Sarlat, France is a fabulous historical place. What can you see in Sarlat and Dordogne area? Les Jardins de Marqueyssac, Vezac : Perigord’s most popular gardens opened to the public in 1997 and are in the grounds of the Chateau de Marqueyssac, high on a ridge above the Dordogne. Back in the 1860s the estate’s owner planted boxwood trees in their thousands, and they were trimmed into the kind of outlandish forms that you see now. The arrangements had been left to grow out for decades until they were restored by a new owner in the 90s. The hedges have rounded, organic and irregular shapes, subverting the formalism of French parterres. A maze-like circuit of paths through this magical garden lead to a belvedere 130 metres over the Dordogne, with one of the best views of the valley. If you don’t mind heights, the Via Ferrata is an adventure course on iron rungs, beams and stairs in the cliff-face.
House-hunters to Sarlat should stroll along Rue des Consuls, which has a number of impressive mansion houses that are testament to Sarlat’s growth during the Middle Ages. From being a small community controlled by the church, it had, by the mid-1500s, evolved into a prosperous market town popular with wealthy merchants. Further on you’ll see elegant buildings including the 16th-century Hotel de Mirandol with its imposing doorway; the 14th-century Hotel Plamon with its mullion windows; and the 15th-century Hotel de Vassal with its double turret.
Vintage gas lamps cast a golden glow on the medieval streets of Sarlat-la-Caneda after dark, creating a mellowness that’s absent by day. From the cathedral on place du Peyrou, follow rue de la Liberte to the gracious central square, place de la Liberte, framed with elegant mansions, the town hall and cafe terraces. Sarlat’s gracious central square is framed with elegant mansions, the town hall and cafe terraces. The food market, famously at home in the Gothic church of Sainte Marie, bursts into action every morning at 8.30am on place de la Liberte’s northern end. Ride the lift inside for a round-the-clock panorama of ginger-red rooftops and countryside beyond. It is an extraordinary tale. Teenage boys stumbled upon this monumental work of prehistoric rock art (lascaux.culture.fr), buried in the Vezere Valley, while out with their dog in 1940. Eight years later the cave opened to visitors. By 1960 up to 2,000 people a day were pouring in as the first deadly stains of green algae appeared on its walls. Three years later the original was shut. Lascaux II, the replica, opened in 1983 – and it astonishes me how powerful a copy can be. Visits by guided tour – it’s chilly, bring a jumper – take in the two galleries faithfully mirroring the prehistoric menagerie blazed across the rock by man 17,000 years ago.
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