Area Guide

The Area is divided in to four regions:

In the centre, the Périgord Blanc (White Périgord) is made up of limestone plateaux sectioned by rivers (Isle, Auvézère, Loue, Dronne), which open up the wide valleys.

The valley of the River Isle forms the backbone of a slightly different region, South of Périgueux, where one may see the maritime pine trees begin to appear on the landscape.

Périgord Blanc covers the west and central part of the Dordogne and is home to Riberac and Perigeaux.

The Périgord Vert (Green Périgord) lays at the foot of the Limousine mountains and the Nontron region is thick with trees from pines to heather. Here the chestnut tree rules the land. This is a land of lakes and valleys, where the rich prairies converge with the gentle slopes. Perhaps the least known to tourists, Brantôme is the exception: the ‘Venice of the Périgord’, with its excellent restaurants, caves, and ancient abbey and monastery gardens.

In the South West, the Périgord Pourpre (Purple Périgord) is the Bergerac region and has a valley which widens downstream from Bergerac. This is a land of orchards and vineyards. Purple is a later addition to the palette, for Purple Périgord is the main wine-growing area, a landscape striped with the vineyards of Bergerac, Pécharmant, Monbazillac and Saussignac, merging into the flavours of Saint-Émilion on the border of the Gironde department.

The South East, the Périgord Noir (Black Périgord) is the Sarlat region and is truly a region apart. Its rounded hills are styled with chestnut coppices and pine forests, its deep valleys (of the Dordogne and Vézère) with walnut orchards and fields of tobacco. Black is the colour of the abundant live oaks which only drop their leaves in spring. In winter their dark silhouettes on the skyline, visible from miles away, are emblematic of the scenery in this part of the Périgord, the best known thanks to Lascaux and other painted or sculpted caves, and its wealth of prehistoric remains, medieval châteaux and towns, such as Domme and Sarlat.

History

The Perigord region was divided in two until the end of the Middle Ages - by the English and French during the hundred years war and also religiously between the catholics and protestants. As a result the whole region is full of fortified castles and churches. Many of the local Bastide Towns host 'Fêtes Médiéval' with jousting, period arts and crafts, activities for the children and (of course) medieval banquets. These are usually held in August.

Interesting Facts

Second to Paris, the Dordogne has probably the richest heritage of historical monuments in France, some of which are listed below:

Innumerable prehistoric sites (Lascaux, Fond de Gaume, Cap Blanc)
1500 châteaux and manors (Beynac, Castelnaud)
Troglodyte sites (Le Village de la Madeleine, Le Roc St Christophe)
Geological sites (Caves of Proumeyssac, le Grand Roc)
Fortified walled towns (Domme, Monpazier)
Roman churches (400 in total) and the charm of the countryside.

Numerous walks and visits, sporting activities for all levels (horse riding, canoeing, mountain biking) allow you to discover a region in a cultural, educational and entertaining way.

Regional Attractions

Perigueux

Founded over 2,000 years ago, Périgueux, préfecture (capital city) of the Dordogne, is a gracious blend of ancient and modern. Originally two cities, one ecclesiastical, the other more mercantile, the oldest remains to be seen today are the Gallo-Roman tower, La Tour de Vésone, and the excavations of a village of the same era, in a new museum called Vesunna.

The market, on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, spreads out around the central boulevard, into the squares in the pedestrian precinct, and next to the cathedral. It is a farmers’ market with fresh fruit, plants and vegetables, live chickens and rabbits, and several organic stalls selling home-baked bread, eggs and home-grown fruit and vegetables.

Bergerac

Bergerac provides a wonderful combination of gentle countryside, picturesque old town and local, gourmet specialties. Magnificent flower beds adorn the town of Bergerac but, far from being simply a pretty ‘picture’ town, Bergerac lives and thrives thanks to its legendary local gastronomy, regional wines, multitude of activities, flourishing markets, antique fairs and pedestrian walkways. The renovated old town has been restored to its former beauty and a pleasurable afternoon can be spent simply strolling its streets and relaxing in its shady squares while admiring the museums and restored buildings.

Lasceaux

Lasceaux caves with their spectacular drawings of bulls, horses and antelope, were painted 16,500 years ago is located above the Vezere valley near Montignac, in the Dordogne. It was discovered by four young men looking for their lost dog on September 12th, 1940. The cave consists of a main cavern and several steep galleries, all magnificently decorated with engraved, drawn and painted animals.

Gourdon

In the Middle Ages, Gourdon was an important place, deriving wealth and influence from the presence of four monasteries. It was besieged and captured in 1189 by Richard the Lionheart, who promptly murdered its feudal lords. Legend has it that the archer who fired the fatal shot at Richard during the siege of Châlus was the last surviving member of this family. In summer there's a farmers' market on Thursday mornings.

Monpazier

It is archetypal of medieval bastides, it has kept its perfectly octagonal medieval plan Monpazier was founded in 1284 by Edward the 1st Of England. The central square is surrounded by 14th and 15th arcades with a covered market.

Favourite Local attractions

Sarlat

Stone roofs, elegant gentilhommières and Gothic façades warmly wrapped in ochre-tinted stone with, in the distance, the hills crested with evergreen oaks – every corner of the Périgord Noir has sent its little delegation to Sarlat, along with its geese and truffles on market days.

Doubtless thanks to its unwavering loyalty to the kings of France all through the Hundred Years’ War, and thanks to their largesse, the city beautified itself, particularly during the Renaissance, with the buildings for which it is famous today. However, excellent guide maps are available from the Office de Tourisme, some will perhaps prefer to plunge headlong into the maze of alleys and squares revealing a wealth of architectural gems. In the Place de la Liberté there is a picturesque market on Wednesday.

Sarlat is not merely a museum. The city is very much alive, sometimes too alive during the summer months! Then, the best time for sightseeing is at nightfall or early in the morning or out of season.

Domme

On the edge of a cliff, Domme offers a vast panorama over the Dordogne valley. Enclosed by walls, the 13th century bastide tells about its glorious past thanks to its fortified gates and its towers that were used as prison. The visitor will also discover the consuls’ and the goldsmiths’ houses, the old covered market and the governor’s hotel. Domme offers the green luxury of its suspended gardens above the Dordogne valley.

La Roque Gageac

This village is almost too perfect, its ochre-coloured houses sheltering under dramatically overhanging cliffs.

Surrounded by ancient manors and crowned with cliffs, La Roque mirrors itself in the waters of the Dordogne river.

It was an important fortified place in medieval times, the village adorned itself with rich manors in the Renaissance period, such as Jean tarde’s manor. The village streets blossom with tropical and Mediterranean plants.

Belves

This city with 7 church towers has a magnificent panorama over the region of Périgord noir. It was fortified in the Middle Ages because of its strategic position and came to be known as the "Pope’s city" as it was under Clement V’s protection.

Castelnaud

A spectacularly situated castle on a massive limestone cliff overlooking the Dordogne river and facing the famous castle of Beynac. This impressive site was born from the hundred years war between France and England, Castelnaud being an nominal English stronghold and Beynac its French counterbalance. The views from the castle keep are some of the most enchanting in the region and there is lots to see and do for all visitors with recreated medieval siege weapons and a medieval armoury.

Beynac

Just below its huge castle, Beynac-et-Cazenac (known as Beynac) is a magnificent village along the banks of the Dordogne. The refined food of Périgord and the pleasant river add to its natural charm. The Château is protected on the landward side by a double wall; elsewhere the sheer drop of almost 200m does the job. The flat terrace at the base of the keep, which was added by the English, conceals the remains of the houses where the beleaguered villagers lived. From the roof there's a stupendous view upriver to the Château de Marqueyssac.

Marqueyssac

The castle of Marqueyssac is famous for its beautiful seventeenth- and nineteenth-century gardens.

One of France's most beautiful "Parc à l'italienne". Marqueyssac's 22-hectare park and XVIIIth century château offer more than 6 kilometers of shaded strolling alleys edged by 150,000 hand-trimmed boxes, and adorned with panoramic viewpoints, rockeries, waterfalls and natural sceneries.

Milandes

Built in 1489 by François de Caumont, Lord of Castelnaud, for his wife Claude de Cardaillac. This Renaissance chateau benefits from a wonderful panorama onto the valley of the Dordogne. Lauzes-covered roofs (flat stones), panellings, large mullioned windows, and wonderfully preserved stained-glass windows give it its undisputable beauty. Les Milandes is forever linked to the extraordinary personality of Josephine Baker; come and discover her life here: wax statues lent by Musée Grévin in Paris, mythical objects such as her genuine banana belt, stage costumes, undisclosed documents... all this to lead you to discover Josephine's incredible destiny.

The Food

This part of the Dordogne is on the eastern edge of the massive wine growing region that stretches all the way from Bordeaux. Wine here is cheap and plentiful, and you could spend weeks touring the wine Chateaux.

As most people know food is a French national obsession, and nowhere is this more obvious than in the Dordogne.

The region specialises in truffles, foie gras and walnuts - all of which, and more, can be sampled in the hundreds of local restaurants where you can dine for extraordinary value.

The Wine

From Pomerol to Pécharmant, via Montaigne, a group of wine-makers has set a precedent for quality wines. When you’re on the right bank just down the road from Saint-Émilion with your vineyard full of merlot grapes, you realise that you too can make good wine. Bergerac vintners have been working hard and the result is a new legacy of fine rive droite red wines from the Périgord.

The oaky Pécharmant reds produced from the sandy soils of the Pécharmant appellation surrounding Bergerac produce fine, light-bodied wines which are generally aged for a few years. Particularly good years like 2000 or 2002, have great ageing potential and are almost indistinguishable from some clarets. The Montravel appellation is a more dispersed district, extending from Sainte-Foy-la-Grande to Montpon and beyond to Mussidan on an extension of the Saint-Émilion limestone plateau.

Bergerac rouge is lighter still and made to be drunk young like the rosés. Made with a majority of merlot grapes, they are typically supple, cabernet sauvignon adding body, tannins and the blackcurrant aromas, while the malbec (aka côt rouge) gives structure and lushness.

Elsewhere in the Bergerac region, the top-of-therange red is the Côtes de Bergerac, generally made from the old vines and aged in oak. Less complex than this is the lighter, fruity red Bergerac, which is best drunk within three to five years.

Rosés are made throughout the region, except in Pécharmant. The dry whites are either Bergerac sec or Montravel sec, combining sémillon for body and cabernet sauvignon for that distinctive boxwood aroma. Those aged in oak barrels give delicious full-bodied whites that retain their acidity but are delightful both as an apéritif and with food.

The six sweet whites – Monbazillac, Saussignac, Rosette, Haut Montravel, Côtes de Montravel and Côtes de Bergerac – are classed medium dry, medium sweet (moelleux) or sweet (doux) Very sweet wines (vins liquoreux) are easy to get to know. The Monbazillac is the sweetest with virtually no acidity is made from sémillon, like the sauternes of Bordeaux,sauvignon and muscadelle grapes, hand-picked after they have been allowed to wither on the vine. Pan-fried foie gras with scallops is a fine partner for Monbazillac’s honeyed, fresh finish. Saussignac has just a touch and the Rosette is lighter, its aromas more flowery and citrus than honeyed and it doesn’t keep in the same way.