There are more than a thousand medieval villages in France, 156 of them are included in the list of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France” association. Today we will tell you about the most interesting of them.
1. Beynac et Cazenac,
Dordogne
An ancient Aquitaine village on a high hill, offering a beautiful view of the Dordogne River and the surrounding area. The historical monuments of the village include the castle of Bénac, where Richard the Lionheart stayed, the ruins of the ancient monastery of Abrillac and the 13th-century tower of the Tour de Chevalier. The local gastronomic specialty is goose and foie gras.
2. Piana,
Corsica
Piana, founded in the 18th century on a pink granite rock in the Bay of Porto, is located in the Scandola Nature Reserve. The village is surrounded by mountains, wild beaches and small calanque coves (Calanques de Piana),
surrounded by sheer 300-meter cliffs of red and pink marble. Piana and the Calanques are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. Mittelbergheim,
Alsace
This village, whose name was first mentioned in the chronicles of 741, is located in the heart of the Alsace wineries, 40 kilometers from Strasbourg. Mittelbergheim lies at the foot of the Vosges mountain range, surrounded by vineyards, and most of its houses were built from the 15th to the 18th centuries. Main historical buildings: the 19th century Church of Saint-Etienne, the Renaissance town hall and the medieval Rue de Montaigne.
4. Les Baux-de-Provence in Provence
The village of Les Baux lies on a rocky ledge, offering breathtaking views of Arles, the Alpilles (Lesser Alps) mountains and the entire Val d’Enfer valley. Olive groves grow at the foot of the cliff. The village consists of two parts: narrow streets with elegant 16th century houses, gardens, fountains and the Dead City separated by a rampart on the edge of a cliff. The ruins of the huge castle of Bo and the surrounding houses are called the dead city.
5. Barfleur,
Lower Normandy
Barfleur is a fishing village on the English Channel, famous for the fact that William the Conqueror sailed from there to conquer England in the 11th century. Most of the houses in the village were built of gray granite in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historical attractions: the garden of the Augustinian monks, the courtyard of Saint-Catherine, and the church of Saint-Nicolas. The main local delicacy is the most delicate oysters.
6. Conques,
Occitania
Conques flourished in the 12th century, after the construction of the Saint-Foy Abbey, where pilgrims came from all over Europe. Conques has hardly changed since the Middle Ages, its main attractions are the Abbey of Saint-Foy, the medieval treasury, la maison du Frayssou and the European Center for Medieval Art with a huge collection.
7.Sixt-Fer-a-Cheval,
Rhone-Alpes
This mountain village faces on one side the Rouget Falls, which is called the “King of the Alps”. On the other side, it is surrounded by the walls of the Augustinian Abbey of Abondance, built in the 12th century. The village is located in the Sixtus Nature Reserve, famous for its ski resorts, hot springs and waterfalls.
