Dordogne — Périgord

The Périgord, renamed the Dordogne after the French revolution, is located in the north of Aquitaine province in southwest France. It is the centre of pre-history in Europe and is renowned for its natural beauty, the profusion of historic sites, a mouth-watering local gastronomy and some of the most famous wine producing regions in the world.

Inhabited first by prehistoric man — and woman — from some 40,000 years ago, the Périgord was so named after the Gallic/Celtic tribe of the Petrocorii with its capital at what is now Périgueux. Then followed the Romans, the Visgoths and the Franks; the earliest reference to Périgord as a separate county dates to 866, during the reign of the Frankish king Charles II (the Bald).


Dordogne River

History

The counts of Périgord were vassals of the Dukes of Aquitaine and, after the marriage of Eleonor of Aquitaine to Henry, Duke of Normanday in 1152 and his later ascension to the throne of England as Henry II in 1154, Périgord was part of the Plantagenet empire that stretched from northern England through western France to the border of Spain. From 1337 to 1443, the area was in the front lines in the 100 Years War between the Norman English and the Capetian French armies; it was at this time that were built many of castles and bastide towns that we see today.

Today, the Périgord is divided into four regions: in the north, the Périgord Vert (Green) with its emerald landscape of small valleys and streams; Périgord Blanc (White) in the centre, with its characteristic limestone cliffs, wide valleys and arid moors; Périgord Noir (Black) in the southeast, named for its black truffles and dark forests of chestnut, oak and fir; and, in the southwest, Périgord Poupre (Purple) for the colour of the grapes in its thousand year-old vineyards.

Belvès is in the Périgord Noir.

See our photo galleries at www.belves.net

Links:

* sites in French; use Google or Babel Fish
translators if needed.