There are so many options open for British expats who are in the process of moving to France, though one resort which is off the beaten track and should not be missed is Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
A quaint village nestled inland towards the south of France, the area is etched in a traditional medieval setting which will have many visitors thinking they have stepped back into an ancient French land.
However, there is no time machine involved with this trip – it is just that the citizens of Saint-Cirq-Lapopie have done their utmost to remember the past even as France continued to change with the times.
The appeal of the village is perfectly laid out by the Guardian’s travel writer Kim Willsher, who noted: “On a summer day, it winds past rows of sunflowers, their upturned heads swaying hypnotically in the light breeze, past neat regiments of maize and uphill along the narrow route with its galleries hewn from the rock.”
A scene of paradise, wouldn’t you agree? But it is not just all sunny blue skies that should have expats looking to take a trip to Saint-Cirq-Lapopie.
The village’s history is also a fascinating one to discover. For one, the resort was once divided up into four feudal dynasties – the Lapopies, Gourdons, Cardaillacs and Castelnaus – and relics of each of their legacies can still be found and admired.
On top of conflict, Saint-Cirq-Lapopie has also long been a haven for painters to perfect their art. In effect, one can stroll across the land once admired by famed Post-Impressionist Henri Martin and the iconic Surrealist poet Andre Breton.
The latter had this to say about the village during his time there: “Saint-Cirq-Lapopie has cast a single enchantment over me. One that has fixed me for ever. I no longer wish to be anywhere else.”
Why not see what inspired Breton so much that he never wanted to leave?
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