Medieval, fortified, perched, and often all of the above.
To distinguish villages that are out of the ordinary, the association of the Most beautiful villages in France, which celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2022, awards its label each year to a few rural communities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants.
It met in Seillans (Var) on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 June in order to decide on the applications and proceed to the re-examination of nine villages already classified.
Four have joined the network:
Beaulieu-sur-Dordogne
(Corrèze),
Bergheim
(Haut-Rhin),
Martel
(Lot) and
Rocamadour
(Lot).
Enough to put them on the front of the stage and attract new tourists.
Listed by Unesco, built on a mountainside above a canyon,
Rocamadour
already aroused admiration in the Middle Ages.
At the head of the most sought after and most visited French villages, the religious city is an essential stopover on the Chemins de Compostelle.
About twenty kilometers away, still in the Lot,
Martel
is located at the convergence of roads formerly used for the transit of Atlantic salt and Aquitaine wines.
The “City of 7 towers” experienced a second period of glory in the 19th century thanks to the truffle trade.
Read alsoThirteen “Most Beautiful Villages in France” accessible without a car
168 villages now labeled
15 km north of Colmar, Bergheim (Haut-Rhin) is crossed by the Alsace wine route.
P. BERNARD - LPBVF
Beaulieu-sur-Dorgogne
saw its third successful bid attempt.
Village of fishermen and breeders in the Middle Ages, the town owes its nickname of "Limousine Riviera" to the mildness of its climate and its bucolic setting.
At the other end of France,
Bergheim
joins other villages in Alsace that have already been certified, such as Eguisheim, Hunawihr and Riquewihr.
Located 15 km north of Colmar, along the wine route, the medieval and wine-growing city is in competition to try to become this year the “favorite village of the French”.
In 2021, the association had integrated five new villages: Polignac (Haute-Loire), Le Malzieu-Ville (Lozère), Tournon-d'Agenais (Lot-et-Garonne), Châtillon-en-Diois (Drôme) and Cordes -sur-Ciel (Tarn).
From now on, the prize list counts 168 villages distributed in 70 departments.
Occitania is the region with the most labeled villages (49 in all).
Classified or protected sites, quality of the surroundings of the village, architectural unity... The association establishes its selection by evaluating around thirty criteria.
Read alsoHow do you become one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France"?
Often isolated and far from big cities, some of them have the advantage of being accessible without a car thanks to a train or bus service.
Enough to allow travelers without a vehicle to discover everything that makes the charm of these villages like no other.
[Published September 2021, this article is being updated.]
