. “Timeless.” That is why we go to Poitiers, which nestles in west-central France, largely unnoticed. It doesn’t care. The place had its moments in the Middle Ages, as base to Eleanor of Aquitaine’s court, with a full complement of artists, aristocrats and bad-tempered bishops. The period equipped it with a framework of outstanding buildings, noble (if narrow) streets and a lasting sense of self-worth. Then, about eight centuries later, the city had a rush of blood to the head and built the Futuroscope theme park.

In between, not much happened. Poitiers relaxed into being a small provincial capital, which, in France, is quite enough. It ensures a constant supply of students, lawyers, clerics, shops, political dispute, bars and restaurants.

This present life buzzes through the past, convinced that, whatever the rest of the world thinks, Poitiers is the place to be. While you are strolling along with it, you will agree. It is also a good kick-off point for a drive through the east of the Vienne département – a land of forest, farming and riverside villages that, if you don’t mind, I would like to restrict to us discerning few. The route assumes arrival in Poitiers in late afternoon.

DAY ONE

First job is to hurry to the 12th-century Notre-Dame-la-Grande church on Place Charles-de-Gaulle. The facade is alive with statuary and reliefs, a stone-cut, multistorey comic book of the New Testament’s greatest hits. I was particularly impressed to see baby Jesus in the bath, overseen by a sheep. The whole thing is a marvel, the finest Romanesque frontage in France.

Check into the Grand Hôtel (28 Rue Carnot; 00 33-5 49 60 90 60, www.grandhotelpoitiers.fr; doubles from £60), which is grand in a modest way, with art-deco overtones. Fortuitously, Rue Carnot is crammed with restaurants. Bistrot La Villette (No 21; 05 49 60 49 49; menus from £14) is bright and right opposite the hotel.

DAY TWO

There are a few – but only a few – joys more intense than setting off to explore a French town as the sun burns off the early-morning mist. Especially in Poitiers, where the limestone buildings speak of men of the robe and the cloth bustling about vital provincial business. Amble around the centre as people open up food shops, swab pavements, take a first coffee of the day and leg it for work. There’s a rooted sense of purpose abroad.

At the end of Rue Gambetta, the Palais de Justice is built round the vast gothic hall where our Angevin kings held court. It dwarfs the serious shuffle of contemporary barristers and their clients, all continuing the centuries-old legal tradition of looking as miserable as hell. Wander down the hill to the cathedral, the 4th-century baptistry and, round the corner, Ste-Radegonde’s church, which contains “Christ’s footprint”. It’s in stone behind a grille to the side of the nave, and raises rather more questions than it answers.

Stroll back along the Grand’Rue, then leave town, northeast on the D3. The road, spirit-level straight through fields, woodland and beguiling villages, lollops into La Roche-Posay, billed as “European capital of thermal dermatology”. The place is as bright and buffed-up as a spa village should be, with a belle époque raffishness round the edges. Alongside, a medieval section steps haphazardly down to the River Creuse.

Take a walk, then lunch at the Restaurant Saint-Roch, just off the main square (05 49 19 49 00; two courses £16.50). Next, totter south along the River Gartempe to Angles-sur-l’Anglin, the French HQ of drawn-thread embroidery. This is the art of making decorative holes in table- and bedlinen. Village ladies are all at it, displaying their wares in a little exhibition centre.

On examining the price tags, you may conclude that France’s obsession with artisanship has finally got out of hand: £800 for a tray cloth is, perhaps, £785 too much.

Fortunately, the village is so peaceably pretty that you forgive it this foible. Dropping to the river like a packed amphitheatre, it has a cliff-topping castle crumbled to perfection. Stay at the lovely Lyon d’Or (4 Rue d’Enfer; 05 49 48 32 53, www.lyondor.com; doubles from £59). Dine there, too; £20 for two courses.

DAY THREE

The locals have been prettifying this place for 15,000 years. That’s how long ago Magdalenian man was carving the rock walls hereabouts. The reliefs are closed to the public, but are recreated and explained at the new Roc-aux-Sorciers centre (2 Route Certeaux; 05 49 83 37 27, www.roc-aux-sorciers.com; £5).

Then southwest to Chauvigny. Park down below and climb through the intimacy of local life to the medieval bit up top. Within the ramparts, five separate forts haven’t stopped the place being hammered from the Hundred Years’ war through to the second world war. The best, the Château des Evêques, is as dominant and magnificently crumbly as the castle in Angles. The real pearl, though, is the Romanesque St Pierre church, whose interior decor is picked out in brilliant red. If it’s Saturday, don’t miss the huge market in the lower town. Goods range from saddlery to Lincolnshire sausages, though I’d think twice before investing in the live eels.

Afterwards, head east to St-Savin, for lunch at the Bistrot de Bruno (Place de la République; 05 49 48 19 03; two courses from £10). Now a real treat: the planet’s finest Romanesque frescoes in the great abbey church. They’re being restored, so half the interior looks like a giant Portakabin, but you can still get a good idea, and come July or August, the paintings will be revealed in full majesty. Crane your neck – the frescoes are all on the ceiling – and wallow in Old Testament tales richly told 900 years ago. Among the 55 scenes, you’ll note Shem and Japheth covering up the nakedness of their drunken dad, Noah.

So to Lussac-les-Châteaux and Hôtel les Orangeries (12 Avenue Dr Dupont; 05 49 84 07 07, www.lesorangeries.com; doubles from £68 mid-season, £76 high). This wears an eco-label, which had me fearing the worst: insufferable bearded blokes lecturing me about polar bears over the wholemeal porridge.

In truth, it’s a delightful 18th-century spot, magnificently restored and furnished. The lady owner has indeed caught the eco-bug (recycling, energy conservation, local organic suppliers, that sort of thing), but passes it on with charm and optimism. Have a drink in the lounge, stroll in the gardens, note the 35-metre pool – it’s like the end of a canal – and dine on the £23 fixed menu.

DAY FOUR

Back to Poitiers and follow the signs for Futuroscope (05 49 49 11 12, www.futuroscope.com; adults £26, 5-16 years £19.50). The theme park looks like a city of the future as envisaged about 1968, and delivers a punch that left me laughing. No space to do it justice here, so please believe me. This is where the discerning few let their hair down and join the discerning many.

Travel details: Poitiers is a 5½ hour drive from Calais, or 3-4 hours from the Brittany ports. Cross with Brittany Ferries (0870 907 6103, www.brittany-ferries.com), P&O Ferries (0871 664 5645, www.poferries.com), Sea France (0871 663 2546, www.seafrance.com), or Eurotunnel (0870 535 3535, www.eurotunnel.com). Alternatively, Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to Poitiers from Stansted and Birmingham. Car hire for the trip duration is from £76 with Hertz, via the Ryanair website. Or try Holiday Autos (0871 472 5229, www.holidayautos.co.uk).

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