Gastronomy
Monpazier is labelled a "Grand site national", it has no less than 32 listed buildings and is regarded as the prime example of a "bastide" among the 300 in South-western France. Monpazier has had countless awards to salute, but also to protect, the outstanding heritage of this fortified village that was founded by Edward I of England in 1284.
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Salers stands at an altitude of 950 m in the "Parc Naturel Régional des Volcans d’Auvergne" Nature Park and is a site not to be missed in the region. It is a unique 16C architectural whole and its old houses made of dark lavastone and topped with turrets give the village an austere charm. Among the wealth of treasures to be found in the fortified town are the Church of Saint Mathieu with five 17C Aubusson tapestries, an entombment and a polychrome lectern.
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Mornac-sur-Seudre is an old fishing and commercial port which today focuses more on oyster farming and the salt produced by its marshes. As you wander through the village, which is a classic example of Charente coastal villages, you will discover its white painted houses with their green or blue shutters that are often hidden by hollyhocks.
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Built in 1255 on a rocky spur bypassed by the River Auzoue, Montréal was the first Gascon “bastide”. The streets are laid out on a grid pattern and lead to the main square with an arcade and half-timbered houses from where visitors can discover the gothic church which is partly fortified. On the neighbouring hill of Séviac, the 4C villa paved with more than thirty multi-coloured mosaic tilings serves as a reminder that the village was built on a former Gallo-Roman site.
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Perched above the valleys and hills of Quercy Blanc, this fortified village founded in the 12C by the Count of Toulouse is on the "via Podiensis", one of the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. Many traces of its historical and religious past still remain intact : the main square and its cobblestones, stone-built or half-timbered houses, and the pilgrim’s garden to name but a few
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The walls of Larressingle rise up amid the vineyards in Armagnac country, just a short distance from Condom. The ochre and grey stone houses still with their mullioned windows and arched doorways are clustered around the castle keep and its twin-nave church. This is an ideal spot to appreciate not only the charm but also the food of the Gers.
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In superb scenery formed by the Cirque de Salazie and its lush vegetation, the architecture of Hell-Bourg is a combination of Creole features and Belle Epoque heritage stemming from its former glory as a spa.
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Beynac-et-Cazenac lies 10 kilometres southwest of Sarlat, on the banks of the Dordogne, and boasts an imposing castle, once besieged by Richard the Lion Heart, around which "lauze" stone slab-roofed houses with their creamy façades are built.
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Les Baux-de-Provence lies perched like an eagle’s nest in the heart of the Alpilles and is a must-see place in Provence which artists, craftspeople and makers of local produce keep alive all year round.
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Perched at an altitude of 635 m, it is easy to see why Tourtour is nicknamed "the village in the sky of Provence". The stone houses topped with round tiles, Place des Ormeaux and its fountain, the arched passageways and narrow streets bathed in sunlight amid countryside of vineyards, lavender and pine trees : nothing is missing ! The walls of the medieval castle and the 17C castle tell several tales of the village’s past.
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