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The
Périgord
in
the
Aquitaine
is
more
commonly
known
as
the
Dordogne
and
is
divided
into
four
areas
:
white,
green,
purple
and
black.
Périgord
blanc
:
in
the
heart
of
Dordogne,
surrounding
the
regional
capital,
Périgueux,
on
the
Isle
River.
It
is
quite
similar
to
the
Périgord
vert
except
for
the
white
clay
cliffs
which
indicate
the
cave
regions.
Périgord
vert
:
named
for
the
lush
green
fields
and
forests
that
run
along
the
north
of
the
region,
around
the
main
town
of
Brantôme,
an
old
stone
built
city
on
the
banks
of
the
Dronne
river.
This
is
an
area
of
gently
rolling
hills
where
charming
villages
like
Saint-Jean-de-Côle
nestle
sleepily.
This
region
stretches
towards
the
bordering
Charentes
and
the
Corrèze.
Périgord
pourpre
:
to
the
south
is
named
after
the
numerous
vineyards
surrounding
Bergerac.
Périgord
noir
:
to
the
south-east,
is
between
the
Vézère
valley
and
the
Dordogne
River,
where
the
medieval
city
of
Sarlat-la-Canéda
can
be
found.
It
is
probable
that
the
colour
of
the
dark
oak
and
pine
forests
gives
this
region
the
name
"black".
The
Dordogne
has
a
rich
prehistory
and
a
tumultuous
history.
It
is
known
for
being one
of
France's
most
ancient
regions.
A
Gallic
tribe
known
as
the
Petrocorii
settled
here,
and
it
is
from
their
early
presence
that
the
Périgord's
name
originated.
Around
the
1st
century
they
were
succeeded
by
the
Romans
who
made
Périgueux
their
capital
of
the
vast
province
of
Aquitania,
naming
it
Vesona.
The
name
Dordogne
comes
from
the
Celt
"
Du-unna
"
meaning
rapid
water.
Under
the
Roman
Empire
it
was
baptized
Duranius
and
from
the
Middle
Ages
it
became
successively
"
Duranna
"
"
Durdunia
"
then
"
Dordoigne
"
until
finally
DORDOGNE.
The
Dordogne
enjoys
a
geographical
location
that
is
equidistant
from
the
pole
and
the
Equator,
and
from
the
sea
and
the
mountains.
It
has
for
more
than
200,000
years
been
settled
upon
continously
by
man
and
prehistoric
man
and
has
been
classified
as
one
of
the
cradles
of
human
civilization
.
Brigitte
and
Gilles
Delluc
point
out
in
their
excellent
book,
Discovering
Lascaux,
the
first
man
Homo
habilis,
who
made
the
earliest-known
tools,
lived
in
Africa
2
million
years
ago.
Our
predecessor
Neanderthal
man
was
already
sapiens
(knowledgeable)
and
our
ancestors
the
Cro-Magnons
were
modern
men,
they
looked
like
us
and
had
the
same
degree
of
intelligence.
In
the
days,
17,000
years
ago
when
Lascaux
was
inhabited,
Cro-Magnon
man
had
an
advanced
civilisation
and
life
was
organised
in
a
social
culture.
They
lived
in
comfortable
huts,
built
either
in
the
open
or
beneath
the
entrances
of
rock
shelters
or
caves.
Neither
Neanderthal
or
Cro-Magnon
man
actually
lived
in
caves,
at
least
not
in
the
Périgord.
No
prehistoric
settlement
has
been
discovered
here
far
below
the
surface.
It
was
Cro-Magnon
man
who
invented
the
art
of
drawing
on
the
banks
of
the
Vézère
river,
some
30,000
to
35,000
years
ago.
During
a
long
period
of
apprenticeship
their
style
evolved
from
simple
two-dimensional
representation
of
what
they
saw
in
nature
traced
on
a
flat
surface
of
rock.
Through
the
Gravettian
period
(
approximately
20,000
to
25,000
years
ago)
when
these
early
artists
progressed
to
decorating
walls
of
shallow
caves
and
rock
shelters
(
Poisson
rock
shelters
near
Les
Eysies)
to
18,000
years
ago
when
great
artists
carved
wonderful
bas
-reliefs
of
animals
(Le
Foureau
du
diable
in
Dordogne)
until
finally
Lascaux
17,000
years
ago.
The
famous
painted
caves
of
Lascaux
are
an
almost
magical
testimony
of
their
creative
activity
during
their
long
occupation
if
this
region.
Lascaux
is
the
oldest
of
the
deep
decorated
caves
as
well
as
being
the
most
unusual.
The
gifted
artists
of
that
time
knew
how
to
frame
the
three
dimentional
outlines
of
animals
and
make
them
appear
to
move
across
the
surface
of
the
rock
face.
To
directly
quote
from
the
English
translation
of
the
book
by
Brigitte
and
Gilles
Delluc,
"Lascaux
is
the
eye
of
the
hunter
and
the
hand
of
the
artist.
This
is
doubtless
why
this
cave
occupies
such
a
special
place
in
the
history
of
prehistoric
art.
In
fact,
before
Lascaux
ornamentation
was
not
bad
at
all;
after
Lascaux,
it
is
very
well
done.
But
in
Lascaux
itself,
it
is
beautiful."
Now,
only
the
exact
replica
of
Lascaux
II
can
be
visited,
but
the
illusion
of
being
in
the
"Sistine
Chapel
of
prehistory"
is
absolute.
There
are
nearly
200
prehistoric
sites
in
Périgord,
among
which
the
Font-de-Gaumecave,
adorned
with
buffalos
and
mammoths
still
looking
alive
after
10,000
years,
the
Combarelles
cave,
a
few
kilometres
to
the
North,
or
the
Roque-Saint-Christophe
home
to
Neanderthal
people
50,000
years
ago.
The
National
Prehistory
Museum,
in
Les-Eyzies-du-Tayac,
in
the
heart
of
the
caves
area,
provides
very
good
background
information
about
these
prehistoric
sites
and
our
ancestor's
way
of
life.
Through
the
14th
and
the
15th
century,
during
the
Hundred
Years'
War,
the
Périgord
was
the
land
of
the
British
Plantagenet
kings
until
it
was
finally
integrated
into
the
kingdom
of
France
in
1607.
Meanwhile,
"Anglois"
and
"François"
had
numerous
occasions
to
challenge
one
another
from
their
respective
fortified
cities
(called
"bastides").
A
good
example
is
Dronne
(from
the
name
of
the
river
along
which
it
was
erected),
which
changed
hands
many
times,
and
was
built
in
a
typical
medieval
military
architecture.
In
Moncaret,
South
of
Bergerac,
you
can
visit
the
ruins
of
a
Gallo-Roman
villa
and
its
baths.
Of
the
many
bastides,
medieval
fortified
cities
characteristic
of
the
region,
good
examples
are
Monpazier,
built
by
the
English,
almost
unchanged
since
the
13th
century
and
still
facing
Villefranche-du-Périgord
on
the
French
side,
one
of
the
oldest
bastides,
or
Beaumont
with
its
magnificent
Saint-Front
church.
Sarlat,
Périgueux,
and
Bergerac
are
the
three
historical
capitals
of
Périgord,
and
are
well
worth
a
days
visit
each.
Stroll
along
their
streets
and
lanes
where
Gothic,
Roman
and
Renaissance
architecture
blend
harmoniously.
When
you
need
a
break
from
sightseeing
explore
the
many
opportunities
'for
messing
about
on
the
river'
The
Périgord
with
its
many
lakes
and
rivers
is
a
region
where
nautical
activities
and
water
sports
are
very
accessible.You
can
canoe,
pedal
boat,
raft
or
row,
rivers
are
classed
in
five
categories
from
very
easy
to
very
difficult
for
canoes
and
kayaks.
Try
a
cruise
down
the
Dordogne
river
on
a
real
Gabarre
from
Roque-Gageac.
You
might
like
to
visit
the
plan
d'eau
at
Rouffiac,
situated
in
the
heart
of
100
hectares
of
woodland,
it
is
one
of
the
largest
water
centres
in
the
Périgord.
With
a
sandy
beach
and
surveilled
swimming
(
in
season)
you
will
find
boating
,
fishing
,
pedalos
and
aquatic
toboggans
and,
unique
in
Aquitaine,
nautic
téléski.
France
is
famed
for
the
quality
and
popularity
of
its
long-distance
walks
(grandes
randonnées).The
Périgord
has
716km
of
long
hiking
trails
and
3500km
of
short
hiking
trails
they
are
well
mapped
and
marked
out.
Or
stroll
along
the
paths
of
10,000
hectares
of
oaks,
pines
and
chestnut
trees
around
Villefranche-du-Périgord.
There
are
horse
riding
circuits
across
hills
and
woods
with
900km
of
equestrian
trails.
Or
explore
the
countryside
by
bicycle,
these
can
be
rented
almost
anywhere
for
about
15euros
a
day.
The
Périgord
is
considered
as
one
of
France's
gourmet
capitals
of
regional
cuisine.
Not
to
be
missed;Foie
gras,
made
from
the
liver
of
geese
or
ducks,
crispy
and
succulent
Confit
de
canard
or
Confit
d'oie
(
wings
and
joints
of
duck
and
geese
very
slowly
cooked
in
their
own
fat),
Cou
d'oie
farci
(goose's
neck
stuffed
with
mince),
delicious
Pommes
sarladaises,
crispy
potatoes
cooked
in
duck
fat
with
parsley
and
garlic.
During
the
season
of
the
chasse,
September
to
November,
you
can
also
sample
Lièvre
à
la
royale
(wine-stewed
hare)
or
Faisan
au
verjus
(pheasant
cooked
in
the
juice
of
unripe
grapes).
Shopping
for
food
in
the
Dordogne
is
a
favourite
pastime.
Very
traditional
are
the
colourful
markets
that
take
place
in
every
town
in
all
seasons,
offering
wonderful
local
produce
as
well
as
artisanal
crafts.
See
the
page
for
market
days
in
the
Dordogne.
The
truffe
(the
local
black
truffle
mushroom)
is
very
expensive
to
buy,
but
for
truffle
flavoured
omelettes
a
good
tip
is
to
purchase
a
very
small
piece
and
place
it
in
a
plastic
bag
with
some
of
the
wonderful
free
range
eggs
which
can
be
found
here.
The
next
day
when
you
crack
your
eggs
to
make
the
omelette
you
will
find
that
they
have
absorbed
the
mouth-watering
flavour
of
the
truffle.
In
the
past
it
has
been
known
for
owners
of
truffles
found
in
fields
with
inferior
soil
to
visit
friends
who
had
nice
red
clay
on
their
land
for
the
express
purpose
of
rubbing
the
clay
on
the
truffles
prior
to
selling.Look
for
local
Cèpes,
boletus
fungi,
excellent
in
omelettes
or
fried
with
garlic
and
parsley.
Take
some
cans
or
jars
of
Confit
home
with
you
for
a
speedy
luxurious
meal.
All
you
need
to
do
is
wash
the
fat
off
with
hot
water
then
crisp
quickly
in
the
oven
or
under
the
grill.
Wander
off
the
beaten
track
to
discover
out
of
the
way
small
farms
offering
fresh
produce
and
conserves,
you
will
find
a
smiling
welcome
and
often
friendly
advice
and
serving
suggestions.
Close
to
the
Bordeaux
wine
growing
region,
with
fertile
soil
and
a
long
experience
in
producing
excellent
wines,
the
vineyards
in
the
Périgord
are
mainly
to
be
found
in
the
Bergerac
region.The
Côtes-de-Bergerac
red
wines
are
judged
to
be
the
best.
Other
red
crus
are
the
Pecharmant
wines
with
their
delicate
and
light
taste.
But
you
can
also
find
white
wines
in
the
same
area,
the
Bergerac
sec
(dry,
perfect
with
fish),
the
Rosette,
the
Côtes-de-Saussignac
and
the
very
particular
Montravel.
Highly
recommended
is
the
very
special
Monbazillac
sweet
white
wine,
which
is
perfect
with
dessert
or
with
toast
and
foie
gras. By
car,
the
A
10
Highway
connects
Paris
to
Bordeaux
(588
km)
or
more
directly
from
Paris
via
Limoges
to
Brive
La
Gaillarde
or
Périgueux.
Home
Bourdeilles
Dordogne
Regional
Products
Henri
MILLER
(le
colosse
de
Maroussi)
How
to
get
there
By
train,
the
TGV
Atlantique
(high
speed
train),
going
from
Gare
Montparnasse,
links
Paris
and
Bordeaux
in
less
than
three
hours
or.
On
the
ordinary
train,
from
Gare
d'Austerlitz
the
journey
takes
about
four
hours
to
Brive.
This
station
just
over
the
border
in
the
Corrèze,
is
an
excellent
gateway
to
the
Périgord
blanc
and
the
Périgord
noir.
By
plane:
Bordeaux
Airport
is
the
major
regional
destination,
but
you
can
also
land
at
Limoges
or
Bergerac
with
an
international
airport
currently
under
construction
at
Brive.