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The culinary center of France, Dijon boasts splendid Gothic and Renaissance treasures that recall its heady days as the capital of the Kingdom of Burgundy. During medieval days, Burgundy grew to encompass a vast and wealthy region from the Mediterranean to the Low Countries of Belgium and The Netherlands. What once was a kingdom is now a province in eastern-central France, and Dijon remains its capital, a treasure trove of half-timbered houses and grand churches dating to its most prosperous period. Skirted by the Ouche Rive and a côte, or hillside, of lush farmlands and vineyards, the city is home to some of the finest chefs in the world with access to one of France’s most fertile regions. Beef bourguignon is a famed local dish, and its eponymous mustard, created here in 1856, crowds the market stalls. For oenophiles, all roads lead to Burgundy and Dijon, and one in particular—the Route des Grands Crus—is the address of eight of the 10 most expensive wines in the world. There is much to raise your glass to in Dijon, a gracious city of welcoming plazas, magnificent architecture topped with the city’s typical toits bourguignons (multi-colored polychrome roofs) and the beautifully preserved Ducal Palace, home to today’s Town Hall and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dijon, a splendid fine arts museum.