Brocante de Diou

Brocante de Diou: Bargain hunting by the Loire

Diou is a small commune located in the extreme northeast of the Allier department, on the left bank of the Loire. Its bridge, which spans the royal river, marks the border between the Allier and Saone-et-Loire. Every first Sunday of September, the village organizes its annual flea market in the streets of the town.

A Loire village

The Loire flows through the north of the Allier department for several tens of kilometers, between Cher and Saone-et-Loire. Diou is one of the few Bourbonnais villages directly located on the river. The banks of the Loire offer landscapes of sandy shores, oxbow lakes, and alluvial forests that constitute a remarkable natural environment.

The bocage of northern Allier

Around Diou, the landscape is that of the Bourbonnais bocage in its most preserved form: pastures delimited by live hedges, isolated farms with flat tile roofs, sunken paths lined with hornbeams and oaks. This pastoral setting provides a pleasant backdrop for the village flea market.