WE all have our own personal list of favoured attractions, wondrous things that lure us to distant places. For some it’s fabled resorts, a glistening new cruise ship, or destination acclaimed for scenery. This journalist is incapable of passing a fort, will detour miles to explore one and has trekked considerable distances up remote mountain trails to explore ancient fortress ruins many might find uninspiring.

Add mountain background, historic village setting, dramatic history and possibly a scenic seascape and it’s an irresistible allure.

Bermudians are especially blessed because they’re surrounded by such a treasury of fortresses, beginning with the Royal Naval Dockyard, a genuine crown jewel in anyone’s fortress dream list.

So readers can imagine our enthusiasm when we discovered this was to be the year of Vauban in France. Vauban? When that was announced at a recent French government luncheon, it received a yawn from other press, excited by details of the latest TGV train, anticipated wine harvests and other French attractions.

Who was Vauban? Probably one of the greatest military engineers, designers and builder of forts and fortified towns in history. He was responsible for building 33 of them and upgrading 300 sites.

But in addition to that massive collection of fortifications, his style of attack during battles actually revolutionised siege warfare. This year marks the 300th anniversary of his death . . . and remarkably, some of his most famous designs remain in extraordinary condition all these centuries later, hopefully destined for UNESCO World Heritage Site recognition.

Anyone who has visited France has probably seen some of them dramatically looming over harbour and alpine passes. Their design is very distinctive, impregnable, often with a classical, defensive, star-like shape.

At first we began stumbling on them quite by accident. But it didn’t take long before we’d seen enough that we gained the ability to distinguish them on sight.

An extraordinary, quite overwhelming one on Belle Isle off the coast of Brittany is the high point of a visit there via small cruise ship. Another at Villefranche along the French Riviera gets considerable attention. The massive site at Neuf Brisach in Alsace, which is the last he built, encloses the entire town. It’s a site where we picnic annuallyK>The<$> list is a long and impressive one, from Bescanon to unique Entrevaux which climbs up a steep slope in Haute Provence. One of his rebuilds was Belfort, where short-sighted villagers tore down his outer walls to expand the city. Look for them in St. Malo, Antibes, Rochefort, Lille’s Citadel, Montmedy, Sisteron and Concarneau, for starters.One on Ste. Marguerite in the Lerins isIand lures this traveller back on each French Riviera trip. An easy boat ride from Cannes, it’s site is where the mysterious Man In The Iron Mask was imprisoned from 1687 to 1699.

Among his most famous is the remote collection of forts high in the Alps near the Italian border at Briancon. The site is absolutely unbelievable and scenery driving there spectacular.

We’d driven over to Barcellonette from Digne les Bains, where we were staying, then up over high mountain passes to this remote site. It’s on our list of places to revisit.

Vauban’s style is so distinctive, one never forgets it. In Cape Town, South Africa, I’d made an appointment to meet the man in charge of that city’s Castle of Good Hope, oldest surviving building in South Africa.

Stepping out of the car, after shaking hands, my first comment was: “That looks like a Vauban fort.”

Obviously pleased that he’d met someone who knew something about the subject, he expanded on its history.

“You’re very perceptive. It was certainly inspired by Vauban’s work and was built by the Dutch East India Company starting in 1666 an its stone construction took 30 years to complete.”

Vauban’s life was remarkable, very worthy of film attention. And, in fact, that will be happening with a special production shown at events across France this year. Born in northern Burgandy in 1633, son of what locals described “minor nobility”, he was ophaned at a young age and did not have an easy youth.

Sebastien le Prestre, Marquis de Vauban, joined King Louis XIVth’s army in 1658. His great ability as military strategist quickly obvious, he led 53 sieges, all brilliantly focused on a town’s defensive weak spots.

He once said that in order to plan a secure fortification, one first had to have the experience of an attacker — “a poacher turned gamekeeper”.

His solution was to construct star-shaped forts surrounded by sheer straight-sided moats and make certain there were no blind spots where the enemy could hide. The king was so impressed with his abilities, promotion came fast, along with all resources needed to carry out his massive fort construction projects. Not only did he build 33 forts and fortified walled towns, but strengthened and redesigned 300 others along France’s borders and coastline. A remarkable achievement.

His brilliance in utilising challenging geography to enhance a fort’s effectiveness was much praised. By 1668 he was appointed Governor of Lille, which had just been captured. He created the French Army Corps of Engineers, was very involved in the science of gunnery, redesigned ports, dug canals, and in 1703 was appointed Marechal of France.This traveller is admittedly intrigued by people who changed the course of history, only to be forgotten in following centuries by those whose lives they influence.

Happy, Vauban is now getting deserved attention and all over France this year his achievements are being saluted. There’s even a Vauban Association dedicated to preservation and recognition of his woHeld in great regard by the Sun King, so often at war with the English, Spanish and Dutch, Vauban fell out of grace for proposing the unthinkable. In 1706, the year before his death, Vauban published books proposing ideas for social reform. Obviously constant warfare and the king’s extravagant lifestyle left the treasury in constant debt.Vauban suggested that problem could be alleviated by taxing the aristocracy (who paid no tax or very little) as well as the common man who carried most of the burden.

That suggestion resulted in his being barred from the Versailles court and hastened his death the next year — this despite his masterful work for his country.

It took a century, but Napoleon realised Vauban’s incredible contribution to France, saluted his military genius, and arranged for him to be reburied with full honour in Paris’ Pantheon.

The town where he was born, Saint Leger-Vauban in the Morant district of Burgundy, honours his memory with a small Maison Vauban museum recalling his life. A special exhibit featuring aerial views of his major forts will be shown there through 2007.

Most of his adult life was spent at Chateau de Bazoches, a 12th-century feudal castle in the Morant region. Interestingly, King Richard the Lionheart had stayed there on his way to the Crusades. Vauban turned it into not only his home, but a military compound and workshop where he actually worked with his cadre of military engineers.

Models used by him in planning innovations for his fortifications are on display in Lille’s Musee des Beaux-Arts. And most of his famous forts have interesting interior museums covering their history. We’ve found them all well worth a visit.

When I asked for information about special events, the French Government Tourist Office sent me a package of events more than a quarter of an inch thick, most in locations where one can visit those remarkable forts. Frequently mentioned were celebrations at Belle Isle, Neuf-Brisach, Bescanon and Briancon. All definiely worth a detour.

See www.vauban 2007-bourgogne.org. Or simply type in Vauban for a wealth of information.

[obox] Next week: Quebec offers headline casinos and stellar attractions — might be just the place for a Cup Match weekend.

Vauban headlines summer calendar