Historical region, western central France.
It was bounded by Brittany , Anjou , Touraine , Marche, and the Atlantic Ocean. It was inhabited by the ancient Gallic tribe of Pictones and became part of Roman Aquitania. A meeting place of northern and southern cultures, its golden age (11th–12th century) was characterized by great Romanesque art and architecture. The counts of Poitiers were succeeded by the Angevin kings of England, but by 1375 the French had won the region back. It was a province of France until the French Revolution , when it was divided into three departments. It is predominantly a rural area; regional specialties include seafood and white wine.