Missouri's oldest community, the French and German heritage of tiny STE GENEVIEVE , sixty miles south of St Louis, retains its eighteenth-century charm through historic cottages, a redbrick square and summer festivals. A perennial favorite of Mississippi flood waters, the town, with a population of 4500, has recently been sheltered by a $50 million levee, a measure taken to ensure the safety of homes that pre-date the American Revolution. The St Gemme Beauvais , 78 N Main St (tel 573/883-3562 or 1-877/272-5588; $50-75), is a nineteenth-century Greek Revival inn downtown, while Amish variations on catfish, chicken and seafood are on the menu in the Anvil Saloon , 43 S Third St (tel 573/883-7323).

Ste Genevieve

• Ste Genevieve

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