Summer morning in a street of Moncontour
Proud of its ancient and prestigious heritage, France has over time developed strategies and enacted laws to protect the diversity and specialities of its many regions. In a previous blog, I wrote about the concept of Terroirs & Climats. These parcels of land are small and thus are able to retain most of their unique character and features.
Collonges-la-Rouge, Limousin, France.
In a similar way, the myriad of French villages have in the course of centuries preserved the culture of its people. WIth a church near their geographical center, these have remained the anchors around which communities live and interact.
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, Lot, France
‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de France‘, an independent association created in 1982 seeks to promote the merits of over 150 exceptionally picturesque French villages. Such villages must not exceed 2,000 inhabitants, and feature at least two protected sites of scientific, artistic or historic interest. This list however is not a systematic ranking, and many villages with the right criteria do not belong to it.
The departments of Dordogne, Aveyron, Vaucluse et Lot, count many of these villages, including one of the most famous, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
Gordes, Vaucluse, France