Vie Insulaire Portraits Insulaires Edouard Samzun Festival Belle Ile On Air Belle-île, la plus grande des îles de Bretagne au large du Golfe du Morbihan

Édouard Samzun

Multi-hatted islander

Édouard Samzun is a major actor of the event industry in Belle-île! Managers of two companies “Escale Lumineuse” and “Belle Ile Réception”, he is also administrator of the Belle Ile On Air festival, The island festival of current music! New adventure, in October 2020, he bought the Café des Matelots, mythical address of Le Palais, created in 1932 by his great-grandmother.

Édouard Samzun

Tired of city life, he returned to his roots

He likes

Creeks and caves by paddle
Autumn in Belle-île
The island's intergenerational mix

Would you please introduce yourself?

My parents are original bellilois, who left for Nantes for professional reasons. Belle-île was reserved only for weekends and vacations. I lived and studied in Nantes and Vannes, but I made the choice to return to my roots, 8 years ago now. It was an obvious choice for me. The city life and the office routine were not for me, I was suffocating.

For what reasons are you attached to Belle-île?

I come from a family of sailors and I am the only one in my siblings who does not “fit the mold”. But with Belle-île, the environment is magical and my relationship with the sea, daily.

The landscapes and the contrasts between land and sea are strong. Here, it’s like a cocoon, everyone knows each other and says hello. I find that mutual aid is very present and the inter-generational mix very concrete. I have friends twice my age and it’s very rich. When I need to get out of the cocoon, I go for a paddle ride or to the mainland. Many of us here live by the tourist season.

Changer de rythme - déplacement doux, déconnexion, tranquilité, Se dépasser - sports, Belle île en mer, île de Bretagne, Bretagne sud, au large du Golfe du Morbihan

Venir à Belle-Île, traversées lignes régulières, Belle île en mer, île de Bretagne, Bretagne sud, au large du Golfe du Morbihan

What is your favorite thing about Belle-Île?

It’s the siren of the arrival of the boat entering the port at Le Palais and the passage of the lighthouses. It’s also my great-grandmother’s Breton cake and far! In a nod, I decided to take over with an associate, Le Café des Matelots which she created in 1932, and write new pages there, around concerts and cultural times.

What is your daily “eco-gesture” to preserve Belle-Île?

Drink tap water, reduce my paper printing, favor short circuits.

What is your favorite season on Belle-île?

Autumn, because it is often radiant and it is also the sign of the end of the season, we find some calm, it is the break and the time of parties with friends!

Histoire - Patrimoine bâti, Belle île en mer, île de Bretagne, Bretagne sud, au large du Golfe du Morbihan

Your advice, to visitors of a day as well as those of a lifetime?

For those of a day as well as those of a lifetime, I will tell them: Let go, relax!

Édouard's opinion

For your private events (weddings, receptions, seminars) call on him, eyes closed! Escale Lumineuse and Belle-Ile Réception.

On the occasion of your stopover, don’t miss the evenings of the Café des Matelots…With in particular the karaoke evenings on Sunday evening…Atmosphere guaranteed!

Staying authentic

Meet other ambassadors

Histoire Patrimoine, Le Palais, capitale de Belle-île-en-Mer, la plus grande des îles bretonnes, Bretagne Sud

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