Three new villages have been awarded the ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ status!

Three new villages have been awarded the ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France’ status!

Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var), Marcolès (Cantal) and Villeneuve (Aveyron) were awarded the label on Saturday 21 September 2024 in Polignac (Haute-Loire).

So it’s a moment of glory for Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var), Marcolès (Cantal) and Villeneuve (Aveyron)! The event took place on Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September in Polignac (Haute-Loire), the Quality and Accreditation Committee of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’ has indeed voted to award the accreditation to these three candidate villages. The body responsible for decisions on classification and declassification within the national network has also renewed the accreditation for 11 member villages, bringing the total number of ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’ to 180.

Bormes-les-Mimosas: a natural choice.

This village in the Var, perched between the hills and the Mediterranean not far from Brégançon Fort, needs no introduction! Indeed, the village was not seeking further fame through its application for the title of one of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’, but rather recognition of what seemed to be a given for visitors! Whilst many visit Bormes-les-Mimosas every year, the local council is not aiming for a further influx of tourists but rather wishes to “extend the tourist season”. The Quality and Certification Committee of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, for its part, commended the work carried out on restoring façades, developing public spaces and greening the area, as well as the efforts to protect “Bormes-Village” from urban sprawl.

Marcolès and Villeneuve: efforts that pay off.

About twenty kilometres south of Aurillac, in the heart of the Cantal chestnut-growing region, the village of Marcolès has shown great patience: more than 20 years after its first application for the label (in 2003), the municipality has finally seen its efforts rewarded! Its efforts to restore its buildings, as well as to revitalise the local economy through a proactive land-acquisition policy aimed at attracting new residents and local shops, have convinced the Quality and Certification Committee of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’.
It was also a successful second attempt for the Aveyron village of Villeneuve, situated between Figeac and Villefranche-de-Rouergue, whose first application dates back to 1998! Whilst this former ‘sauveté’ (fortified hamlet), now transformed into a ‘bastide’ (fortified town), has preserved two monumental gates from its medieval past, it is also working to build its future and enhance its living environment, whether by improving the quality of its surroundings through work on public spaces, or that of its buildings by gradually restoring its façades and incorporating elements of contemporary architecture into its new media centre. Housed in a 14th-century building, the gallery of the famous photographer Jean-Marie PÉRIER – who has made Aveyron his home – is a fine illustration of the town’s desire to bridge the gap between the ages!

A label that inspires others to follow suit.

Proof of the high standards of the label, this ‘recognition’ – sometimes achieved after one or even several unsuccessful attempts – should not, however, be seen as an end in itself, but rather as a source of inspiration for local authorities keen to improve their residents’ quality of life and to showcase their heritage and rural environment. It is in this spirit, moreover, that the Quality and Accreditation Commission of the Most Beautiful Villages of France very often accompanies its decisions with ‘reservations’ or recommendations, in order to encourage local authorities to continue their efforts regarding the restoration of buildings, the aesthetics of village surroundings and entrances, or the management of commercial activities on public land. This applies equally to candidate villages and to member villages, which undergo a reassessment every 6 to 9 years.