Aveyron
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
Related e |
Featured: |
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.
Tourism
Aveyron contains a part of the Cévennes National Park. Well-known tourist attractions are the castle of Najac, a medieval ruin perched high on a hill, and the many beautiful old castles and monasteries such as Conques Abbey, Sylvanès Abbey, Bonneval Abbey and Loc-Dieu Abbey, located near Martiel in a region with many dolmens. The small city of Millau is the site of the world's tallest bridge, the Millau viaduct, opened by President Chirac in December 2004.
Activities include horseriding, fishing, swimming in the Lacs du Lévézou and hiking/camping. The inhabitants are also very good craftsmen, and Aveyron is full of various craft objects, handmade, that can be found locally. Examples include the couteau de Laguiole, the world famous Roquefort cheese, from the village of the same name and other local produce. Markets take place every Saturday on market places around the region.
Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance is the commune where the feral child Victor of Aveyron was found in the late 18th century.
The Most Beautiful Villages of France
Ten towns in Aveyron fall within the classification of a 1901 association Les Plus Beaux Villages de France:
- Belcastel
- Brousse-le-Château
- La Couvertoirade
- Conques
- Estaing
- Najac
- Peyre
- Saint-Côme-d'Olt
- Sainte-Eulalie-d'Olt
- Sauveterre-de-Rouergue.
Other Tourist Spots
- Roquecézière
- Saint-Geniez-d'Olt
- Loc-Dieu Abbey
- Bonneval Abbey
- Coupiac
- Aubrac Mountains
- Causse du Larzac
- Château de Sévérac
- Bournazel
- Baraqueville
- Château de Calmont d'Olt
- Rodez
- Millau
- Pons
- Medieval villages in the Muse Valley:
- Villefranche-de-Rouergue
- Villeneuve
- The Trou de Bozouls
- The Tindoul de la Vayssière
- Vale of Marcillac, Vineyards and towns:
- The Lakes of Lévézou
- Laguiole
- The Gorges du Tarn
- Sainte-Eulalie-de-Cernon
- Salles-Curan and the Lac de Pareloup
- Salvagnac-Cajarc
- Roquefort-sur-Soulzon
- Saint-Sernin-sur-Rance, classed as a historic area with the "Feral child": Victor of Aveyron
- Peyrusse-le-Roc
- Grotto of Foissac
- The Basin of Decazeville (Decazeville, Aubin, Cransac, Firmi and Viviez) with old coal mines.