This remnant city grew organically-like York or Mont Saint Michel-and so the layout lacks the straight lines of Euclidean geometry. Only after you walk away from that unremarkable street do you enter the chaotic swirl of ramshackle, twisted alleyways-resembling a cross between the city of Brussels and villages from the Alsace, a sometimes rain soaked mesh of plazas and cobbled walkways beneath looming stone structures. The inner Cité Médiévale is bisected-east to west-by Rue de la République. Its growth evolved around a monastery and it now has more than 70 protected buildings and monuments. This urban heart of Périgord Noir is located on land between the rivers. From 700 vertical feet above the river, Domme provides excellent views of the Dordogne valley.įinally, take a 20-minute drive northward, to the city of Sarlat-la-Canéda. You can approach it from La Roque via mountain switchbacks that lead to a single lane arched entranceway. This includes Domme, voted as one of the more beautiful villages of France and historically called the Acropolis of the Périgord. Others chose to establish dwellings inland and uphill. One result is that the aberrant growth of local vegetation can include palms, cacti, lemons and olives.īefore railway lines were laid, the Dordogne River was the main highway for transporting people and goods along the valley-hence the abundance of riverside castles and villages. The overhanging cliff above this south facing village protects it from winds and harsh weather and provides a somewhat Mediterranean climate. A newly elevated waterfront walkway above glassy Dordogne waters provides an excellent view of this town, as well as an ancient cave dwelling, a ‘troglodyte village,’ above the buildings. The village of La Roque-Gageac Credit: Tom MullenĪfter you descend, drive ten minutes up the road to La Roque-Gageac, a strip of stone structures wedged between limestone cliffs and the Dordogne River. Construction of this now privately owned fortress began in the 12 th century. At the top of this walk there is a village with restaurants and an adjacent castle worth exploring-Château Feodal de Beynac. You will see crenellated watch towers at different elevations-historical vantage points for observing enemies or defending against attackers with crossbows, hurled boulders or shaken quicklime. Church bells may chime and municipal workers could be weeding alleyways as you ascend. Then hike up a series of steep and cobbled alleys-rattled by bird songs-passing orange stone homes with smoking chimneys. If approaching Périgord Noir from the south or west, parallel to the placid Dordogne River, park at any of several lots in the town of Beynac-et-Cazenac. This portion of Périgord is known for medieval castles and alluring gastronomy. The name originates from black soils, truffles and dark oak forests that once covered this cliff pocked land. The black region- Périgord Noir-is located in the region’s lower right and surrounds the confluence where two rivers-Vézére and Dordogne-merge like connecting scissor blades. This is further subdivided into four regions named after colors: black, white, green and purple. Périgord is shaped like a splattered drop of balsamic vinegar-a fractal edged blob.
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