Guide Perigord_version anglaise

©DR

TheMonzkas, creators of the Cheval d’Or business resort

“I’m a German who fell in love with the Perigord region when I was looking for a place to settle.In 1998,I discovered an abandoned XVIIth century hamlet in the middle of nowhere, at a place called Montgeoffrey.It was love at first sight! We bought and gradually restored the buildings in the purest traditional style thanks to the talent and know-how of local craftsmen.We then moved in here and brought the place back to life.There are twelve buildings in the hamlet,that we renamed:Cheval d’Or.We work here in the communication field,in advertising,in Bordeaux fine wine trading,and we also host seminars.Executives come to this idyllic peaceful spot surrounded by fields and forests,to find a quiet place conducive to concentration…” “An ideal peaceful work environment”

© Bertrand Rieger

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

The stately Old Saint-Jean Bridge spanning the River Côle, is the village emblem. This superbly restored Romanesque bridge was probably built in the XVth century. On the upstream side, the humpback structure is equipped with bull nosed cutwaters to protect the piers and regulate the flow. The cobblestoned bridge is strictly pedestrian today but because of its location on the road between Nontron and Thiviers, in the past it was a very busy route until it was replaced in the XIXth century by the national road that goes through the village. Over the Bridge!

The Flower Show

© Bertrand Rieger

For the last 35 years, the Floralies has been the region’s major highlight for all gardening enthusiasts. Over two days, the second weekend in May, a wide variety of flowering plants are given pride of place.A hundred or so professionals (nursery gardeners, horticulturists, craft workers…) display thousands of plant species, some familiar and others more exotic. Every year, the show draws thousands of visitors to the village, entirely flower- decked for the event!

© Père Igor/CC-BY-SA 135

134

24+1 VILLAGES OF PÉRIGORD