Najac stretches along a single street, one day visit. The village is perched on top of an exceptionally long rocky ridge. At the other end is the imposing château and below, the meandering Aveyron river, just 40min away from Belcastel.
NAJAC
Najac is a green village surrounded by forests which, in winter and summer, are dressed in surprising and diverse colours. The widening of the street to turn it into a large central square recalls its transformation into a bastide in the middle of the 13th century. Walking along the street, you can admire a large number of old houses and a remarkable 14th century fountain still standing.
The votive feast of Saint Bartholomew and the fouace. A tribute to the fouace, the medieval sponge cake par excellence. Straightened, plaited and decorated with flowers, the giant sponge cake is paraded through the streets before being eaten by passers-by. Around 24 August.
Heritage workshops for children from 6 to 12 years old during the months of July and August. Festival en Bastide: summer celebration of theatre and street performances in the bastides of Aveyron.
NAJAC CASTLE
Famous throughout the south-west, the fortress of Najac was built to defend the former province of Rouergue. It was a disputed possession between the Counts of Barcelona, the Dukes of Aquitaine and the Counts of Toulouse.
Built by the Counts of Toulouse when they were as powerful as the King of France, the Fortress of Najac is an example that will enthuse young and old alike about all the tricks and stratagems of the military art of defence.
An important model allows understanding the incomparable defence system elaborated in the 13th century by Alphonse de Poitiers.
- entry: 6€
- parking: in the village, then you have to cross and climb the village
- open 1 Abril 2021 al 7 November 2021, until 17h
OCCITANIE CASTLE
With around 300 castles to visit, Occitania opens the doors to a kingdom full of heroic figures, warlike architecture, corridors you will love to lose yourself in, and towers you will lose count of.
Cathar castles are THE speciality of Occitania, its emblem. They are concentrated in the Aude and Ariège. Montségur, Foix, Roquefixade, Lastours as well as Quéribus, Peyrepertuse, Puilaurens, Termes and Aguilar (the “5 sons of Carcassonne”): these castles perched high above overlook breathtaking landscapes.
In Gascony, the region of D’Artagnan’s birthplace, the castles stand majestically in the famous gorges of the Gers. The castles of Flamarens, Plieux, Lavardens… are proof of this.
