South of France

If you are holidaying in the northern part of the Dordogne you should not miss a trip to Brantome - it really is an idyllic village. A river runs right through the town leading to its being known locally a the Venice of Perigord. Behind the village is a cliff covered in trees, at the bottom of which is the very large and very beautiful Abbey of Brantome.

The Benedictine Abbey dates back to 769 and was founded by Charlemagne. Originally the monks lived in caves at the base of the cliff and evidence of their troglodyte existence can still be visited today. The entrance is by the Town Hall. One of the caves includes a large sculpture of ‘the Last Judgement’ and really should not be missed.

The Abbey has been built and rebuilt several times and the current building largely dates from the 17th century but underwent major restoration in the 19th century. The bell tower though is of the 11th century and is one of the oldest in France.

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Where does the south of France begin? For most of this site I have taken it to include the regions of Aquitaine, Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrenees and Provence / Cote d’Azur.

But a little further up the Atlantic Coast, in Poitou-Charentes, the coast has its own sunny micro-climate, and has more of a ’south of France’ feel than places further north. So I have no problem in considering La Rochelle, the major town in the region, as ‘gateway to the south-west of France’.

A lovely and lively town, La Rochelle is centred around its harbour - two medieval towers dramatically guard the entrance, and make for a very scenic place to promenade or eat in on of the numerous water-side restaurants.

Away from the harbour, the town has an extensive old town with pretty arcaded streets and boutiques to explore, and all pretty much as it would have been 200 years ago.

The region around the market is also worth exploring, and be sure to go into La Rochelle market itself, for some of the freshest produce you have seen, all beautifully presented.

There are a multitude of historical monuments to discover among the city streets, from the elegant facade of the House of Henry II to the ornate town hall, and much more besides.

The dramatic aquarium, on the harbour, is another highlight of a visit.

Although it is on the coast, and La Rochelle itself has a small beach, it is not really a ’seaside resort’ - for better beaches you will need to head across to the Ile-de-Ré, or north to the Vendee beaches, or further down the Atlantic Coast.

But if you are hoping to discover a lovely town that oozes with history and where you can pass a day or two exploring the history of the region, La Rochelle is ideal.

(See more information about La Rochelle (including photos and places in the vicinity)

One of my favourite cities in the south of France is Toulouse. The city centre is small enough and calm enough to be manageable, but big enough to always have something new to discover.

It always seems to be a modern active city, while keeping one eye carefully on the past and the important architectural heritage it contains.

Many of the buildings in Toulouse are constructed from the local bricks - small red bricks, left ‘on show’ (ie not covered over with mortar). Very attractive it is too, and distinctive to Toulouse and a few other towns in the region.

Perhaps the ‘problem’ (advantage?) for Toulouse is that while it is a lovely city in its own right it isn’t especially close to other attractions. A bit too far east to visit from the Dordogne, a bit too far west from Provence, which perhaps helps it avoid the ‘over-touristic’ feel that some cities have.

Anyway, despite this geographical ’shortcoming’ I highly recommend you take a flight to Toulouse and spend a long week-end exploring the city as soon as you can.

I recently had the opportunity to explore the Camargue region of south-western Provence and two important towns that fall just outside its eastern boundary - Nimes and Arles.

If you look up these two towns in your guidebook you wil be struck by the similarities. Both are broadly the same size, both have attractive old centres, and - most curiously - each contains a Roman amphitheatre and other roman ruins. I say ‘curiously’ because there are very few amphitheatres still standing so it seems remarkable that two of the best should be in such close proximity.

So why bother to visit both Nimes and Arles? Surely if you have seen one you have seen enough and should rush back to the beach?

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