48 hours in Valence

Anne-Sophie Pic grew up in Valence, as did her husband, David Sinapian, who has been running the company since she took over from her father. They illustrate two faces of the city. On the one hand, an illustrious family settled in Valence in 1935, when Anne-Sophie Pic's grandfather decided to leave the Auberge du Pin in Saint-Péray, Ardèche, to set up shop on the banks of Route 7. A childhood spent mainly behind the walls of the Maison Pic. On the other, an Armenian family who arrived in Valence in the 1920s via Marseille, following the genocide of 1915. This is the town with the highest concentration of Armenians in France, who found work in the region's textile factories. David Sinapian, son and grandson of hairdressers, grew up in the old town, but used to take the bus past Maison Pic on his way to play soccer. The establishment has changed, and not just him, but its surroundings too. Whereas in the 1930s this was still the countryside, today this residential area is part of the city, with the center just a 20-minute walk away.

Valence is bordered by the Rhône, whose presence is felt more than seen, and to approach it, you have to cross the Champ-de-Mars esplanade, admire the Peynet kiosk - which inspired Raymond Peynet's lovers - and then descend into the Parc Jouvet. The Rhône is there, close by, but cut off from the city and its inhabitants by the freeway. To get close to it, you have to go further south, to the Parc de l'Épervière, one of the Pic-Sinapian couple's favorite walks. You'll have to turn back and head for the old town to stroll its pedestrian streets: rue de la cathédrale, rue Perollerie with its craftsmen's workshops, stop in front of the Maison Dupré-Latour built in 1522 and the astonishing Maison Mauresque with its orientalist decor. You'll also come across the Bourse du Travail, now an exhibition venue, and, a stone's throw from Place des Clercs, the famous 16th-century Maison des Têtes. Then take the time to visit the Valence Museum of Art and Archaeology, which offers temporary exhibitions in addition to its permanent collections. Opposite the museum, in the Place des Ormeaux, is a recently installed work commissioned by the city from artist Jaume Plensa.

Leaving the town via Rue Saunière and its fashion boutiques, you're in for a radical change of era and style. Large, bourgeois Haussmann-style buildings line Place de la République, Boulevard Bancel and Boulevard Maurice-Clerc, leading to the (not-so-imposing) "monumental fountain". a stone's throw away is the Armenian Heritage Centre, with its exhibitions recounting not only the history of the Armenian diaspora but also, more broadly, that of migration. A short detour to Place du Palais, in front of the Louis-Pergaud school (attended by David Sinapian) where the first scenes of the film Un p'tit truc en plus were shot. Not far from there is a vast avenue lined with long avenues named after Jacques Pic. but that's not the only tribute to the chef. There's also a bronze bas-relief near the Peynet kiosk and his portrait on the fresco of the Valentinois, located in a small passageway.

It was not without difficulty, not without years of hardship for the couple, that the Maison Pic returned to the pinnacle of French gastronomy. It has brought in its wake the opening of numerous food shops and restaurants, created by talents who have passed through its walls. Valentinois - and others - can rest assured that the succession is already in preparation: Nathan, Anne-Sophie and David's son, who made his choice in complete freedom, is in training. It would not be surprising to see him return to Valence to work alongside his mother in a few years' time, after having honed his skills at some of the world's finest restaurants. Iasked her the question: do you like the city? Do you like it? He said yes, I have all my friends there. He may be abroad for a while, but he'll be back.