Belcastel, the village architect Fernand Pouillon saved

Belcastel climbs along the Aveyron river, in the farming region of Ségala, about 20 km northwest of Rodez. The castle overlooking the village dates from the Middle Ages, with 13th-century houses clustered at its foot, but what makes the place distinctive is mostly its recent history: from 1975 to 1982, architect Fernand Pouillon carried out a full restoration of the ruined castle, working with local craftsmen using methods close to medieval ones. Pouillon grew so attached to the place that he died there in 1986, and the castle still bears the mark of that extraordinary project.

Below, the 15th-century church is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene and holds the tomb of Alzias de Saunhac. A listed medieval bridge spans the Aveyron, linking the two banks of the village. Belcastel, part of the Plus Beaux Villages de France network, has just 189 residents, but hides a culinary surprise: a Michelin-starred restaurant run by chef Nicole Fagegaltier, whose former apprentices include the now-famous TV chef Cyril Lignac.

How to get there

Rodez, about 25 km away, is the main transport hub: its station is served by trains to Toulouse and Paris, and Rodez-Aveyron Airport offers regular connections. Villefranche-de-Rouergue, the department's sub-prefecture, is 37 km away. By car, Belcastel is reached via the departmental roads crossing the Ségala plateau, a rolling bocage landscape quite different from the drier causses further south in the Aveyron.