Monpazier

The central square, Place des Cornières, is surrounded by stone houses raised on arcades. The covered walkways, called cornières, gave shelter to traders and still frame the square on every side. The narrow gaps at the corners of the square are a typical bastide detail.

On one side stands the old covered market hall, with its timber roof and the stone grain measures once used to check quantities on market day.

Most of the pleasure of Monpazier is in walking its straight streets and back lanes, called carreyrous, and looking at the details of the houses. A loop of the old centre takes well under an hour.

Bastides were new towns founded in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when the kings of France and England were competing for control of Aquitaine. Founders offered settlers a plot of land, a charter of rights and the protection of a walled town in return for loyalty and taxes.

Monpazier was founded by Edward I together with the local lord Pierre de Gontaut-Biron. Like other bastides it was planned on paper first: a rectangle of streets crossing at right angles, equal plots for each household and a market square at the centre.

Few bastides kept their plan as completely as Monpazier. The streets, the plot widths and much of the stonework survive, which is why it is the bastide most often used to explain how these towns worked.

Cafés and restaurants line the arcades of Place des Cornières, so most meals here come with a view of the square. It is an easy place to stop for lunch on a day exploring the south of the department.

Menus lean on the local larder: duck, walnuts, cèpes in season and the wines of nearby Bergerac. Many places close or shorten their hours outside the main season, so check before you go.

Monpazier's weekly market is traditionally held on Thursday morning, filling the square and the arcades with local producers. Seasonal markets and summer evening events are added in some years, so check the current programme before you plan around them.

The streets around the square hold small shops, galleries and craft workshops alongside the everyday essentials of a working village. What is open changes with the season.

For self-catering stays, the Thursday market is the best place to stock up on local produce. Opening times for individual shops are to be confirmed.

Cars are kept outside the old centre and visitors walk in. Check current parking arrangements before you travel, especially on market day and summer afternoons.

The streets are level and easy to walk, and the arcades give shade on hot days.

Bergerac airport is the nearest airport. Road distances and journey times are to be confirmed.

The Château de Biron, one of the largest castles in the Périgord, stands on a hill a short drive to the south. It was the seat of the Gontaut-Biron family who helped found Monpazier, so the two make a natural pair.

Belvès, another hilltop village, lies to the north-east, and the Cistercian abbey at Cadouin is within easy reach. Other bastides such as Beaumont-du-Périgord and Villefranche-du-Périgord are close enough for a bastide-themed day.