From the peaks of the Pyrénées and the
Cévennes to the wide open spaces of the Camargue of the wild horses,
from the Mediterranean coastline of the Golfe-du-Lion, where
Phoenician fleets and Roman galleys once made landfall, to the high
plateau of the Causses, every square meter of ground bears the
imprints of the many civilisations that have come and gone in the
long history of this hallowed region. Today, however, the ancient
and the modern co-exist side by side. Fortunately, the modern seldom
impinges upon the architectural history of the millennia. Memorable
places like the Gorges du Tarn, Gorges de l'Aude, Gorges de
l'Herault, Gorges de la Cèze and the creeks and caves of the Côte
Vermeille preserve their ancient villages intact. You will
lose yourself in the ambiance of the Middle Ages when visiting the
beautiful Romanesque abbeys of Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert, Fontfroide,
Saint-Hilaire, Saint-Martin-du-Canigou and Saint-Michel-de-Cuxa, or
when you stand at the gates of the walled cities of the Cathars or
Aigues-Mortes and Carcassonne. You will be similarly transported to
the 18th century when you walk around the shady mansions of
Montpellier, Uzès, Pézenas and Beaucaire, or when cruising along the
canal du Midi. Accommodation is plentiful and varied to suit the
dimensions of every purse, from hotels to accommodation centres and
camping sites. There are a thousand things to do, from sightseeing
to sporting activities, aquatic and otherwise. From village to
village, from town to town, pageants, carnivals and religious
festivals abound with the traditional battles of the "boules" being
fought out on every town and village square. Since prehistoric
times, "Homo Sapiens" has left the imprint of his evolution all over
this magical land. So much so that the oldest known European human
skull in existence was discovered in this region.
