Il se peut qu'un jour la France cesse d'exister, mais la Dordogne survivra, tout comme les rêves dont se nourrit l'âme humaine "  

Maybe one day France will cease to exist, but the Dordogne will survive, as do all  dreams which nourish the human soul.
  Henri MILLER (le colosse de Maroussi)

The Dordogne enjoys a geographical location that is equidistant from the pole and the Equator, and from the sea and the mountains. It has for more than 200,000 years been settled upon continously by man and prehistoric man and has been classified as one of the cradles of human civilization . Brigitte and Gilles Delluc point out in their excellent book, Discovering Lascaux, the first man Homo habilis, who made the earliest-known tools, lived in Africa 2 million years ago. Our predecessor Neanderthal man was already sapiens (knowledgeable) and our ancestors the Cro-Magnons were modern men, they looked like us and had the same degree of intelligence.

In the days, 17,000 years ago when Lascaux was inhabited, Cro-Magnon man had an advanced civilisation and life was organised in a social culture. They lived in comfortable huts, built either in the open or beneath the entrances of rock shelters or caves. Neither Neanderthal or Cro-Magnon man actually lived in caves, at least not in the Périgord. No prehistoric settlement has been discovered here far below the surface.

It was Cro-Magnon man who invented the art of drawing on the banks of the Vézère river, some 30,000 to 35,000 years ago. During a long period of apprenticeship their style evolved from simple two-dimensional representation of what they saw in nature traced on a flat surface of rock. Through the Gravettian period ( approximately 20,000 to 25,000 years ago) when these early artists progressed to decorating walls of shallow caves and rock shelters ( Poisson rock shelters near Les Eysies) to 18,000 years ago when great artists carved wonderful bas -reliefs of animals (Le Foureau du diable in Dordogne) until finally Lascaux 17,000 years ago.

The famous painted caves of Lascaux are an almost magical testimony of their creative activity during their long occupation if this region. Lascaux is the oldest of the deep decorated caves as well as being the most unusual. The gifted artists of that time knew how to frame the three dimentional outlines of animals and make them appear to move across the surface of the rock face. To directly quote from the English translation of the book by Brigitte and Gilles Delluc, "Lascaux is the eye of the hunter and the hand of the artist. This is doubtless why this cave occupies such a special place in the history of prehistoric art. In fact, before Lascaux ornamentation was not bad at all; after Lascaux, it is very well done. But in Lascaux itself, it is beautiful." Now, only the exact replica of Lascaux II can be visited, but the illusion of being in the "Sistine Chapel of prehistory" is absolute.

there are nearly 200 prehistoric sites in Périgord, among which the Font-de-Gaumecave, adorned with buffalos and mammoths still looking alive after 10,000 years, the Combarelles cave, a few kilometres to the North, or the Roque-Saint-Christophe home to Neanderthal people 50,000 years ago. The National Prehistory Museum, in Les-Eyzies-du-Tayac, in the heart of the caves area, provides very good background information about these prehistoric sites and our ancestor's way of life.

Through the 14th and the 15th century, during the Hundred Years' War, the Périgord was the land of the British Plantagenet kings until it was finally integrated into the kingdom of France in 1607. Meanwhile, "Anglois" and "François" had numerous occasions to challenge one another from their respective fortified cities (called "bastides"). A good example is Dronne (from the name of the river along which it was erected), which changed hands many times, and was built in a typical medieval military architecture.

In Moncaret, South of Bergerac, you can visit the ruins of a Gallo-Roman villa and its baths. Of the many bastides,  medieval fortified cities characteristic of the region, good examples are Monpazier, built by the English, almost unchanged since the 13th century and still facing Villefranche-du-Périgord on the French side, one of the oldest bastides, or Beaumont with its magnificent Saint-Front church. Sarlat, Périgueux, and Bergerac are the three historical capitals of Périgord, and are well worth a days visit each. Stroll along their streets and lanes where Gothic, Roman and Renaissance architecture blend harmoniously.

                                                                                         

When you need a break from sightseeing explore the many opportunities 'for messing about on the river' The Périgord with its many lakes and rivers is a region where nautical activities and water sports are very accessible.You can canoe, pedal boat, raft or row, rivers are classed in five categories from very easy to very difficult for canoes and kayaks. Try a cruise down the Dordogne river on a real Gabarre from Roque-Gageac.

You might like to visit  the plan d'eau at Rouffiac, situated in the heart of 100 hectares of woodland, it is one of the largest water centres in the Périgord. With a sandy beach and surveilled swimming ( in season) you will find boating , fishing , pedalos and aquatic toboggans and, unique in Aquitaine, nautic téléski. France is famed for the quality and popularity of its long-distance walks (grandes randonnées).The Périgord has 716km of long hiking trails and 3500km of short hiking trails they are well mapped and marked out. Or stroll along the paths of 10,000 hectares of oaks, pines and chestnut trees around Villefranche-du-Périgord. There are horse riding circuits across hills and woods with 900km of equestrian trails. Or explore the countryside by bicycle, these can be rented almost anywhere for about 15euros a day.

The Périgord is considered as one of France's gourmet capitals of regional cuisine. Not to be missed;Foie gras, made from the  liver of geese or ducks, crispy and succulent Confit de canard or Confit d'oie ( wings and joints of duck and geese very slowly cooked in their own fat), Cou d'oie farci (goose's neck stuffed with mince), delicious Pommes sarladaises, crispy potatoes cooked in duck fat with parsley and garlic. During the season of the chasse, September to November, you can also sample Lièvre à la royale (wine-stewed hare) or Faisan au verjus (pheasant cooked in the juice of unripe grapes).

Shopping for food in the Dordogne is a favourite pastime. Very traditional are the colourful markets that take place in every town in all seasons, offering wonderful local produce as well as artisanal crafts. See the page for market days in the Dordogne. The truffe (the local black truffle mushroom) is very expensive to buy, but for truffle flavoured omelettes a good tip is to purchase a very small piece and place it in a plastic bag with some of the wonderful free range eggs which can be found here. The next day when you crack your eggs to make the omelette you will find that they have absorbed the mouth-watering flavour of the truffle. In the past it has been known for owners of truffles found in fields with inferior soil to visit friends who had nice red clay on their land for the express purpose of rubbing the clay on the truffles prior to selling.Look for local Cèpes, boletus fungi, excellent in omelettes or fried with garlic and parsley. Take some cans or jars of Confit  home with you for a speedy luxurious meal. All you need to do is wash the fat off with hot water then crisp quickly in the oven or under the grill. Wander off the beaten track to discover out of the way small farms offering fresh produce and conserves, you will find a smiling welcome and often friendly advice and serving suggestions.

Close to the Bordeaux wine growing region, with fertile soil and a long experience in producing excellent wines, the vineyards in the Périgord are mainly to be found in the Bergerac region.The Côtes-de-Bergerac red wines are judged to be the best. Other red crus are the Pecharmant wines with their delicate and light taste. But you can also find white wines in the same area,  the Bergerac sec (dry, perfect with fish), the Rosette, the Côtes-de-Saussignac and the very particular Montravel. Highly recommended is the very special Monbazillac sweet white wine, which is perfect with dessert or with toast and foie gras.
How to get there

By car, the A 10 Highway connects Paris to Bordeaux (588 km) or more directly from Paris via Limoges to Brive La Gaillarde or Périgueux.
By train, the TGV Atlantique (high speed train), going from Gare Montparnasse, links Paris and Bordeaux in less than three hours or. On the ordinary train, from Gare d'Austerlitz the journey takes about four hours to Brive. This station just over the border in the Corrèze, is an excellent gateway to the Périgord blanc and the Périgord noir.
By plane:  Bordeaux Airport is the major regional destination, but you can also land at Limoges or Bergerac with an international airport currently under construction at Brive.