By the waterside
Apremont is nestled in the heart of Berry, in a bocage landscape criss-crossed by hedges and copses on the banks of the Allier. The village is overlooked by its castle which is surrounded by a flower garden inspired by Vita Sackville-West’s landscaped garden in Sissinghurst ; the village was completely restored in the last century.
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15 kilometres south of Royan, Talmont sits on a rocky peak overlooking the Gironde estuary ; it still has its original layout as a "bastide", built in 1284 by Edward I Duke of Aquitaine. Towering above the village, the magnificent church of Sainte Radegonde, symbol of the Poitou-Charentes region, is still protected by ramparts. In the village, whitewashed houses and blue shutters peep out behind hollyhocks
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Le Faou lies in one of the rias or long narrow inlets in Brest harbour and is on the route to get to the Presqu’île de Crozon. It was once a bustling port what with the transport of oak and especially beech (ar faou in Breton) from the trees that stood in Le Cranou forest. From its golden age in the 16C the village has kept many corbelled houses built of shale and granite and also the church of Saint Sauveur.
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In the heart of the Cantal Mountains, Anjony Castle, a magnificent square building with four round towers, keeps watch over Tournemire, a delightful leafy village. Around the 12C Romanesque church, the 14C and 15C houses with their tufa stone walls and "lauze" stone-slab or slate roofs are typical of traditional Cantal houses.
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Sainte-Eulalie is on the right bank of the River Lot and the village is laid out in a succession of arcs around the church square, a church which is a masterpiece of Romanesque and gothic art. In the narrow streets paved with stones from the Lot, the houses date from the 15C to 18C and are lovingly bedecked with flowers by their inhabitants. The mills along the River Serre are a particular feature of the village and bear witness to the former crafts of tanning and drapery which used to use the water for power.
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On the slopes of a canyon cut by the gorges of the Tarn, Sainte-Enimie sets out its massive limestone houses in tiers at the foot of an old Benedictine monastery, all that remains of which is a chapel and a chapter house. At its feet is Burle spring which is said to have cured the Merovingian princess Enimie of leprosy.
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Sainte-Agnès is perched at an altitude of 800m and offers a wonderful panoramic view of the Mediterranean. It used to protect the Franco-Italian border on the Maginot line and was a coveted military site for a long time. Today, the village offers visitors seeking authenticity its narrow paved streets, its unobstructed view of the French Riviera and its sunny weather.
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In the Aveyron département but on the banks of the Lot, Saint-Côme-d’Olt was built behind the ditches of the old fortified town. The flamboyant gothic style church with its crooked spire, the Penitents’ Chapel and the Manor of the Sires of Calmont dating from the 12C stand alongside the old medieval stalls and the fine 15C and 16C houses to make a delightful combination.
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15 kilometres southwest of Alençon, Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei lies nestled in a loop of the River Sarthe that is spanned by a small stone bridge. Its old houses are clustered around the 11C Romanesque church that boasts outstanding frescoes. On the other side of the river, opposite a delightful 15C chapel, a miracle spring, which arose following a prayer made by Saint Céneri, is said to have the power to cure certain eye diseases.
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At the North of Gard, La Roque-sur-Cèze was built on a rock peak overlooking the Cèze which spans a twelve-arches old bridge. Dominated by the traces of the former castle and its chapel, the village with sloping cobbled streets and its houses, made with creamy stones and curved-tiles cornices, offers a breathtaking view of the Cascades du Sautadet, an exceptional natural site which adds to the attraction of the place.
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 Chemin Pierre Maison _ Pbvf.jpg "Roque-sur-ceze (La) Chemin Pierre Maison _ Pbvf.jpg")
