The following is a continuation of Perigord in July 2012 – Saint-Nazaire to Sarlat-la-Canéda.

Our first full day in Perigord was our chance to begin to tour the countryside nearest where were staying. We decided to head to the Roque de Saint-Christophe, a city that once had as many as 1,000 people living in a cliff overhang along the Vézère River in Perigord (yes, two accents…), the Château de Commarque, an ancient ruin, and to finish our day in Sarlat-la-Canéda, a medieval city near our B&B.

Roque de Saint-Christopher

This site is remarkable for how old (55,000 years) it is and how much of the cliff has been modified over the thousands of years people have lived along it. Almost a perfect defensive spot, the Roque de Saint-Christophe touches the river itself and provided a perfect place to see invaders long before they were a threat.

We were there as the doors opened and spent over an hour going through the various exhibits. A curiosity to an American, the French often use cartoons to depict scenes from ancient France, and this was no exception. It takes getting used to the comic book version of history in such an ancient place.

After time on the cliff, we headed off to Les Eyzies de Tayac for lunch of jambon de pays (cured ham and butter on a baguette) sandwiches and were ready for another adventure.

Château de Commarque

How often do you get to explore the unrestored, mostly intact ruins of a 12th Century French castle? Château de Commarque is just that. It was built over the past 800 years but was mostly forgotten until rediscovered in 1962, under layers of earth and overgrown with trees and brush.

We followed the signs from Les Eyzies de Tayac, a remarkable village just below an overhanging limestone cliff with homes built into it.

After parking, we had a beautiful 600m walk down a hill to the Château itself. This was is a fascinating ruin as it incorporates ancient troglodyte homes alongside and sometimes below ruins that have been dated as far back as the AD 1180. This is also one of the most romantic castles we’ve visited, with spiral staircases, enormous moats and the signs of ancient drawbridges.

The history of the Château was just as interesting as its construction, as it played a part in the 100 Years War in the 13th and 14th Century and the Wars of Religion in the 16th Century.

Few ancient castles allow for walking on the ramparts, but Commarque is an exception. There are fences but the area open to the public allows for a significant amount of exploration.

Medieval Sarlat-la-Canéda

This is one of the most remarkable medieval cities in the world and is now on the waiting list to be protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sarlat-la-Canéda was mostly left undeveloped from the 1600’s and retains most of the architecture of both that time and hundreds of years before. It is the capital of Perigord Noir, one of the four sections of Perigord that earned that name due to its dark oak forests.

The cathedral wasn’t nearly as large as some we’ve seen but was beautiful and well cared for.

After walking the ancient town’s narrow alleys and broad and winding streets, we settled at a table in the square to spend the rest of the afternoon people watching and soaking up the atmosphere of this beautiful village.

We finished up early and were back at our B&B well before dark. We had a fantastic day and looked forward to our next adventures in this beautiful area.