Perhaps your ideal break consists of sitting on a shady hotel terrace overlooking a lovely landscape with a glass of something cool and delicious to hand (or both!). The area offers a marvelous opportunity to recharge your batteries, whether this involves walking, riding, cycling, fishing, climbing, caving or one of the many other outdoor activities. The performance arts are well catered for by a host of lively, friendly festivals which feature high quality artistes and provide something for everyone, with the emphasis always on excellence. The arts in all their variety and crafts ancient and modern are also very much on the menu: guided tours, museums and galleries, handicraft fairs and workshops open to the public are to be found all over the area. Lively local markets, food fairs and festivals, restaurants ranging from Farm or Village inns to Michelin-starred establishments all contribute to the vigor of this tradition for locals and guests alike. This area has never been heavily industrialised, which explains why it boasts so much unspoilt countryside, and so many beautifully-preserved towns and villages including several of the plus-beaux-villages-de-france (most beautiful villages)Īnother excellent reason for visiting this part of the country is the delicious food and wine available everywhere: there is a very strong tradition of producing(and enjoying) all kinds of delightful things to eat and drink. This had the consequence of ensuring that the Vicomté was better equipped economically to recover from the various wars and disasters that afflicted the South-West of France from the 14th to the 16th C than other areas outside this zone. From early medieval times until the 18th C.,the southern Corrèze and the northern Lot together formed the Vicomté de Turenne, ruled by the Viscounts of Turenne, extremely powerful feudal lords.Īll such nobles were powerful, but the Viscounts of Turenne were exceptional: Within their domain, they wielded the authority usually reserved for royalty.Amongst other privileges, they set tax levels for their fief, which was exempt from the normal taxation imposed by the King. The Lot and the Corrèze have more in common than just geography: they share a great deal of their history, too. This means that there is a wide variety of landscapes, from the steep, narrow valleys of the granite uplands, through limestone plateaux with their wide, flat horizons gashed by deep valleys lined with tall cliffs, to fertile, verdant river plains. Geographically speaking, this area, tilted down from east to west, effects the transition from the Massif Central, the highlands formed of ancient rocks constituting the heart of France, to the lower-lying regions leading to the ocean. The rich historical andĪrchitectural heritage of places such as Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne (Corrèze) and Souillac (Lot) bear this out. This waterway, from earliest times until the 19th C., was a vital trade artery, as were all navigable rivers, and the busy river traffic brought prosperity to many a settlement established on the banks. Despite these apparent divisions, they have a great deal in common, notably the river Dordogne which flows between and through them, like a blue-green ribbon binding them together in its loops. The airport lies on the boundary between two of France’s twenty-two regions, namely the Limousin and Midi-Pyrénées, and more specifically, between two départements, the Corrèze and the Lot. Even now, they would have little difficulty in recognising the landscapes they knew, particularly the remote places where Nature has largely been left to her own devices. Neanderthal and Cro-Magnon Man, the first to leave us his paintings, both occupied this land. The Wonders of the History and Geography of the Dordogne ValleyĪs you step out of the new Brive-Dordogne Valley airport, you are on the threshold of an area to which time has been kind: its rich traditions and heritage accumulated over millennia – scenic, architectural, historic, cultural and gastronomic -are still very much present and alive. Here we take a look at some of the delights of the area in the vicinity of Brive-Dordogne Valley airport. Brive-Dordogne Valley airport has made access to the area from the UK easier than ever.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |