DORDOGNE - France 2014 - page 633

Taxi: CallPhilippeof Allô-Philippe Taxi (tel.[phone],mobile[phone],also
offers regional day trips—see here ) or Taxi Sarlat (tel. [phone], mobile 06 80
08 65 05).
Car Rental: Try Europcar (Le Pontet, at south end of Avenue Leclerc on roundabout,
Place du Maréchal de Lattre de Tassigny, 15-minute walk from the center—for loca-
tion, see map on here , tel. [phone]).
Self-Guided Walk
Welcome to Sarlat
(See “Sarlat” map, here .)
This short walk starts facing the Cathedral of St. Sacerdos (a few steps from the TI). Al-
though it's designed for daytime (when the cathedral is open), it also works beautifully
afterdinner,whenthegaslitlanesandcandlelitrestaurantstwinkle.Seethemapontheop-
posite page to help navigate this walk. For eager learners, the TI's audioguide adds some
additional stops to this tour.
• Start in front of the Cathedral of St. Sacerdos, on the...
Place du Peyrou: An eighth-century Benedictine abbey once stood where the
Cathedral of St. Sacerdos is today. It provided the stability for Sarlat to develop into an
important trading city during the Middle Ages. The old Bishop's Palace, built right into
the cathedral (on the right, with its top-floor Florentine-style loggia), recalls Sarlat's Itali-
an connection. The Italian bishop was the boyfriend of Catherine de Médicis (queen of
France)—a connection that got him this fine residence. After a short stint here, he split to
Paris with lots of local money. And though his departure scandalized the town, it left Sar-
lat with a heritage of Italian architecture. (Notice the fine Italianate house of Etienne de la
Boëtie on the opposite side of the square, and the similar loggia to its right.)
Another reason for Sarlat's Italo-flavored urban design was its loyalty to the king
during wartime. Sarlat's glory century was from about 1450 to 1550, after the Hundred
Years' War (see sidebar on here ) . Loyal to the French cause—through thick and thin and a
centuryofwar—SarlatwasrewardedbytheFrenchking,whogavethetownlotsofmoney
to rebuild itself in stone. Sarlat's new nobility needed fancy houses, complete with ego-
boosting features. Many of Sarlat's most impressive buildings date from this prosperous
era, when the Renaissance style was in vogue, and everyone wanted an architect with an
Italian résumé.
• Take a closer look (opposite the cathedral) at...