Saint Hilaire (Tac100)

If you are visiting France, you will no doubt end up going to see a historical monument or two during your holiday and there are lots of incredible gems from the rich and complex past of the nation that are located all over the country. From the castles of the Loire Valley, to the stunning cathedrals dotted throughout the cities of France, from impossibly famous monuments like the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe to the Catacombs beneath Paris, from Roman aqueducts to whole preserved towns bombed during WWII, there are all sorts of incredible historical attractions to visit in France. However, if you are slightly more interested in a time further back, in prehistory, then you are also in luck. Lascaux Cave, or the Grotte de Lascaux, is a complex of caves near the village of Montignac that is covered in prehistoric drawings. While the original caves themselves cannot actually be visited anymore due to their deteriorating condition, there are full-scale replicas located in museums nearby that visitors can go to observe. So, if you have found a vacation rental in Montignac be sure to go and check them out!

In the previous article we discussed the events that led to the discovery of the famous, “Sistine Chapel of Prehistory,” the Lascaux Cave located near the town of Montignac in France, 80 years ago this month by a group of young boys looking for a dog. They were surprised to find that the hole the dog fell into was actually a shaft that entered a cave system covered in prehistoric wall and ceiling paintings. This extraordinary attraction was then opened to the public for a few short years before the traffic of excited visitors and researchers constantly moving through the space led to damage of the precious paintings. As a result, the caves have been closed to the public since the 1960s. Luckily, however, detailed drawings and reproductions of the works had been done by one of the initial visitors, the Abbé Henri Breuil, and then later the artist Monique Peytrial, who spent more than ten years copying the art in the cave. From 1983, replicas of the paintings called Lascaux II, III, and IV were created nearby with IV being an incredible museum utilising the best of multi-media exhibitions and technologies to tell the story of the caves. So, if you have found a vacation rental in Montignac and want to learn more about this extraordinary place, there are still plenty of options even if the caves themselves are closed.

The Marqueyssac Gardens were opened to the public in the 1990s after an extensive program of restoration and are now undeniably one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces in France. Magical and perfectly manicured, these gardens surround the 17th century Château de Marqueyssac and are the epitome of the kind of incredible creation that can come about when man grooms his natural surroundings. Located at Vézac, in the Dordogne Department of France, this exceptionally beautiful garden is a must-see if you have browsed our stunning villas in Aquitaine and are looking for things to see and do in the area.

Perched on a rocky outcrop that overlooks the valley of Dordogne, the Marqueyssac Gardens, or Jardin de Marqueyssac (often known as the Overhanging Gardens of Marqueyssac), was built at the end of the 17th century by Bertrand Vernet de Marqueyssac, Counselor to Louis XIV. The original grounds were organised in the garden à la française style and their design has been attributed to a pupil of the landscape architect André Le Nôtre. This garden was made up of terraces, alleys, and a kitchen garden surrounding the chateau, though it has been altered in the centuries since it was first begun.