Brantôme en Périgord

Brantôme-en-Périgord, a small town in the northern Dordogne department of Nouvelle Aquitaine, is nicknamed the Venice of the Périgord for its setting on a loop of the River Dronne that nearly encircles the town on three sides, creating an island-like effect of medieval buildings and Renaissance bridges reflected in the calm green water. The town's defining monument is the Abbaye Saint-Pierre, a Benedictine abbey founded—according to tradition—by Charlemagne in 769 AD and rebuilt repeatedly over the following centuries. Unusually, the abbey's bell tower is entirely separate from the church and built directly against the cliff face—one of the oldest bell towers in France, dating partly from the 11th century. Behind the abbey church, the cliff itself has been excavated to create a remarkable series of troglodyte caves (grottes), which served as dormitories, chapels, and storage for the monks across the medieval period; these caves are accessible on guided tours and contain a Renaissance bas-relief of the Last Judgment carved into the cave wall. The abbey gardens descend in terraces to the river's edge, with weeping willows overhanging the water and flat-bottomed boats (plates) available for hire from the adjacent pontoon. From the water, the view back to the abbey, its bell tower rising from the cliff, and the arched Renaissance bridge crossing the Dronne creates one of the most serene and quintessentially Périgordine landscapes imaginable. Brantôme's compact central streets contain a Saturday market, artisan workshops selling Périgord foie gras and walnut products, and several excellent restaurants.