France’s ancient cities of stone

The hostess of our château pensione near Naucelle, France, was speaking about her visit to the United States.

“In Boston, the tour guide showed us a church and said proudly, ‘It is over 250 years old.’ We waited for the punch line, but there was none. That was it.”

She wasn’t sharpshooting. It was simply the honest reaction of one who lives in the department of Aveyron. Within 40 miles of her front door are more than 30 French bastides, unique medieval settlements built by kings, lords and churchmen nearly 800 years ago.

“The United States has so many wonderful qualities,” she went on. “But it should leave ‘old’ to us.”

An affinity for antiquity

The story was apropos, for these two visiting Americans were about to take a journey back in time, and I mean far back. For my wife, Pat, a college history major, it was an opportunity to absorb through the senses what she had only read about in textbooks. For me, well, I am sucker for antiquity. Anything with the hint of ancient design, construction or culture, you can serve up to me anytime.

And ancient these enduring jewels are. The intense period of bastide building began in 1222 with the founding of Cordes sur Ciel and Castelnau de Montmiral. The last bastide, Labastide d’Anjou, was founded in 1373. In all, 312 bastides were built, extending from the Aquitaine east to the Tarn and Aveyron.

Today, almost all remain, many so beautifully preserved they beckon visitors to stroll through the Middle Ages, stay in ancient inns, shop in shaded arcades, buy local specialties in the market squares, or sip a beverage and dine in the cafés. All are modernized as needed, of course — plumbed, wired, heated and such — while carefully retaining a feel of centuries long past.

Bastides beckon

To fully appreciate the heritage of these unique treasures, a little history helps.

Bastides were the first attempt at urban planning by a country taking halting steps toward being the France we know today. They arose largely to pull together a thin and scattered population, protect it from marauders and spur commerce. Many bastides were strategically placed on hilltops and fortified.

Some of the best-preserved bastides are in the departments of the Tarn and Aveyron, a scant 75 miles from the Mediterranean. If you stay in Albi, Rodez, Gaillac or Millau, you’ll find at least a dozen within an hour’s drive, each with its own unique personality.

As we explored them one by one — shopped at their markets, dined in their cafés and lodged in their inns — we quickly noticed a unique ambiance. If regions had facial expressions, this one would have a welcoming Gallic smile.

Traveling elsewhere, one is often conscious of being a visitor — and being viewed as such (although politely). In the bastides we felt welcome. There was a sense of being one of them. Of course we were not, but the feeling of being accepted rather than intrusive was a masterful feat of PR on the part of the locals.

Hospitable locals

A word about politics. Our two countries can have their tiffs, as they certainly have had in the recent past, but that feeling need not extend to the kind of people-to-people friendship we felt all over Aveyron. Political friction, and the leaders who cause it, might have been on another planet. Everywhere we went, we felt that we were among people happy to have us there. That was the beginning and end of it.

Once, after lunching in a bustling restaurant on the square in Rodez, we had walked two blocks when Pat felt a light tap on her arm. Turning, we saw our waitress, breathless from running to catch us, holding the reading glasses Pat had left on the table. She returned them with a smiling “Vos lunettes, Madame.” Refusing a tip, she sprinted off back to work.

Restaurants (perhaps not all with such extra-mile service) are abundant here. B&Bs (called chambres d’hôtes) and charming hotels are plentiful. And crowds are minimal since the existence of bastides is little known, even among the traveling sort.

Byways, not highways

We found sampling bastides by car to be leisurely and stress free. Our routes led us through quaint villages, quiet valleys and deep forests that had the tailored look of royal domains, which in bygone eras they were. The roads were smooth, the greenery was profuse, and everywhere — both town and countryside — it was surprisingly litter free. Signposts at every crossroad made finding our way around easy.

Suggestion — to plot your rounds, stop in a tabac and pick up a detailed area map, either the IGN Tarn map No. 3615 or Michelin’s map No. 235 of the Midi-Pyrénées.

Best of the bastides

If you have a penchant for history and an appreciation for the ancient artisans’ skills, you can get much from these testaments to life in fledgling France. Here is a sampling of five that stand out in our memory.

Cordes sur Ciel — Set atop a stony outcrop 16 miles west of Albi, Cordes is the best fortified and most faithfully medieval of all bastides. Its cobbled streets and ancient buildings were built stone on stone eight centuries ago. Today, weavers, engravers, artists and sculptors practice their arts in ateliers adjoining cafés, shops, restaurants and inns that preserve the ancient character first set by Cordes’ founder, Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse.

Visitors have access to a dozen beautiful old houses, mansions and churches restored to retain their original character, both inside and out. The sweeping view to the horizon enjoyed by area hotel guests and diners is truly awesome.

Vivid in our minds is an evening spent on the terrace of our hotel, L’Hostellerie du Vieux Cordes (phone 011 33 5 63 53 79 20 or fax 011 33 5 63 56 02 47), our host pointing out an array of bastides and villages extending to the horizon 30 miles distant.

A word of advice — parking space is scarce up top, so it’s best to leave your car below and take the minibus that shuttles visitors up and down on a regular schedule.

Drive 50 miles from Cordes sur Ciel through stunning countryside and you reach Roquefort, a mountainside village of fewer than 800 souls that’s the source of the world-famous cheese.

Two hundred million years ago, an enormous cascade of limestone spalled off the face of the Cambalou Mountains, forming amid its rubble a series of buried caves with unique atmospheric qualities. Steady currents of air flowing through maintain a constant 95% humidity and 50°F — ideal for the 3-month curing process needed to grow Penicillium roqueforti, the fungus that gives the cheese its distinctive taste, texture and blue-stippled color.

A guided tour through the caves is intriguing and well staged (wear a sweater or jacket). At tour’s end, you can taste Roquefort under just the right conditions of ripeness and atmosphere.

Castelnau de Montmiral — This well-preserved bastide shares its 1222 birth date with Cordes. It lies a half hour southwest of Cordes and was a product of Raymond VII’s vain attempt to stand against Pope and King.

It had a varied historical life. In 1355 the English laid siege to it, seeking it as a prize in the Hundred Years’ War. After the English victory at the Battle of Agincourt, it was taken from its, then, owners, the Armagnac family. Later, during the Wars of Religion, it harbored displaced Catholics and repelled an attack by Protestants from nearby Gaillac.

On June 24, 1622, King Louis XIII lodged overnight in a house on the Place de la Rose (now marked with a plaque). Interestingly, his entourage stayed longer, caroused too much for the townspeople’s liking and were deposited, none too gently, outside the village wall.

In 1991, Castelnau was officially named one of 139 plus beaux villages de France (most beautiful villages of France).

You can stay overnight in chambres de hôtes overlooking the central square in the 17th-century Hôtel de Ville, sleeping where soldiers of the king slept three centuries before. At mealtime, two restaurants offer such local specialties as foie gras, Roquefort and walnut salad, with a main course of daube de sanglier — braised meat of wild boar — accompanied by Gaillac wine.

Najac — Najac lies under the gaze of one of the most striking and historic castles in France. The massive 13th-century structure standing stolidly against the sky above the beautiful Aveyron Valley played an active role in four wars, including the French Revolution, as well as being a prison for the Knights Templar, the victims of a power struggle between King Phillip of France and Pope Clement V.

Najac departs from standard bastide design by extending down a long central street built on a ridgeline that leads to the castle. This linear design is perhaps an outgrowth of the pre-bastide era when the settlement lay on castle lands and housed its garrison of several hundred troops.

For those seeking an active counterpoint to viewing history, two holiday villages on the flat below Najac offer camping, swimming, fishing, cycling and river rafting as well as a 3-star hotel and numerous vacation cottages.

If you visit Najac at mealtime, try L’Oustal del Barry (Place du Bourg; phone 011 33 5 65 29 74 32 or visit www.oustal-del-barry.com), which lists itself as a restaurant (and lays out a fantastic spread starting at $25) but also offers 20 well-turned-out rooms for around $80 double. Even though economy may not be a priority, in bastide country you’ll find you have a hard time cashing all those travelers’ checks or pushing the limit of your platinum card.

Continuing on, exit Najac on Route 39 and then head north on D922 for 25 miles and you’ll come to. . .

Villefranche de Rouergue — This bastide was founded in 1252 by Alphonse de Poitiers, brother of the then French king, Saint Louis. It is distinguished by the sheer expanse of its checkerboard street patterns and its dramatic square at the foot of the massive Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame.

Luckily, we arrived on market day (Thursday) and mingled with the shoppers, then repaired to a balcony on the second-level Arcades Reynes to view the bustling activity below and sip a refreshment from the Brasserie les Arcades located there.

Speaking of markets, if you stay long in bastide country, you’ll doubtless run into at least one of these markets-in-the-square. Far from being just quaint, they are important to the locals as sources of such daily needs as household goods, produce, wine and clothing.

Sprinkled in among the stalls are brocante stands offering “collectibles” ranging from rusty tools to fine china, intricate lace and fine wood carvings, all at negotiable prices. See something you want? The asking price may be reasonable, but haggling is part of the fun. Offer 60%-70% of the asking price and you’ll likely take it home. We bargained into a porcelain character jug to add to Pat’s collection for under $20 plus an antique cavalry sword for about $65, both haggled down by one-third.

As you stroll the arcades, watch the traffic — good advice in any French town. Streets sized for horses, wagons and carriages now carry cars, minivans and merchants’ trucks. Thankfully, drivers and walkers cooperate, so both make their way little impeded by the other. If you’re driving, fear not. We’ve inched our way through the tightest quarters and crowds without receiving so much as an angry glare. It may be awkward to you, but it’s customary to them.

Even if you’ve had one cathedral too many, take in the Notre-Dame church, which is right on the square. Its massive tower stands 20 stories high, the result of its rivalry with nearby Rodez, each town wanting its spire to be the highest. War and lack of money made Villefranche call it quits in 1585, making Rodez the winner (29 stories).

You can find fantastic eating close to the square. For full meals, you might try L’Assiette Gourmande on place A. Lescure (phone 011 33 5 65 45 25 95) or Bellevue at 5 avenue du Ségala (phone 011 33 5 65 45 23 17). Both carry the Michelin “Bib Gourmand,” signifying well-prepared food at moderate prices.

Sauveterre de Rouergue — Rivaling Cordes in charm and beauty, this bastide, 20 miles south of Rodez off route N88, has long held the official “most beautiful village” rosette. Small wonder with its perfect half-timbered houses, sculptured facades, ornate doorways and the remains of its fortifications, moats, towers and entrance archways. From early May throughout the summer, the 350-plus inhabitants adorn its stone urns, window boxes and public areas with sunbursts of flowers.

Sauveterre began in 1281 as a sauvette, a fortified village under the authority of the church, and thus was protected as much by faith as by ramparts. In 1330, the Bishop of Rodez made the city an independent parish. One effect of that can be seen in its church, a “jewel box” compared to the massive cathedrals in Rodez and Villefranche but including four chapels, vivid frescoes and ornately carved wooden stalls.

You can overnight in Hotel l’Sénéchal (phone 011 33 5 65 71 29 00), where $100 for a double is a bit pricey for the area (though a bargain in Provence and Paris). Meals hereabouts are usually more hearty than subtle, but the Sénéchal dining room offers such specialties as foie gras, fish steamed with seaweed (which tasted surprisingly fabulous) and a creative pâté of Roquefort cheese. Choose carefully; you can pay anywhere from $25 to $100 per person.

Also, you might try le Bar des Amis or Restaurant A la Grappe d’Or in the village. For a generous spread of earthy farm food, the nearby auberge de la ferme La Peyrade will send you away waddling, for under $25. You can get directions from the tourist office on the square.

And on Friday nights in July and August there’s a market under the lights in the town square, plus street entertainment and guided torch-lit tours of the village.

Fewer than 10 miles from Sauveterre de Rouergue is the Château du Bosc, where artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec spent each summer until his mid-teens. Among the most striking mementoes in this impressive mansion is the collection of drawings and sketches he made there in his youth that rival the work of many established artists.

Tastefully displayed are his baptism dress, toys, bicycle, hobby horse, used paint tubes and hundreds of other trappings of both youth and genius that were his before he met with the accidents that are thought to have stunted his legs but not his brilliance.

Individual tours led by the artist’s grand nephews are available year-round from 9 to 7 daily.

Summing up

Before returning home, visit Gaillac, one of the region’s most charming towns. Walk its narrow streets lined with timbered shops and houses. Rest in its squares listening to the burble of centuries-old fountains. Visit the Maison des Vins de Gaillac, where you can partake in wine tasting in a temperature-controlled room containing rows of porcelain sinks.

Then stroll the indoor music-and-light promenade depicting the town’s history, from its founding by the Benedictine monks of Abbaye du Mont St. Michel through its time as a busy commercial port on the Tarn River to today’s status as hub of 49,000 acres of vineyards producing red, white, rosé and sparkling wines bearing the coveted Appellation Gaillac Controlée.

We had come to this unassuming region looking for a serene ambiance away from the glitz and glamour of more publicized Gallic areas. Pat hoped for a place where the romance of history would speak to her again. Along with that, I simply wanted to bask in the rhythms and culture of provincial France. In bastide land, we found both.

Our 2003 visit was in May, when tour buses are rare and lines, nonexistent and the countryside is a burgeoning green. September is equally enticing, when the only change is the green turned to gold. We recommend those months, which locals say are the fairest of the calendar.

If you can’t make it this year, well, maybe next.

It will still be there.

Getting there

By road from Paris (425 miles): Take the A71 to Clermont-Ferrand, the A75 to Sévérac le Château, then the N88 through Rodez to Albi.

By train: There is a direct line from Paris to Albi, via Capdenac, which stops at Cordes/Vindrac. For schedules and reservations, contact the Rail Europe Call Center (phone 888/382-7245 or visit www.raileurope.com).

By air: There are several Air France direct flights from Paris to Toulouse, as well as British Airways and Air France flights between London’s Heathrow or Gatwick and Toulouse. Car rentals are available in Toulouse.

For information on hotel, B&B and vacation cottage rentals, contact Comité Départemental du Tourisme (17, rue Aristide-Briand, B.P. 831, 12008 Rodez, France; phone 011 33 5 65 75 55 75 or visit www.tourisme-aveyron.com) in Aveyron. . . or Relais des Gites de France (96 rue des Agriculteurs, B.P. 80332-81027, Albi CEDEX 9, France; phone 011 33 5 63 48 83 01 or visit www.gites-tarn.com) in Tarn.

For any other information on the area, contact the Ministry of Tourism (phone, in New York, 514/288-1904 or visit www.franceguide.com).