Medieval, fortified, perched, and often all three at the same time. To distinguish the villages that are out of the ordinary, the association of the Most Beautiful Villages of France awards its label each year to a few small rural municipalities of less than 2,000 inhabitants. It met in Aveyron on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 September in order to decide on four applications and to re-examine eleven villages already classified. While no village has been downgraded this year, two have entered the network: Polignac (Haute-Loire) and Le Malzieu-Ville (Lozère). Enough to put them in the spotlight and attract new tourists.
Municipality bordering Puy-en-Velay, "
perched on its volcanic platform, the powerful fortress of
Polignac
is one of the most astonishing and attractive heritage and natural sites in
Auvergne
", underlines the association in a press release.
The commission commends the efforts made by the municipality to restore its built heritage.
Polignac's candidacy was first refused in 2010.
See also Twelve “most beautiful villages in France” accessible without a car
164 villages now labeled
One of the cobbled streets so characteristic of Malzieu-Ville, in the ancient country of Gévaudan.
P. Bernard - LPBVF
About sixty kilometers away, the village of
Malzieu-Ville
, in the Occitanie region, had also failed for the first time in 1993. The town located at an altitude of 900 meters has also distinguished itself thanks to its restoration and to the enhancement of its heritage. Ramparts, cobbled streets, fortified towers ... Located in the ancient country of Gévaudan, this medieval city seems to have remained frozen since its foundation in the 13th century.
Last July, the association decided on the applications that could not be examined in 2020 due to the health crisis. The villages of
Tournon-d'Agenais
(Lot-et-Garonne) and
Châtillon-en-Diois
(Drôme) had entered, while
Cordes-sur-Ciel
(Lot) had been reinstated after a downgrading. From now on, the list includes 164 villages spread over 70 departments. Occitanie is the region with the most labeled villages (47 in all). Listed or protected sites, quality of the surroundings of the village, architectural unity ... The association establishes its selection by evaluating around thirty criteria.
Often isolated and far from large cities, some of them have the advantage of being accessible without a car thanks to a train or bus service. Enough to allow non-transported travelers to discover all that makes the charm of these villages like no other.