This time, we take you to the purple Périgord. Why such a name? The departmental tourist committee created it from scratch in the 1980s and it would represent the importance of vineyards in the region. In this case, it is not the wine but its historical heritage that we invite you to discover. Even if the two are not incompatible! Our afternoon trip will take you to visit Cadouin and its abbey, then Saint-Avit-Sénieur and finally Beaumont. This triptych gives a nice overview of the cloister and the bastides of Périgord
Cadouin abbey with its cloister
We start our journey with the village of Cadouin. This houses in particular a beautiful abbey, the cloister of which is the main attraction. A booklet is given to you at the entrance to allow you to identify all the notable elements of the architecture. Indeed, although Cistercian, the decorations are numerous all along the arches of the inner courtyard. Once out, we enjoy a gourmet break thanks to an ice cream parlor on the square. Moreover, if you like food, do not hesitate to go to our article to find hikes for gourmets.
The bastide of Saint-Avit-Sénieur
After leaving the abbey of Cadouin, we head for a nearby town that is part of the Bastide communes of Périgord. Let’s start by specifying that the bastide is a medieval town with a regular building plan centered on a square square surrounded by arcades. However, the attraction of Saint-Avit-Sénieur rests above all on its imposing abbey church.
The bastide of Beaumont du Périgord
Our third and last stage takes us to an almost intact country house with its square place and its arcades. Beaumont du Périgord indeed offers a superb example of this type of medieval town. On the other hand, during our visit, the village gave us the impression of being animated mainly by tourists. So we saw several abandoned houses during our walk through its streets. Despite this, the village is well worth the detour.
We hope that this getaway through time and these villages made you want to discover the cloister and bastides of Périgord. In any case, you can also find our previous hikes and walks below:
