The Dordogne, France: Perfectly Medieval Beynac - Rick Steves’ Europe Travel Guide - Travel Bite

With the Dordogne River at your doorstep, a perfectly preserved medieval village winds like a sepia-toned film set to the castle high above. In villages like this, there's nothing to really tour. It's just plain pretty. Stone roofs are typical of this region. Called loges in French, the flat limestone rocks gathered by farmers clearing their fields were a cheap and durable roofing material. The unusually steep pitch of the loge's roofs, which last about 200 years, help distribute the weight down through the walls. Small vents provide air circulation. Local farmers are quick to sing the roof's praises. And how old is this house? 1760, roughly. Is it waterproof? You want these holes that we can see through here so air comes through and helps dry out the tree trunks that are in here, the oak, etc. But it stays dry. Do they build roofs like this today? They do, but it's people with a lot of money who want to do it. 250 years ago, this was a poor man's roof. Today, it's a rich man's hobby. Bainac's brooding, cliff-crowning chateau soars 500 feet above the Dordogne River. Its design was state-of-the-art in its day. And it comes with a view fit for a king. During the Hundred Years' War, more than a century of skirmishes between the French and the English back in the 1300s and 1400s, the castle of Bainac was on the front lines. The sparsely furnished castle takes you back. Stone lamps light the way. In the night's mess hall, you almost feel like the cooks are just taking a break. And even back then, there were manners. Park your sword at the end of the table. The leading noble family of the Dordogne ruled from this castle. Through the Middle Ages, here in the Great Room-the closest thing to a throne room-the decisions that affected the realm were made. During the Hundred Years' War, the castle of Bainac flip-flopped between French and English control several times. Negotiations were worked out in this room. The subjects of the realm would gather in the courtyard to learn their destiny. Their noble lord would stand here and proclaim, Now, you are French. Or, now, you are English. Deal with it.