France
Sarlat-la-Canéda
Honey-coloured stone and truffle-scented market air in a medieval town preserved almost by accident.
Truffle-scented air drifts through medieval arcades where market stalls heap foie gras, walnut oil and cabécou goat's cheese in pyramids that smell of autumn even in summer. Sarlat-la-Canéda, in the Périgord of south-west France, glows honey-gold in any light, the Périgord limestone absorbing and radiating warmth long after the sun has moved on, and the lanes behind the squares stay medieval to the last doorway.
Sarlat is capital of the Périgord Noir, and it owes its preservation to a slump: when the town's trade collapsed centuries ago, nobody had the money to modernise, and the Malraux heritage law of the 1960s then restored the medieval and Renaissance core intact. The old church of Sainte-Marie has become the covered market — its towering doors designed by Jean Nouvel — and a glass lift inside its bell tower rises to a belvedere over the roofs; the weekly open-air market on the square below sells Périgord truffles, foie gras, walnuts, cèpes and strawberries in season, and January brings the Fête de la Truffe. The cathedral of Saint-Sacerdos, the old bishop's palace and the strange twelfth-century Lanterne des Morts tower stand a few minutes' walk apart, and the restaurants of the centre cook the region's produce seriously.
Couple
The market is a shared sensory event — taste truffle, smell walnut oil, fill a basket — before retreating to a candlelit courtyard restaurant.
Family
The old town is a maze of lanes, archways and hidden squares that children want to map, and the food markets make every meal a tasting tour.
Friends
Sarlat is a town built for eating well together — the density of restaurants and markets means every meal is a discovery, and the evening wine bars spill into the courtyards.
- The market fills the medieval squares with Périgord truffles, foie gras, walnuts and cèpes — and January brings a whole festival of truffles.
- Honey-coloured Périgord limestone glows warm in any light — the town photographs itself.
- The old church of Sainte-Marie is now the covered market, and a glass lift inside its bell tower rises to a belvedere over the roofs.
- Restaurants in the historic centre cook Dordogne produce at a serious level — foie gras, truffles and the local wines on every menu.
Market stalls heaped with black Périgord truffles, foie gras and cèpes in season, and cabécou goat's cheese all year.
Pommes sarladaises — potatoes browned slowly in duck fat with garlic and parsley — the town's own side dish.
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