Carcassone

A day spent exploring Carcasonne with Bev.

Carcassone is an ancient city with Roman origins. It reached its heyday in the 1200s as a Cathar stronghold until its conquest by the French crown. Cathars were an odd minority religious sect who were judged as heretics by the Catholic Church and subjected to violent conquest and persecution via crusades. They are closely linked to the Occitanie region, but largely disappeared from history by the late 1200s.

La Cité, the old city, in Carcassone is a large Cathar fort with even older elements. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and has undergone quite a bit of restoration (not all sympathetic) and Disneyfication, but retains much of its historical charm nevertheless.

We had lunch in a small bistro in the streets at the foot of the castle. Wine was drunk and much catching up done. My first introduction to proper cassoulet - originally a peasant dish of beans, sausage and duck, and now a major local speciality. Delicious.Read more