The European

The European ConciergeExpert support for ALL Visas,Carte de séjour, DrivingLicence Exchange / Vehicleimports / ANTS registration,CNF (French Citizenship)We manage your visa applicationfrom start to finish - start yournew life in France the right way.Conques © Lucy PittsConques © Lucy Pittstheeuropeanconcierge.comsuperb seasonal produce. The bastide town,meaning it was a planned medieval town, witha Roman grid-like layout and a central marketsquare (Place du Marché), is incredibly prettyand full of architectural treasures. Workbegan on the dazzling Collegiate Churchof Notre-Dame in 1260, and took 300years to complete. The Monastery of Saint-Sauveur Charterhouse was built in the 15thcentury and has one of the largest cloisters inFrance. Here you can follow in the footstepsof Carthusian monks and stroll through thechurch, the vestibule, the chapter house, thesmall cloister, the refectory, the old kitchensand the large cloister.As the road winds its way through the valleyof the River Dourdou to Conques, the lightseems to shift and soften. Conques is on theCamino de Santiago pilgrim trail and is oneof the Plus Beaux Village de France. It feelsincredibly remote and is made up of littlemore than a cluster of timber framed housesstitched along steep and narrow cobbledstreets that cling to the hills. The Abbey ofSt. Foy is the jewel in the crown of Conques.It took 100 years to build and has 23-metrehighvaulted ceilings, 250 Romanesquesculptures, a world-renowned 12th centurytympanum of the Last Judgement and aBelcastel © Lucy Pittsremarkable collection of silver and goldreligious relics. Surrounded by countrysideand vineyards, there are also shops,restaurants and cafés.Belcastel won’t take long to explore but beprepared for another breathtakingly prettyvillage. Also a Plus Beaux Village de France, itsits on the banks of the River Aveyron and is amix of steep, cobbled streets that lead to theMedieval castle above. The castle is privatelyowned but after a hearty climb, you can visitand explore some of its compelling and loftybalconies and terraces that look out over thetown and landscape beyond.126 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 127