Rontalon

Rontalon can be explored through three distinct themes: the Maison du modélisme agricole, the construction history of the Église Saint-Romain-en-Lyonnais, and walking trails with clearly stated distances, times and elevation gains. When planning your trip, it is useful to distinguish between visiting requirements and trail profiles: the museum requires advance booking, while the routes described vary in the time and elevation gain they involve. You can therefore plan your stay around an exhibition, church architecture or a specific walk.

Museum and architectural history

The Maison du modélisme agricole is housed in a former Franciscan convent chapel. Its permanent exhibition displays scale models of agricultural machinery made by Paul Buyer. Buyer was from Rontalon, so the models connect a specific technical subject with the life of a native of the village. Visits are possible every day by prior appointment; requests must be made 24 hours in advance. Plan your visit accordingly.

The Église Saint-Romain-en-Lyonnais was built between 1869 and 1872 in the neo-Gothic style and has particularly noteworthy stained-glass windows. Its oldest bell dates from 1494 and has been listed as a Monument historique since April 14, 1904. The construction period and the bell offer two different historical points of reference: a 19th-century church and a much older feature of its furnishings.

The Chapelle Saint-Roch was built in gratitude for Rontalon having been spared during the plague epidemic of 1624. It was rebuilt in 1903 and is now destroyed. Its history is thus connected with two different periods, and its present condition is also relevant to understanding it.

Comparing walking trails

Municipal information dated March 9, 2022, describes the Circuit des Ravières as a loop marked in red: it is 8 kilometres long, takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes, and has an elevation gain of 209 metres. Most of the route avoids paved roads, following many shady paths and passing through a highly varied landscape. The Tour de Bezin is marked in green; it is listed as 4.5 kilometres long, takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes, and has an elevation gain of 244 metres. Based on these figures, the Tour de Bezin is shorter and takes less time, but it also has 35 metres more elevation gain than the Circuit. Both walking times are estimates. Check local trail conditions before setting out.

The Tour de Bezin leads to the Chapelle Saint-Roch and the Croix de Saint-Roch beside it. This brings the chapel’s history together with the route description, while keeping its present condition in mind.

Landscape and seasonal trails

Rontalon preserves a dynamic agricultural landscape in a hilly setting, shaped by pastures, cultivated fields and orchards. You can encounter the agricultural theme from two perspectives: in the landscape itself and in the scale models of machinery at the Maison du modélisme agricole.

Seasonality is part of planning for the Sentier Land'Art: the trail starts at Trève de Tiremanteau and is accessible from May to October. The Croix des Ravières provides another landmark in the landscape. It stands at an elevation of 646 metres, 100 metres from the Circuit des Ravières. In clear weather, the view from there extends across the Lyon plain and the Alps. The 646 metres refers to the elevation of the point, while the figures of 209 and 244 metres of elevation gain describe the respective routes—different figures to bear in mind when planning.

Discover more destinations: Ouroux, Quincié-En-Beaujolais, Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, Saint-Apollinaire, Lucenay, Solaise, Avenas, Saint-Martin-en-Haut

For the broader travel guide: Rhône.