Our region of Carcassonne

In the heart of Cathar Country, very close to the Mediterranean, the Pyrenees , there is a town with a strong historical background: Carcassonne.

Established more than 2000 years ago, it constitutes one of the architectural marvels of France, and one of the most fabulous sites that has lasted from the Middle Ages.

La cité de Carcassonne: come to discover the middle ages in the "cite of Carcassonne". In summer, the city surpasses itself in showing off its 2,000-year-old setting to full advantage by staging a historical and cultural programme with accompanying pyrotechnics, which takes place from June to September (the Festival of Languedoc-Roussillon, Medievales, and the fireworks on July 14th).

Some places to visit in the region include: The Cathedral Saint-Michel: built in the XIV century in a Languedocien Gothic style. The Old Bridge: constructed in the XIV century, this was until the XIX century the only link between the Cité and the Ville Basse. The hawks of Carcassonne: the largest hawks in the world fly freely around the town centre. The Château Comtal: built in the XII century by the Trencavels, Vicomtes of Carcassonne.

Le Canal du Midi: the canal is very famous.The canal du midi is registered on the world haritage of the U.N.E.S.C.O. In front of the restaurant "Chez Fred" You will have the possibility to visit Carcassonne in boat.The extraordinary and epic history of the Canal du Midi began in 1663 when Pierre Paul Riquet persuaded the King that a canal to join the Atlantic to the Mediterranean was technically feasible and furthermore, that the water needed to feed such a canal could be collected in the nearby hill country of the Montagne Noire. The labour of some 15,000 workers over 14 years and Riquet's personal fortune went into the building of the Canal. The Canal du Midi is first and foremost an outstanding architectural achievement, but it also provides an ideal route to the discovery of the region's gastronomic delights. The waterway runs for 240 km and is filled by a complicated system of feeder canals and reservoirs. It includes surviving examples of the earliest inventions related to hydraulic engineering and associated construction works. The Canal du Midi was included by Unesco in December 1996 on its World Heritage List.

 La bastide St Louis: this "bastide" offers pleasant sight in the town, town center 

The City of Carcassonne, classified by Unesco as a World Heritage Site, is inseparable from numerous abbeys (Saint-Hilaire, Lagrasse, Fontfroide, Saint-Polycarpe…) and Cathar Châteaux (Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, the four Châteaux of Lastours…) with cliffs and peaks rising from their ruins, and why not also mention Rennes le Château and its famous, mysterious treasure which the Abbé Saunière kept secret for all his life.

The "pays cathare" is too The department of Aude boasts a rich historical heritage whose outstanding landmarks are the city fortress at Carcassonne, together with the innumerable hilltop castles of the Middle Ages that are scattered around the dramatic landscape. The history of these strongholds is intimately bound up with the events that shook the whole of the Languedoc region in the XIII century, when the crusade against the Cathars - the Albigensian heretics - focused widespread attention on the area. The Cathar religion is a derivation of Roman Christianity. Pope Innocent III demanded a crusade in 1209 after the murder of Pierre de Castelnau. Crusaders headed by Simon de Montfort destroyed Béziers and Carcassonne. Amaury de Montfort, Simon's son, went into Marmande with his soldiers and massacred more than 5,000 men, women and children on the mere pretext that they were heretics. This crusade only ended under the regency of Blanche de Castilles in 1229. The last resistance group was headed by Montségur and persisted until 1244. On March 16th of that year, more than 200 Cathars were burned alive for refusing to deny their faith. They were so convinced of their beliefs that they sang while agonising in the fire. After the fall of the citadelle of Montségur, it is believed that the Cathars' treasure was hidden in the Caves of Lombrives to escape the Inquisition. To this day, we still do not know the contents of that treasure.

Le gouffre de Cabrespin:At 20 minutes of carcassonne, come to visit the giants abyss.

Moulin de Villeneuve Minervois:

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