Carcassonne

An old fortress town, built up by Romans, Saracens, Cathars and French Royalty over the years, it used to guard the border between France and Aragon/Spain, until the Spanish ceded Perpignan to France and Carcassonne's importance waned. It fell into disuse and ruin, the stones being plundered to build the (rather beautiful) newer town across the river Aude, which runs beneath the citadel. Then Viollet-le-Duc, the great restorer of French monuments rescued it in the mid 18th Century, rebuilding the Castle and walled city into the tourist haven it is today:



















Great views and spectacular buildings, so we can forgive the crap, overpriced hot chocolate and tacky tourist memorabilia on sale.