It is located 80 km NE of Paris via the RN2 facing Laon. Its nickname Petite villa sur la côte de Retz means Little villa by the coast of Retz, as the town is situated next to the Retz forest which covers 130 km² of land.
The local château, known as Château de Noüe was built in the 16th century for Francis I and later got 18th century régence decoration by Gilles-Marie Oppenord. The original château was built around 950 AD and was burnt to the ground twice before being rebuilt out of stone in the early 1100's. The front entrance is the only original remaining structure, which is listed with the Historic Monument Registry at the Beaux Arts. The château was purchased from the de Noüe family by Francis I to house his mistress Anne de Pissleux. The current owner is the Pepinieres du Valois, an agricultural venture.
