Welcome to the official website dedicated to Tourism in the Lot
This is a group of just over 150 villages dotted all over France, each of which has had to satisfy strict criteria (population no more than 2000, quality of buildings, setting, heritage, etc.) in order to join the "Most Beautiful Villages" association. The Lot has no fewer than five of these; St Cirq Lapopie, in the Lot valley, Carennac, Loubressac and Autoire in the Dordogne valley, and Cardaillac.
Saint Cirq Lapopie
Some 35 km upstream of Cahors the village of St. Cirq Lapopie stands high above the Lot perched like a sentinel on an outcrop of rock. Indeed, that is exactly what it once was: from early times, this was the site of a fortress which stood guard over the valley and kept close watch on all the traffic passing up and down the river.
Office de Tourisme de St Cirq Lapopie :
05 65 31 31 31
www.saint-cirqlapopie.com
Office de Tourisme de Figeac :
05 65 34 06 25
www.tourisme-figeac.com
05 65 31 31 31
www.saint-cirqlapopie.com
Office de Tourisme de Figeac :
05 65 34 06 25
www.tourisme-figeac.com
Loubressac
Autoire
Carennac's setting on the banks of the Dordogne is idyllic, and its fine centuries-old traditional stone-built houses suggest its former prosperity. The village clusters around a former Benedictine priory, whose main gate still opens on to the road beside the river. The priory church is Romanesque, dating from the 11th-12th C. The 12th C tympanum, erected in front of the older 11th C. doorway is beautifully carved, and the cloister next to the church has also been conserved. It is well worth a visit. The Renaissance building at the enclosure entrance is now an exhibition space, and you can visit the imposing rooms which were the Dean's quarters. The most famous Dean was François de Salignac de Lamothe Fénelon, whose name occurs all over Carennac. Born of a noble family in nearby Périgord, in the late 17th C. he became a respected figure at the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, and was chosen as private tutor to the King's grandson. His name has become attached to a local aperitif…why not raise a glass in his honour ?
Cardaillac
North of Figeac, this was the seat of a baron from the 11th C. onwards. Founded by the Cardaillac family, one of the most powerful in Quercy (the old name for this area), the fortress dominated the surrounding countryside and protected the village that developed beside it. The Cardaillacs produced many military figures and influential ecclesiastics over the centuries, some members of the family combining both careers. The village now has two distinct parts; the "fort", and the old residential village itself. Within the "fort", three of the castle's defensive towers still stand: a round 15th C. tower and two 11th-12th C. square ones, interspersed with more recent houses. The other quarter has numerous attractive old village houses, plus a stone well and some vestiges of the ramparts that once sheltered the inhabitants. It has also conserved various elements typical of a past way of life: a clog maker's workshop, a plum-drying oven, a chestnut-dryer, etc.
Carennac
Au détour des ruelles de Carennac se dévoile un joli musée des alambics associé à une aromathèque. C’est donc dans le sillage des fragrances de rose et de lavande distillées que l’on flâne dans ce village baigné par la Dordogne. Patiné par le temps, le bourg se resserre autour du prieuré fortifié qui lui apporta aisance et renommée. L’église St-Pierre est un pur joyau, avec son tympan sculpté du 12ème siècle et son cloître où se conjuguent les styles roman et gothique.
