topics

tools

Expatica countries

editor's choice

Lost in Cheeseland: How to become an expat in France

Is an international MBA the right degree for you?

Relocation programmes remain small, focused and consistent

Index	Last	Var.(%)
BEL 20	2116.24	-0.15
DAX	6325.63	-0.23
IBEX 30	6411.6	-2.01
CAC 40	3047.13	-0.03
FTSE 100	5364.42	0.24
AEX	293.2	0.15
DJIA	12454.83	-0.60
Nasdaq	2837.53	-0.07
FTSE MIB	13071.08	-0.64
TSX Composite	11576.47	0.09
ASX	4120.2	0.96
Hang seng	18800.99	0.47
Straits Times	2787.22	0.52
ISEQ 20	502.76	0.36

You are here: Home

Leisure

Travel & Tourism

The rainbow region of France

Travel & Tourism

08/07/2009The rainbow region of France

Discover the Périgord region with Wilna Wilkinson and find out about its colourful areas and the secrets behind them.

What is black and white, green and pink and red all over?

Thus the little riddle of my childhood.

Only today, after having moved to one of the most beautiful spots in France, my answer to this riddle would be different to my answer as a child. Today I would immediately reply: “The Périgord, of course!”

No, moving to the provinces has not addled my brain, nor has it turned me into a synaesthete – someone, who like Vladimir Nabakov, Lizst and Scriabin, or France’s own Arthur Rimbaud – as well as about one in every 25 000 people, has cognitive and perceptual processes that cause a crossing of the senses and have them see words in colour.

There is a much simpler and more mundane explanation why my response to the riddle would be the “Périgord”: The Département of the Dordogne is divided into four areas, the Black, White, Green and Red Périgord.

Just the names, in themselves, conjure up a vivid image of the beauty of this province – le Périgord Noir... le Périgord Vert… le Périgord Blanc… le Périgord Rouge…

Périgord Noir
Many people will tell you that the Périgord Noir takes it name from the ‘black pearls’ of this area, namely truffles. Yes, this is the most important area for truffles, as they grow so well under their symbiotes – the oaks, holm oaks, hornbeam and hazelnut trees – which abound in this part of the province and in particular the Sainte Ste-Alvère region, the historical domain of the Lostanges which is on the south-western edge of the Périgord Noir.

This is a hilly landscape, where the limestone slopes are the natural home of the truffle and make truffle farming a thriving and major industry in this area. In 1987, a little while after the renovation of Ste Alvère market, a truffle market was opened through the initiative of the mayor, Mr Philippe Ducène and several producers seeking new business openings.

Now producers come from all over the Dordogne and neighbouring departments, attracted by favourable trading conditions that result from unprecedented efforts in obtaining quality and good presentation. And wherever you are, you too can now order truffles from Ste Alvère, as the town council has been pro-active in putting the Truffle Market on internet, and becoming the first real "truffle server" in France.

But no, the Périgord Noir does not take its colour from the truffles, in fact takes its name from the large, expansive dark forests of Black Oak. The Black Périgord is probably the best known area of the Dordogne, as Sarlat, the famous and beautiful historic market town is to be found at the heart of it. And is it really black? The leaves of the Black Oak are so dark and the forests so dense, that the overall impression of the looming backdrop of the region is – well, yes – really black!

Périgord Vert
And that brings us to the Green Périgord, where Nontron, famous for its excellent knives and swords is the main town. Once again, many assume that this area is called ‘green’ because of its even larger and more expansive green oak forests, but the actual origin of its colour are the verdant fields of maize, tobacco, sunflowers and corn, its pastures and rolling hills.

However, once again you would not be blamed for making the wrong assumption, because the forests in this part of the Dordogne are truly beautiful. Not only do they form a magnificent backdrop to life in the Dordogne but they have, since the beginning of time, played an important role in the history of the region.

Only recently there was an outcry about the film makers of the film “Jacqou le Croquant” who had chosen to film the forest scenes, the most important aspect of the film and the history of the story, somewhere in Romania rather than here where the actual events took place.

Nevertheless, the forests provide a home for the still prolific deer and wild boar and raptors, a fertile ground for truffles and cèpes, and ample wood for furniture and for other industries - and of course, big crackling fires in the hearth during winter.

Burning oak in the fireplace? Yes, a difficult notion to come to terms with, but a fact of life. There is so much wood, and the forests are so well administered and managed, that once you can get over the shock of sacrilegiously burning oak, you can sit back and enjoy the most beautiful, sweetest smelling winter fire.

Périgord Blanc
The Périgord Blanc or White Périgord with its capital Périgeux, takes its name from the limestone outcrops on the hilly slopes and the limestone cliffs along the Dordogne River. Like the oak forests, the soft limestone has played an integral part in the history of this region. Since the beginning of time man has roamed these hills and valleys and made his home in the comfortable, dry and warm grottos and caves that are naturally formed in the limestone.

Troglodyte living has been a way of life in the Dordogne for thousands of years. First Cro-Magnon man came and used the cliff-side caves as their homes, shelter for their animals, forts for their safety, and through the centuries their descendents have continued to do so.

Still today many homes are built into the caves against the hills and this natural resource of energy saving and secure housing is used to its fullest potential. The last substantial city built into the sides of the cliffs – at Roque de St Christophe, where more than 3000 people once lived in an entire city carved out in the limestone – was inhabited until as recently as 1588 when the city was almost completely destroyed by the then Sénéchal of the Périgord for fear of the Protestants who were believed to have taken refuge there.

Périgord Pourpre
Lastly, about the name of the Périgord Pourpre, the Red or Purple Périgord, there has never been any controversy or doubt! The name derives from the wine that is grown in this area. With Bergerac at its centre, mile upon mile of vineyards stretching all the way to link up with the Bordeaux wine estates, and the Monbazzilac domains with its noble rot wines not far away, the royal purple is a true reflection of the nature of this area. The advantage of coming wine tasting and buying in this area is that the wines are often as good as their Bordeaux siblings, but a fraction of the price.

A bold statement, I know, but if one considers that many of the vineyards along the borders of the Bordeaux wine area are one and the same as the Bergerac vineyards, simply divided by a hedge or a wire fence, then the bold statement becomes worth while thinking about….

So there we have it – the colourful Dordogne!

But wait! Did the riddle not say “What is black and white, green and pink, and red all over?” We have the Black, we have the White, we have the Green and the Red – but where does the ‘pink’ come in?

Recently, when mentioning to a friend that I wanted to write about the colours of the Dordogne, he reminded me that I should not forget the Pink Périgord. “Pink Périgord?” I asked. “Yes”, said Antony Mair, formerly a City of London solicitor and now manager of Ribérac estate agency MCM Dordogne Property with his partner Paul McQuillan. “Some people have suggested that the increasing gay element in the Dordogne deserves recognition in the form of a fifth colour.

Périgord Rose
There's also a Périgord Rose, or Pink Périgord. A surprisingly large number of gay men and women, both French and expat, have settled in the region. Obviously they're attracted by its beauty, as everyone else is. But they're also drawn by the way in which the local inhabitants accept their lifestyle without problem. Discrimination seems unknown, which is refreshing in a rural location."

Truly a rainbow lot we are here in the Dordogne, and always have been. It is a good life where everyone is still welcome, where everyone is accepted for who they are, and where everyone is invited to add a little more of their own personal colour to an already beautiful world.

And so, what WAS the real answer to the riddle “What is black and white, green and pink and red all over?”

Ha! A newspaper, of course!

Wilna Wilkinson / Expatica
photo credit: Diogène

This article was first published in March 2007. For more information on life in the Dordogne visit Wilna Wilkinson's blog and website.