OFF THE BEATEN TRACK BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES


Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert in the Hérault boasts a gorgeous main square, the Abbey of Gellone and is on the pilgrim route to Santiago de Compostella W


e all have our favourite villages in France, ones which eff ortlessly impart a deep sense of à l’ancienne, of local life locked in time and a rural existence unhurried by modern pressures. From Alsace to


Provence, Brittany to the Dordogne and the Loire to the Languedoc, there are communities perched on hillsides, straddling rivers and beside the sea – often with a château or church as their beating heart – where a profound pride in what’s been inherited aff ects us in an almost spiritual fashion. Yet to maintain a cultural and historical link to each


village’s past, as well as to preserve the ancient stone which was so lovingly crafted into gorgeous buildings, they need a helping hand, not to mention a creative force to help promote their appeal to visitors. This is where Les Plus Beaux Villages de France comes into play… The story of the ‘Most Beautiful Villages of France’, an association which now counts includes some 157 specially chosen villages, began in 1981. Charles Ceyrac, the Mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge in Corrèze in the Limousin found himself leafi ng through an eponymous Reader’s Digest book and realised that he could serve a cause close to his heart. By uniting some of France’s exceptional communes, Ceyrac could both protect their heritage and provide them with a solution to rural depopulation. Within a year he had recruited 66 like-minded mayors and the association became a formal gatekeeper for these cherished rustic outposts.


150 FRENCH HOLIDAY Inspirations 2015 The association was keen not to simply create either


soulless ‘museum villages’ or ‘fun fairs’, but rather to maintain their elegance and vibrancy via a strategy based on quality, reputation and development. “Our well-reasoned and passionate ambition is to reconcile villages with the future and to restore life around the fountain or in the square shaded by 100-year-old lime and plane trees,” says the association’s Chairman, Maurice Chabert, the Mayor of Gordes in the Vaucluse. The future is clearly as important as the past when it came to showcasing France’s loveliest rural destinations.


THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE The sheer geographic spread of these sites – over 21 regions and 69 départements – means that no matter where you are in France, you’ll never be too far from a delightful rustic hotspot so keep an eye out for the grey and red Plus Beaux Villages logo on each village’s name sign. If you prefer to be more organised in your holiday tour planning, the Plus Beaux Villages de France has introduced some innovations to fi re the imagination, creating visits and rallies based around heritage themes, the culture of a territory or terroir, and the artisan skills of inhabitants. The themes include art and


Hilltop beauty Najac, Aveyron ➤


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