Cliffs, prehistoric caves, and castles overlooking the valleys of the Dordogne and the Vézère: this is the essence of Périgord. The countryside is dotted with tile-roofed farmhouses, little Romanesque churches, leafy forests that are full of mushrooms every autumn, and duck farms. The River Dordogne meanders through fields dotted with poplar trees, its lovely valley of villages (Carsac-Aillac, Vitrac, Cénac, Beynac-et-Cazenac…) watched over by an army of fortified castles.