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Quartier de l'Ile de Penotte

Old towns ·Les Sables-d'Olonne
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#5Old towns in FranceMost reviewed in Les Sables-d'OlonneTravelers' Choice 2025
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About

Quartier de l'Ile de Penotte is a pedestrian quarter of shell-mosaic houses in central Les Sables-d’Olonne, behind the Remblai.

More photos 10

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Quartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Sea life mosaics with jellyfish and a large fish along Rue de la Navette U4you · CC0 · edited
Quartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Sea life mosaics with jellyfish and a large fish along Rue de la NavetteQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Colorful lane with pink shutters, hanging flowers and shell mosaicsQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Bear and penguin mosaics decorate the windows beside a doorwayQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Blue arched doorway framed by colorful shell mosaicsQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Shell mosaic octopus spread across a rough stone wallQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Seahorse assembled from shells against a pale blue wallQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Large shell crab mosaic surrounded by smaller shells and greeneryQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Owl mosaic climbing a corner wall above a terracotta roofQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Small black cat mosaic beside flower pots on a low wallQuartier de l'Ile de Penotte — Shell decorations and small mosaics beside a blue barred window

Why go

  • Danièle Arnaud-Aubin’s shell designs draw on mythology and fairy tales.
  • Narrow, winding pedestrian streets sit behind the Remblai.

Don't miss

  • Shell mosaic designsLook closely at how whelks, oysters, scallops and mussels become multicoloured designs.Rue d'Assas

Tips for your visit

  • Approach Rue d'Assas from Rue Travot; the quarter itself is pedestrian.

Best time to visit

  • The quarter is accessible every day, 24 hours a day.

Interesting facts3

1/3

  1. Local artist Danièle Arnaud-Aubin created the shell decorations and is known as the “Dame aux coquillages.”

    L’Ile Penotte - Les Sables d'Olonne

  2. The mosaics use whelks, periwinkles, oysters, clams, scallops, mussels and exotic shellfish.

    L’Ile Penotte - Les Sables d'Olonne

  3. Danièle Arnaud-Aubin draws on mythology, fairy tales and fantasy stories for her designs.

    L’Ile Penotte - Les Sables d'Olonne

Shorts

History

The district’s earlier name was l'Ile Perdue; Penotte originally named a street that has since disappeared.

  1. French RevolutionThe district was then known as l'Ile Perdue.
  2. 19th centuryThe name Penotte appeared for a street that no longer exists. Its origin is unknown.

Sources: Les Sables-d'Olonne - Wikivoyage (see) · L’Ile Penotte - Les Sables d'Olonne · checked 6 Oct 2026

Where
5-7 Rue d'Assas, Les Sables d Olonne

Plan from here: A day out →

Questions and answers

Where is Quartier de l'Ile de Penotte?

5–7 Rue d'Assas, Les Sables-d’Olonne, Vendée, Pays de la Loire.

Can I go inside the decorated houses?

The attraction described here is the shell decoration on the houses; no interior visits are specified.

Does the name Penotte have a known meaning?

Its origin is unknown.

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