10 most beautiful villages of France in Périgord
In 2022, there will be 168 certified villages France's most beautiful villages throughout France.
In the Dordogne, there are no fewer than 10 listed villages, testifying to the region's exceptional heritage. In fact, if every département had the same number, there would be some 1,000 listed villages throughout France.
LimeuilSaint Léon sur Vézère, Saint Jean de Cole, Saint Amand de Coly, Belvès, Beynac et Cazenac, Castelnaud la chapelle, La Roque gageac, Monpazier and Domme...
Would you like to discover these villages? We invite you to read the full article on the blog Honey pack your bags which details each of France's most beautiful in the Dordogne
But do you know what the "most beautiful villages in France" label stands for? Where does it come from? And how do you become one of France's most beautiful villages?
History of the Plus beaux villages de France appellation
The "Plus beaux villages de France" (pbvdf) label is awarded by the eponymous association based in Collonges la rouge in the Corrèze department, which borders the Dordogne.
It was here, in fact, that in 1981 the village mayor, reading a Reader's Digest book featuring 100 small villages in France, including his own, decided to contact the other mayors of the villages featured in the guide to set up the association les plus beaux villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) and thus promote the heritage and culture of France's small villages. 66 mayors responded to his call and together they created the association, which quickly became an institution and even a brand.
The members of the association define precise specifications and rigorously examine the applications of villages wishing to benefit from the label.
Become a Plus beaux villages de France
To become a "Most Beautiful Village in France", a village must have fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, at least two protected monuments or sites (classified as historic monuments or remarkable sites, for example), and demonstrate the unfailing and collective motivation of the municipal council to join. Obtaining the "Pbvdf" label is not easy, as only 20% of applications examined by members of the association and an expert committee are successful. In addition, every 6 to 9 years, the committees re-examine the member villages and decide whether to maintain or withdraw the label.
A guarantee of quality, a village's membership of the association is based on a charter of 27 objective criteria.
Twenty-seven criteria for becoming a Most Beautiful Village in France
Generally speaking, the criteria assess the quality of the village's heritage, its overall architecture, its surroundings and the enhancement approach.
1 Classified sites and/or remarkable heritage sites
2 Listed sites
3 Protected buildings classified in their entirety
4 Fully listed protected buildings
5 Partially protected buildings
6 Quality of village surroundings and accesses
7 Size and compactness of the built fabric
8 Homogeneity of the built fabric
9 Dimension of the road network and diversity of paths
10 Harmony and homogeneity of built volumes
11 Harmony and homogeneity of roofing materials
12 Harmony and uniformity of roof colors
13 Harmony and uniformity of facade materials
14 Harmony and uniformity of facade colors
15 Presence and diversity of small-scale heritage
16 Existence of a town planning document and/or control of town planning
17 Quality of urban planning document and policy
18 Quality of building renovations
19 Control and treatment of advertising and signs
20 Treatment of public spaces
21 Planting, flowering, landscaping
22 Highlighting heritage features
23 Organization and control of parking
24 Traffic organization and control
25 Muting electrical networks
26 Concealment of telephone networks
27 Aesthetic treatment of street lighting
Other villages worth a visit...
As you can see, being awarded the Plus Beaux Villages de France label is a guarantee of quality, but it's also the result of a real approach and a willingness to adhere to the label. Of course, towns like Sarlat, Bergerac and Périgueux are far too big to join...
Many villages, dozens in fact, although not listed, are just as worth a visit...
To help you discover them and draw up a list, there's a very simple criterion: the presence of a tourist office... the receptionists will advise you and are sure to be able to guide you towards the most beautiful nuggets of Périgord.
Visit here all Dordogne tourist offices listed by the departmental tourist board.
