Les Plus Beaux Villages de France – The Most Beautiful Villages in France

Saturday 22nd April 2017 and ‘Day 4′ of our travels.

A little bit of background on Sauveterre-de-Rouergue:

Sauveterre-de-Rouergue is located in the Aveyron Département of the Midi-Pyrénées in Southern France.  It’s roughly 35 km south-west of Rodez.

Heading north, Sauveterre-de-Rouergue was our next stop. Having done a bit of research since then, it seems that this little village was something of a design project in its day

Essentially made of nine blocks set three by three, the centre ‘block’ is a large, open, arcaded public square surrounded by eight separate blocks of buildings, each set around a garden with its own well. Not a bad bit of planning for the 13th century!

Sauveterre-de-Rouergue is a very old royal “bastide” that dates back to 1281 and retains its original layout.

There are still lovely half-timbered or Renaissance-style houses on the main square,  with about forty-seven arcades surrounding it.

Nestled under the beautiful stone arches are a number of sweet boutique-style shops where local craftsmen and shopkeepers sell their wares.

Well off the beaten track, the village was remarkably quiet for a Saturday afternoon and we enjoyed yet another impromptu picnic in the sun before hitting the road once more.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my site and I hope you enjoyed today’s collection of photos by Amanda and me.