Périgord noir : joyaux de pierre au cœur de la Dordogne – Les 100 Lieux qu’il faut voir – MG

Périgord noir : joyaux de pierre au cœur de la Dordogne – Les 100 Lieux qu’il faut voir – MG

Do you like France? Do you like to explore it,
discover it, and meet it? Sometimes you even
feel like you know her well. We all have a small beach,
a small cove, a clearing, a hamlet or a path that belongs
only to us, far from the beaten track and that we only want to share with
those we love. This is the France we want
you to discover, through 100 places that you absolutely must see in your lifetime. Today we’re taking you to one of France’s most gourmet regions, south of the Dordogne, just an hour from Périgueux,
in the heart of the exceptional Périgord Noir. The Périgord owes its color to its dark
, game-filled, marvelous holm oak forests, where legendary castles nestle. This trip will allow you to discover
many wonders. Among them, the medieval heart of Sarlala,
Canada, historic capital of the Périgord Noir. The splendid exotic garden
of La Roque-Gageac, with its steep streets along the
Dordogne, a village that is nevertheless under threat. You will also visit the very discreet Fond
de Gaume, this authentic prehistoric cave , unique in the Vésaire region,
cradle of our prehistory. You will discover these treasures with
those who love them, bring them to life and protect them. We suggest you start this journey in Sarla, Canada, the capital of the Périgord Noir. Built in the 9th century around an abbey,
Sarlat gradually became an essential stopover for pilgrims on their way
to Santiago de Compostela. This medieval jewel, one man
loves to reveal its secrets. Come closer, come closer. Daniel Chavaroche is
a figure in the region. A former teacher and
professor of the Languedoc singing school, Daniel is now a storyteller. He was murdered with a crossbow shot. It is he who will now give us
the keys to this city, which is among the most beautiful in Europe. It’s definitely been
a while since we last saw each other. Yes, last time
you were that tall. You were my teacher
last time. It doesn’t make us any younger.
Oh no, that doesn’t make us any younger. But it was good.
You were already a good student. You were already a good student, open and
able to teach things to others. Well, you see? So today,
I’m the one who’s going to teach you. And we will start the visit
with the Seventh Heaven. By elevator, first.
Come on, let’s go there. Come on, let’s go. A former tourist guide,
Katia Verret now heads communications for the
Sarlat Tourist Office. She is the one Daniel chose so as not to
miss any of the city’s treasures. We can take a ride in the elevator. No problem, go ahead. In 2008, Jean Nouvel, a local boy,
redesigned one of the city’s symbols: the old Sainte-Marie church. In the heart of the historic center,
this 14th-century building now has immense modern doors. 15 meters high
for seven tons of steel. And in the bell tower, the architect
hid a mysterious elevator. In fact, we will leave the bell tower and
discover the city in 360 degrees. And look,
you already have some magnificent openings. Right in the center,
and watch the Crow chase. He’s handsome, isn’t he?
That one. And there you have it.
And there, look. There, at 360 degrees, on Sarla. Yes, exactly. Did you see that?
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. All these magnificent roofs of the Oze. And the Pecs, I was born up there,
you see, on the hill. For its exceptional preservation,
Sarla has been awarded the label of town of art and history. An award she owes
to a personality who left his mark on 20th century French culture, André Malraux. When Malraux came to join
the resistance here during World War II, he
discovered a city that was intact. And that’s how he thought of
making the Malraux law. Oh yes.
And what is the Malraux law? It’s about reviving a
historic neighborhood that is in decline. So the owners of Sarlat were
helped to remake an extraordinary town. So, today,
all the apartments are modern and we live there in Sarlat, really
in the historic heart, we live there. There are approximately 1,000 people
living on these 11 hectares. So, we recreated the city as it was in its
glory days, that is to say the 15th and 16th centuries, just after
the war of its time. But what’s more,
we’ve brought this city back to life. When you see it like that,
you tell yourself that you did well to be born there. Sarlat is known worldwide
for having the highest concentration of historical and listed monuments. A stroke of luck for the cinema, which has made
the city the setting for 80 percent of the Cap and Dagger films made in France. Among the most famous are Le Capitan,
filmed in 1956 with Jean Marais, and Luc Besson’s Joan of Arc in 2006. It must be said that here,
every alleyway is a history book. So you see, the town of Sarlat,
it’s entirely made of stone. But that’s modern. Finally, it’s modern,
it dates from the 15th, 16th century. But there is a very important period
for the city, the Hundred Years’ War. 116 years of war. Only in Sarla do we remain
loyal to the French crown. So, at the end of the war,
Charles VII simply gave the city a lot of money to
rebuild it, since we had still suffered. And above all, we are going to ennoble
certain bourgeois. And there, we will have to show that we have been
ennobled, because when we are ennobled, it still has to be seen,
and it has to be seen from afar. And look, there we have one of the tallest
noble towers, it’s the Grézel hotel. It is truly one of the
highest in the town of Sarlat. A noble tower only includes a
vice staircase, but each time, however, it must be shown
that it is important. So, we will
simply put the gate. The more decorated it is , the richer we are, the more
important we are, the more respected we are. And then, the best of the best
was kale. Because when we put curly kale
like that on top, I can tell you that there, the curly kale, you see, is the
floral decorations that we have next to the pine nuts. And above all you have the Sarlat salamander,
the head and legs of the salamander, here. And in fact, it is the emblem
of the city of Sarlat. Since Sarlat has resisted water
and fire, and the salamander is the animal that resists fire and water. If
you pass through Sarlat, have fun finding the 22
noble towers spread throughout the town. All compete in height. Some will even open their
doors to you, like the Gisson manor, where each room is an invitation
into the daily life of the Sarlat-la-Canéda nobility during the Renaissance. Among the
city’s nobles, one man stands out: Étienne de la Boétie. The author of the first
democratic constitution was born here in 1530. His house remains one of the most
beautiful architectural works of the period. This house was built
by his father, who is a house originally built by merchants. Because if you look at the house
of La Boétie, you have a mark right in the middle. And besides, there is an expression
that comes from this house. You know, we had wooden shutters
that fitted inside each other. In the morning, the shopkeeper
opened his shutter, there was a shutter that rose, a shutter that lowered. And we put things up for
sale on the shutter. And at the time, it was
said that the merchants put out hand- picked items. Hence the expression handpicked.
Exactly. And the House of the which also
continues on this side. And since we need to save space,
we’re going to build passages on the streets.
You see? And this way,
it allows the city to continue to develop, to live, while gaining
maximum space in height. It doesn’t bother the people
who live in the house. Exactly, exactly. If Katia is an expert on the history of Sarlat, Daniel is a true gourmet. And what he loves most of all
is having lunch at the market. So there you see Katia,
today it’s Sara’s market. And we will find
local producers who will give us everything we need to make a good meal. Well, you know, I still come every
Wednesday to buy my vegetables. And every Saturday,
my darling, he loves to come. So in fact, we also come
to the market every Saturday. Yeah, you’re the truckers
from Sarah’s Market. So, Mr. Roger, hello. Goodbye Roger.
Good morning. I present to you your headdress. What kind of liver did you take? I had an extra liver, which
is from Périgord, of course. A liver like that, there, a straight liver,
you can see the quality in its texture. Just by touch?
To the touch, that’s it. I’m used to a touch. No doubt. The more flexible it is, the better. Another criterion is weight. A straight liver that weighs 1.5 kilos,
that can’t happen, even more. There is a risk
that it will be fat, of course. If it is too small,
that is to say below 600 grams, it is not considered foie gras. It’s a liver that hasn’t
been sufficiently cured. But a liver like that, which weighs 800
grams, 850 grams, is an extra liver. Roger Crouzel has worked
with foie gras all his life. His advice is invaluable,
like that of the 320 best Périgord producers who, twice a week,
invade the heart of the medieval city. With foie gras,
black Périgord truffles, strawberries and walnuts, there
are many highly renowned regional specialties. But what Daniel prefers
is to taste them. On market days,
it is not uncommon for Daniel to find Roger, under the arcades of the town hall,
cooking fresh foie gras. We did You Made Me Hungry. Yes, but I’m
a poor cook. I like eating Périgord food
, but I don’t know how to cook it. Let’s say,
all these ingredients look good. Pericol vines. That I found. Hams, foie gras. And with that, I’m going to
make you a Périgourdine quiche. Monique Roulland is
a friend of Roger and Daniel. An outstanding cook,
she revives forgotten recipes from Périgord, such as
foie gras and cep quiche. So, in stages, you have to add
shredded ham, which you put a little bit everywhere. Say, you’re generous
with your ham, Monique. And after your liver that you
cut into escalope. No, is it raw liver?
It’s raw liver. So, once all that is done,
I will prepare you. It’s already pretty. Now it’s over. We’ll put it in the oven. Well, and you, Roger, what are
you going to prepare for us? Well, I’m going to try
to make pan-fried liver. It’s not complicated, salt,
pepper, back and forth on the griddle. This is a poor man’s dish. I’m in the middle of a storm. To accompany the roast goose liver,
Roger fried apples and pears, drizzled
with a little port sauce. We definitely know how to live in Périgord. I think it’s time
to sit down and eat. Do you think so?
Oh yes. Bread is great.
No, no, no, no, no, plague period, there was a period… And we, ultimately, we perpetuate
the tradition of not dying of hunger. When you visit the Sarlat market,
make a detour to the town hall. Perhaps you will be invited by Daniel
and his friends to share some gourmet dishes. If, as Daniel pointed out,
Périgord has not experienced a period of famine in its history,
it is also thanks to the very numerous walnut trees in the region. Dordogne is the second largest
walnut-producing department after Isère. It was unthinkable for Daniel not to pay
homage to the last walnut oil mill in his country. This afternoon, he takes us 8 km
from Sarlat, to the Moulin de la Tour, a 16th century building,
where he meets Jean-Pierre Bordier. Hello Jean-Pierre. Hello Daniel.
I’m doing well ? You’re going to take advantage of this opportunity to
give me a helping hand. Go ahead, if you want.
I know you’re a brave man. Oh dear, yes. Come on, Daniel, let’s get
the 30 kilos crushed. Come on.
Help me empty it under the millstone. Here, the machines, like the
working methods, have not changed for 150 years. Look at this beautiful Périgord kernel. And it all starts with 30 kilos
of delicate walnut kernels. And these are geese that
were all broken by hand. There you go, there are
a few hours of work. The millstone is driven by the water from the mill
which operates these holes with a solid oak gauge. For 45 minutes,
the kernels are crushed by 500 kilos of granite to become a homogeneous paste. Since 2002, the Périgord walnut has been awarded
the controlled designation of origin for its quality. So, today we’re making walnuts
and sometimes we’re making hazelnuts too. So I’m going to, during the shovel
and you’re going to change the dough for me. On the shovel? So.
All right. Have
you had enough there? There, it’s good. How hot should it be cooked to
? At about 50 to 80 degrees. There are customers who want
it more or less fruity. And the more it is heated,
the more flavor it has. Tell me, Jean-Pierre, how
long have you been doing this job? I married
the miller’s daughter in 79. I was a car mechanic. And when my father-in-law
retired in 1988, I took over the mold and now
I’m the one who’s retired, but there’s no one to take over. One of these days it’s going to close because
it’s too dangerous for employees. A millstone turns, the person
gets stuck, he falls under the millstone. And it’s safety, that’s all. Jean-Pierre still has the right to operate
his mill as it is, but without an heir, he cannot sell it
without bringing it up to European standards. An exorbitant cost that the
Miller cannot afford. You see the oil flowing,
which is beautiful, which is yellow, clear. And you’re going to taste it. Let me taste this a little. Yes, already, anyway,
she has this particular dress. She’s still cheese. Now that’s really pure. For health, I’m
told that Denoit’s is the best. So, in saturated fatty acids,
it is walnut, rapeseed and grape seed. The three oils that
clog your internal organs the least.
Jean-Pierre Bordier likes to share the secrets of his oil with passing visitors. An unmissable event if you
want to taste this nectar with its golden reflections. Another
company that is not experiencing the crisis is walnut oil. To discover it, you have to go
a few more kilometers. In the south of the department, the feudal castle
of Fénelon is undergoing renovation. This is where Daniel wanted to
take us for one last, very private visit. Hello Jean-Julien.
Hello Daniel. So, I’m showing you around Périgord Noir
and I heard that you’re having
part of your slate roof redone. So, you have been well informed. I invite you to discover the castle
and I will also introduce you to our talented lausier.
My pleasure. Jean-Julien Delôtre is
the heir to the estate. Fénelon was bought by his
parents 20 years ago. This listed medieval building
proudly overlooks the Dordogne valley. Protected by three fortified walls,
it survived the wars of religion before becoming an elegant
stately home. Its imposing 500 square meter slate roof has
not been renovated since the 18th century. Ah yes, so there, that’s the demonstration
Ah, that’s a big sound, there, in real life. There we are, yes. The cutting is done at the bottom of the stone. In fact, the tool with which we cut,
depending on the position which will be, there, there, we hear the raw sound, there. She It’s going to break there.
It’s going to break. If you cut it lengthwise,
it regains its rigidity and solidity. New, the stone has an ochre color. Once laid and battered
by the weather, it takes two years to develop a patina
and regain its gray color. And so, in the part where we see
the brand new stone, at the points, there, here, that, that represents roughly
how many cubic meters of loz, that? So there’s about 25
tons of rocks on there. 25 tons later. It takes roughly one
cubic meter to make 3 square meters. That’s 350 tons of stones
on the entire roof of Fénelon. To support such a load for
several centuries, the framework of the immense castle
is entirely made of oak. So finally,
since it’s relatively a profession with a future, will you find
people who are competent enough to learn how to cut loz,
to lay it properly, in a sustainable way, of course, since
it has to last for centuries, you know? I was trained,
it was my father who trained me. My grandfather used to do that. I have a son who is 17 years old,
who is finishing his studies and who I will normally employ in the future. So, after that, we pass it on
like that from father to son. Wicker is also
a profitable profession. 600 euros per renovated square meter
on average, or 300,000 euros in total for Fénelon. A colossal budget for these owners
who, despite aid from the region and historic monuments, rely on
visitors to replenish the coffers. And as she’s going to
find out now. There are many treasures here. So this way, Daniel. Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. We arrive at the… It’s there, it’s Fénelon’s home. This is the truly
emblematic room of the castle. This is the room in which
the writer Fénolon was born. His life was truly anchored
in the century of Louis XIV. He attended court. He was notably the
spiritual director of Madame de Maintenon, the king’s second wife. And above all, he was the tutor of his
three grandsons, including the heir to the throne, who was the Duke of Burgundy. And for his education,
Fénolon composed his masterpiece, which is The Adventures of Telemachus,
which was the greatest bookseller’s success of the entire 18th century. And then the fireplace, impressive. Indeed, it is
the most beautiful in the castle. This is the
pride of our interiors. It can.
It is listed as a historical monument. Between the cartridges, the scrolls,
the fruit falls in the uprights. We really have a very good example
of the know-how of the Pyrigourdin artisans. And there,
these people were truly artists. And then behind you,
Daniel, there is a relic. It is the one with the canopy,
in which Phénolon was born. Ah good ?
This is a centerpiece. Here is the centerpiece. So, there’s a little legend about it
, you see, you can notice that it’s missing fringes from its canopy. So legend has it that when
people came to visit the room in the 19th century, they took
with them a little piece of the canopy, leaving with
a little piece of Fénelon’s wisdom. Fortunately, there weren’t
too many tourists at the time. Today, the castle of François
de Salignac, of the Fénelon style, his real name, opens
its doors wide to visitors. Fully furnished with
precious collections, it will also offer you, if you pass by, one of the most beautiful
panoramas of the Dordogne valley. The Périgord Noir is full
of remarkable sites. 15 of them are listed as
UNESCO World Heritage sites, and seven are even among the most beautiful villages in France. 14 kilometers south of Sarlat,
we recommend you take a detour to La Roque-Gageac. A marvel of medieval architecture,
nestled between the Dordogne and its lines and cliffs. Maryline de Annie is
an adopted Laroquoise. This woman from Toulouse fell in love
13 years ago with a child from the village and never left. It is she who we will follow
now to discover this jewel of our heritage,
inhabited by man for 33,000 years. Hello Helen. And hello Marine, how are you?
Very good, and you too? With her friend Hélène Olliaque,
she begins by bringing back to life the history of this extraordinary troglodyte village
. So there, you see, we are going to arrive
in the most wonderful place to talk about
the history of this village. So.
Superb, indeed. It’s here. And when you’re here, we understand everything. Because ultimately,
everything comes from this cliff which has always been a natural protection
and a source of food, of water, which explains why people,
for a very, very, very long time, have settled here. And each time around the springs,
so that in each house there is at least one source of
drinking water, which, in case of a siege, can be very, very useful. After prehistoric man,
the Gauls and then the Romans, a more sedentary population
settled here in the Middle Ages. La Roque-Gageac became a strong town,
capable of resisting the English attacker. And for 600 years, the village’s architecture has remained almost identical. So there, Marine, I’m taking you to a
very specific place in La Roque. Be very careful of the steps,
they are bad. Yes, indeed. So. I’m going to get my hair ticked. So there, you know that the Dordogne has
always had relatively enormous floods which finally began,
especially in the last century, to be more or less channeled with dams. And since the dams have been built,
we have had much fewer floods. But there remain, and this
is truly a particularity of the Aroquoise, these small staircases. They were used to evacuate
all the inhabitants from below in the event of flash floods to bring them to the floor above. And of course, with them,
they carried grain, well, anything fragile.
That’s super funny. And there are some all over the village. So that’s why I
have one at home too. And there you have it, now
you know why you have one. So. But in La Roque-Gageac,
the Dordogne is not the only threat. The limestone rock of the cliff
that shelters the village is fragile. On January 17, 1957, it was even the
cause of a tragedy. This is unfortunately the only place
that was destroyed when the Rock fell in 1957. On the other hand, we can
still see very clearly the traces of the old roofs in the rock. So there we can still see pieces
of zinc, we can see the holes for the beams that supported
the roofs, etc. And there, if you don’t mind, we’re going to go see
André, Georgie, who lived in 57. André, we’re here.
Good morning. Yes, I am on a pilgrimage because I
am above the house where, precisely, I was that day. We were with the priest,
we were having a catechism session. How old were you?
I was 10 years old. And at 10:00 in the morning,
we suddenly heard a loud noise. And the rock, the part of the rock
that fell was right there. And it fell about 50 meters
from the house where we were inside. So we were very scared. But it’s mostly the dust. We couldn’t see anything anymore, it
was like the middle of the night. So it was still
quite spectacular. But it was the day we
had the lucky star. That’s it, that’s how it is. Did that cause any casualties, André? And yes, it had three victims. Nearly 60 years later, the imprint of the
detached rock is still clearly visible. In 2010, part of the ruins
of the Old Fort fell on a manor house. 350 tons of stones. An emergency situation
to which the municipality reacted. Today, sensors measure
the movements of the rock and huge steel nets have been stretched
over sensitive areas. The village is now secure
and the residents are reassured. This adored and feared cliff is also the origin of a very strange phenomenon. In the heart of the narrow streets of the village,
Maryline shows us tropical plants. An exotic garden, unique in Périgord, jealously
watched over by Michel Courbrand.
Hello Michel. Are you doing well ?
Yes. Listen, couldn’t you
please meet me here? Because it’s where I
got married 11 years ago. It was 2003.
It was sunny as hell. We took the photos, if you like, here,
of the magnificent exotic garden. However, I don’t know all
the varieties, so I’m counting on you to show them to me.
I will help you. Great. I won’t tell you everything,
but I will help you. Already.
Well, I’ll follow you then. Let’s go. 150 varieties of exotic plants grow
here, which gives the aroma of Gageac the nickname of Petit-Nice of Périgord. An adventure, to say the least, abundant,
started in the 60s by a village resident. The creator of the garden is Gérard Dorin,
who is at home here. So Gérard Dorin is a botanist…
Renowned, yes. … Who traveled a lot and who made
the observation, obviously, he is well placed, that on the north side,
the cliff protected him, on the south side, there is the humidity of the Dordogne. And so, all this led him to observe
that the climate must be suitable for this type of plant, which he brought back
from his travels around the world. He started to plant a little
around his house, at his neighbor’s house, on the terraces. And then, little by little, it
spread and spread. And now we’ve lined it everywhere,
right up to the church, the town hall, and then we’ve created this Banana Avenue. These are not normally plants
that grow in the Périgord. Here we have the bitter orange tree, there
are others in the aisle. Here, the palm trees. And then also, we have the grenadier. Look at the pomegranate tree, how beautiful it is.
Oh yes, it is magnificent. I would love to have
a pomegranate tree at home. If you visit La Roque-Gageac,
you will discover that exotic plants are not the only
exception in this valley. The warmth of the cliff and the humidity
of the Dordogne have allowed a forgotten flower to be reborn. To discover it, Maryline
took us across the river. Hello Sylvie.
I’m coming. Sylvie Tisserand is a saffron farmer. Seven years ago,
she left Paris and the corporate world to grow
saffron in Périgord. A challenge that seems to have been
rather difficult to overcome. Do you remember the first year’s production
? Yes, oh my.
3.25 grams with 3,000 bubbles. It was an entry into the agricultural world
which was a little tough at the time. Nevertheless, I persevered. Today, on this small plot,
Sylvie can harvest up to 300 grams of saffron pistils in good years. Ideally, it is good to plant
the saffron about 15 to 20 centimeters deep. So there, you see the bulb? Do
you see the bulb viger? Yes. A bulb of this size
can produce 5, 6, 7, 8 flowers. So, in the flowers,
how many pistils do you harvest? One pistil per flower? One pistil per flower,
several flowers per bulb, 150 to 200 flowers to make one gram of saffron. In France today, a gram
of saffron sells for between 30 and 35 euros. Saffron has always been very expensive. So. So there, I cover everything.
Alright. I’ll come and help you.
I’m going to come help you with the… So next summer, I’m hiring you. All right. In the past, this rare and expensive spice
was used for dyeing and medicine. But saffron disappeared
after the Middle Ages. Sylvie would like it to find
its place in traditional French cuisine today. So here we are going to try
a saffron pear tart together. I’ve never tried anything sweet.
So, I’m curious. So whether it’s sweet or savory,
the key to using saffron is infusing it. Here we have an infusion of
saffron pistil in water. It must be infused for at least an hour,
ideally the day before for the next day. Throwing a dried pistil into a
culinary preparation is really a waste. With coloring, saffron
highlights the flavors of the other ingredients. Sylvie therefore puts infused saffron in her
dough and liquid crème fraîche which covers the pears. To finish, a touch of color
with raspberries from the garden. Cook for approximately
40 minutes at 180 degrees. Ready for the tasting? Yes, wait, we deserved it, I think. I’m coming back, but the pear. This will be my next dessert. As in Sylvie’s kitchen,
in Périgord-Noir, the imprint of the Middle Ages is everywhere. At that time, territories
were fought over with the sword. So, the Sandini castles of Aigle,
where the armies take refuge. The one in Castelnau has overlooked the
Dordogne valley since the 13th century. It is historically the
most coveted castle in the region. A must-see place for Maryline,
who now joins Laetitia Bertholussi,
guide at the Château de Castelnau. Hello Laetitia. Hello Maryline. Welcome to Castelnau Castle.
Thank you so much. As a Laroquoise, I wanted to
show the Castelnau castle. Yes. Because we have a marvel here, not
far from home, art in Gageac. Yes. So, this castle of Castelnau is
today the Museum of the art of war in the Middle Ages. So, it contains a whole bunch of weapons,
including the full-size one, which are displayed here in front of you. Castelnau Castle has been
besieged many times, including by the King of France, Charles VII, in 1442. But the royal arms were
unable to overcome the fortress. So, here is one of the reasons
why Castelnau Castle was very difficult to take. By the presence of this cane beard,
which was the essential element, precisely, in this defense, and which is composed
of a multitude of traps and obstacles. Very well, I’ll follow you.
First trap. And we’re going to equip ourselves. Since we are now
the attackers of Castelnau Castle, it was better to be well protected. So I’ll equip you with a cap to start with.
Here, I’ll let you put it on. A cap. It looks like
a balaclava to me. That’s it. Exactly. To protect your skull from
friction with metal. It was very fashionable in the 14th century. We call it salad.
The salad. It was possible to raise the visor. He looks a little there. Oh yes, indeed, yes. It was also necessary,
after passing through this door, to pass underneath, precisely,
this first trap of the barbican which is called a salting pit,
useful to the defenders installed above on the terrace to launch heavy
projectiles and not to do everything, just to stun those
who passed through the entrance door. But actually, kill them
all pretty much one by one. There, we enter the main courtyard
of the castle, it is the seigneurial courtyard. Obviously, the essential element
for life and survival in a castle is the Puy. If you look closely, it has
a roof to protect the water. Very important, especially when
facing trebuchets. It was the most powerful and
precise machine of the time. It is also the first
bacteriological weapon. With her, we didn’t
just throw balls. Small dead and sick animals were also sent
to infect, when possible, the interior of the castles. If he fell into the waters of Le Puy,
it would have been over for those who were defending themselves, since we
know that we can’t… So, he had to lay down his arms.
They had to lay down their arms. I’m going to take you a little further
into the castle now, to show you from a little higher up
why this castle was so highly coveted. During the Hundred Years’ War,
the most powerful castle in the Périgord Noir was taken this time by the English. Even today, you
only have to climb the rampart walk to understand the
strategic interest it aroused at the time. On the patrol path, did you see? We culminate here, in Castelnau. So, this is almost
the highest point, here. The highest point
is the top of the keep, which rises to 193 meters. And has this castle ever been inhabited? So no, the comfort was not
sufficient for it to serve as a place of residence. It has always been a military castle,
a frontier castle to protect the lands that extend to the rear. Here, we are located at the confluence of
the two valleys that you see here. So that’s why it suffered a whole
bunch of attacks during the medieval period. I love this castle. It’s one of
my top 100 must-see places. Personally,
it’s really beautiful. Before leaving the castle,
have fun as Maryline has stepped into the shoes of the attacker. You can also shoot at the model trebuchet
, installed at the foot of the ramparts. All right.
3, 2, 1, here we go. The thousand-year-old history of the valley is
therefore written along the course of this river which gave its name to the department. To understand this, it is impossible to leave
Roque Gageac without sailing on the Dordogne. Maryline now joins Michel Léger,
aboard one of his barges. Hello Michel. Hi Maryline.
I’m going there. In the 17th century,
this boat was used for trade. For 200 years, the bargemen played
an essential economic role that Michel likes to remind the 140,000 people
who board these ships each year.
Are the bargemen merchants? No way. The bargemen
only carried. They were transporting for traders. They were flat-bottomed boats
that carried goods. So mainly wood
on the way down, chestnut stakes which were used for the Bordeaux vineyard
and the wood from which was used to make the barrels. And when they came back up, these barges,
they essentially brought up everything that was in a port like Bordeaux
and that was missing in the interior of the country. The main thing that was missing was salt. Salt was a way
to keep the It’s huge. And in Roquageac, the navigation office
recorded in 1858 437 barges passing through Roquageac.
It’s huge. Per year.
Yes, it’s huge. The arrival of the railway in 1870 put an
end to the barge trade on the Dordogne. It was not until 1995 that these boats
were brought back into fashion for holidaymakers. Today, the barges are a
unique way to help you discover this valley and the castles that overlook it. Is it difficult for Michèle
to drive a barge? Not at all, Maryline. Besides, look,
you’re going to drive that one. Here, take my place, go ahead. You see?
You guide me, you guide me, Michel. If you want to go right,
you turn the wheel to the right helm, and if you want to go left,
you turn the helm to the left. And if you want to go
straight, you do nothing. Alright. There, you avoid the rocks,
to the left, there, it should be fine. There you go, that’s good.
It’s good ? There, it’s over, now it’s good. Not too close, it’s
still ready, but it’s okay. Give me some rum, so I can forget about this. The
Dordogne basin is a setting where biodiversity and heritage
are best protected. In 2012, it was the first in the world
to be classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO. Authentic and preserved,
the Périgord Noir is full of secret spots. 40 km north of La Roque-Gageac,
far from the tourist circuits, we recommend you stop off
in this other village classified among the most beautiful in France,
Saint-Léon-sur-Vésaire. Philippe Colomy is a child of the village. A former European canoeing champion,
he has lost count of the hours spent on the Vésères.
Philippe knows every nook and cranny of this tributary of the Dordogne. Secrets that he will reveal
today to his friend, Serge Separd. Hello Philippe. Hello Serge. I’m doing well ?
Well and you ? Yeah. Are you coming for a little trip? So.
I hope I can
help you discover the Vézère in a different way. Sit down. Should
I put myself here? You put yourself in the front. I steer the ship.
It’s good ? Go ahead, sit down.
I am sitting comfortably. I’m feeling good in the right direction. You’re in charge.
That works. You tell me what to do. So far, nothing.
So, that’s fine. And now you can
paddle in peace. And when you were competing, did
you train on the Vésaire? The Vésaire is an ideal river
for training, because you have flat water, you have white water. And for me, it was my playground. I was in La Vésère
practically every day. All right.
What is special about the Vésère? For me, it’s really his wild side. In fact, it is not accessible
other than by canoe. So here we arrive at Belkair. Belkair means stone in Occitan. It means beautiful stone. This rock is shaped like the prow of a boat. Absolutely, yes. Then, when you see the terrace, there,
like that, there, you say to yourself, during the aperitif, it must be pretty good. It’s from the 15th century, actually. The tower was really a
watchtower to monitor the valley. Like the Dordogne, the banks
of the Vésère have always been inhabited. Since the Paleolithic era,
the limestone cliff sculpted by erosion has offered man
natural protection and many riches. You see Serge,
here I am taking you to a place which is truly for me one of the
special places in the Vésère valley. A rock shelter, quite simply. Water falling
because we are on a limestone plateau and there are resurgences everywhere. So, limestone is a real sponge. As soon as it rains, it accumulates water. It’s simply rainwater
that may have fallen last winter. By the time it passes through the thickness
of the limestone, it has already filtered and cooled down. It’s always the same flow rate
coming out at 12 degrees. And so, after that, we also have all this
vegetation covering the ceiling. So, these are capillaries, they
are from the Fern family. And it’s pretty, it’s wonderful. Oh yeah, it’s beautiful,
it’s your place. Come on, let’s continue the descent. Thanks to this constantly flowing water,
the Vésaire has never experienced drought and its quality remains exceptional. What are the plants in front of there,
Philippe, with these flowers? So these are water buttercups. It is the same family as the buttercup. It smells so good in spring. And then, it’s a place where fish
come to take refuge, especially small fish. So down there, predators
will have a hard time catching them. And for the past 5 or 6 years,
we’ve had a lot of gudgeon returns, which is
a sign of water quality. Always appreciated by fishermen,
the river was also, until the 19th century,
a very busy commercial route. Saint-Léon-sur-Vésaire was then one of the
main trading ports in the region. To imagine it, Philippe
now joins David L’Espinasse. An antique dealer,
David is an expert on the history of this charming village,
once rich and lively. Hello David, how are you?
Are you okay too? Yeah, you asked me to meet you at
the town hall square, so I could show you around Saint-Léon. That’s
it. You should know that under our feet, here, there
was a large port, with boats, courbets,
barges which were used to transport wood, tiles, walnut oil,
wine, which were transported to Libournes. And the ascent made it possible to bring back here,
in this stock, the salt and spices which were used for the children, and
all other goods. Given the size of the building,
there must have been quite a few people there, because… Indeed, there were about 1,200
inhabitants, with very strong economic activity. It hasn’t moved.
This building feels like it’s still the 19th century. It remained authentic. I really like this architecture,
the Saint-Léonnaise, there. You feel that
it’s still on a human scale. And so that,
we call that a gentle courtet. That’s it.
Why a gentle court? A sweet couret is Occitan. It’s a small alley,
actually very narrow. Just the passing of a cart. Little cart, huh?
A small cart. The charretou, like the couret doux.
The wood. Wood, when…
We always have the plant element, you see. Yeah, it’s this marriage
between stone and plant. And there, we continue on our gentle course.
And there you have it. And at every street corner, it’s
always a very pleasant discovery. I’ll introduce you to Gilbert,
since he’s spent a lot of time in the water belts. He’ll tell us about it.
Hi Gilbert. Good morning.
Hello Gilbert, how are you? Yes, I’m fine.
You too ? Yeah. Are
you going for a walk? Yes, in the gentle streams. And we were talking about you, because you
spent your youth there. We said: Oh, yes, that’s true. We’ll bring him in, he’ll
show us a little bit better. Come on, let’s go see. These are the gentle courtyards,
the little alleys, and where we had fun when we were kids,
we played hide-and-seek and we found little corners to hide,
like behind little trees and then some spots, there, another spot. And the little streets were paved
with pebbles, pebbles from the Vésère. And the alleys, is there a reason they
are so narrow? But yes, because in the past,
Saint-Léon, which is surrounded by water, was very expensive per square meter. And that’s why the houses were
concentrated and the alleys were narrow because… They saved on space. If
you ever wander through this maze of charming alleyways, don’t forget to admire
the jewel of Saint-Léon, its 12th century Romanesque church. Here, the remains are everywhere
and each stone tells a story. The only concession to modernity in this
ancestral setting is this bridge designed by Gustave Eiffel. Well, it’s true that
this bridge is a bit unusual. It is atypical because it is metallic. Unusual here, since the other
villages have stone points. No bridge before the 20th century? No bridge before the 20th century. There was a ferryman on a flat-bottomed wooden ferry
with paddles who carried
animals and people across between the left and right banks.
Okay, okay. So, in addition, we have a great
view of the village, there, of the bridge, there. That’s it. We not only have
the 16th century castle there. Here, the Romanesque church. This is really a postcard. That’s
it. The Vésère Valley is
also called the Valley of Man. 400,000 years that he who is installed here. Around this river are gathered
the most impressive prehistoric sites in Europe. Discovered in 1901,
Fond de Gaume is the most emblematic of the 25 decorated caves in the region. Unlike Lascaux,
whose cave paintings were reproduced in another cave,
Fond de Gaume still presents to the public the original drawings
made 15,000 years ago. Philippe meets
Jean-Jacques Cleillémerle there, the general curator of Fond de Gaume, who
offers him the privilege of a private visit to this cave where
thousand-year-old treasures lie dormant. It’s wonderful to arrive here and know
that you’re going to visit an original, in fact. It is the last
truly polychrome, original painting cave still accessible to the public. All right. So we’re really lucky
to be able to get in there. It might not last, actually. For now, I’m pretty optimistic. To preserve it,
only 80 people are allowed to enter the cave each day. It’s still quite narrow
there to move around. No, the entrance there is 60,
60 centimeters. We are in something
that is quite narrow. A system in cracks. So, there are places where we
have a little more space. And the Magdalenians who engraved and painted
these elements had very little perspective to work with. The Magdalenians lived in Périgord
around 15,000 years before our era. According to scientists, it is their
drawings that adorn the walls here. 200 animal figures over 120 meters
long, gutted deer, mammoths and especially bison. 80 in total. So, we’re looking at bison, you see,
which are immediately identifiable as bison. Look at the eyes as they
are highlighted, that is extraordinary. And then there is ochre
and black ochre. Here we are dealing with dyes,
pigments which are essentially mineral pigments. Ochres are iron oxides
and blacks are made from manganese oxides. Contrary to popular belief,
Fond de Gaume has never been inhabited. During the Magdalenian period,
people came here to express themselves through drawing. We can feel there
is something strong there. I’m not going to say we’re inhabited,
but almost, we’re… I wouldn’t be really capable
of doing that, for example. They are modern men, they
are men like us. But if you simply
in terms of generation. What does it do?
That’s not even 1,000 generations. That’s not much. And I find that when you are
in a cavity of this type, you feel close to those who have frequented them. It’s a little bit like it
left not so long ago. Cavities and rock shelters have
always been exploited by man in Périgord. Philippe now takes us to discover
the only troglodyte castle in France, the Maison forte de Rainiac. Ah, but here you are. Yes, hello Jean-Max, how are you? Are
you okay, Philippe? Yes, I’m fine. Listen, I’m happy to come
visit Rainiac with you. It’s been… Ever since I was a kid,
when I walked past it and it was closed, we saw it come to life again. So we say the Fortified House,
in fact, it is a landmark. But initially it was
a practically blind wall. You see, with a few loopholes. All the windows were
subsequently opened. Okay, yes. You have no idea how many hidden treasures there are. Okay, we’ll go see about that. I hope you’ll show me. It’s beautiful. Jean-Max Touron is the new
owner of the premises. For ten years, he has made the
Rainiac fortified house a witness to a centuries-old art of living. You saw here, it’s beautiful. Like this hall of honor,
the castle hides immense rooms that Jean-Max has furnished one by
one in the smallest details. You’re in a 600-year-old room
with a 600-year-old floor. Oh yeah, real rammed earth, yeah. So, do you want
me to show you how people washed their hands in the Middle Ages?
Oh yes, I’m interested. They had running water. Uh, a running water system, yes. You see, you have a wooden bucket,
and then you have this kind of ladle there. So you take a little water,
put it there and there you go. And you have running water,
yes, but that’s ingenious. Go ahead. But I had the same
system at my grandmother’s. That ‘s funny.
It’s lost now. Raise your brain to something else. So there you are in the weapons room. Okay, yes, yes, yes. There are some instruments of torture, there
are armors, but there is one unique piece.
Look at. For Dermine, yes. Well, I don’t know where you
found this, but it’s an unbreakable safe.
Almost. We have to see how it works.
We must lower. Ah, already, yeah. So there, your first key. Because there are multiple keys, yeah.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You don’t push it in too far, you turn it
and you have this key that you insert. And it doesn’t work. So I continue. The key. Look, look how it goes. I push back… I go back, I push forward,
I turn clockwise. It doesn’t work. And there, it will work. And once it works there,
it works there. You’re still having fun like a fool. This
house, filled with treasures by its owner, is called
Château Falaise in Périgord. Like him, Jean-Max has passionately revived
11 historic sites in the region, all open to the public. To end this trip on the Vesaire,
he now takes Philippe for a baptism of the air. Damn, you’re really heavy. Oh yes, the fortified house too,
the view from here is another dimension. In love with his valley,
Jean-Max likes to contemplate it from the sky. Great,
the view of Périgord is magical, isn’t it? Yeah. That’s absolutely crazy. But Jean-Max, that’s a childhood dream.
THANKS. For me, it’s wonderful. By air or by the many roads
that crisscross the Dordogne, the countless jewels of the Périgord Noir will
give you the feeling of having traveled back in time. A break that would be a shame
not to treat yourself to once in your life.

Niché au sud-est de la Dordogne, le Périgord noir compte des villages, classés parmi les plus beaux de France, tels La Roque-Gageac ou Saint-Léon-sur-Vézère.

Pour découvrir les merveilles des plus belles régions de France, c’est ici – Abonnez-vous 👉 http://bit.ly/3zjR2Vj 🙏

Réalisé par Vanessa PONTET.
© MORGANE PRODUCTION