Foie gras, truffles, and prehistoric cave art — the capital of the Dordogne and of French gastronomy
Périgueux is the capital of the Dordogne, France's gastronomic heartland, where foie gras, black truffles, walnuts, and confit de canard define the local table. The medieval town centre — the Saint-Front Cathedral with its five Byzantine domes is the landmark — sits above prehistoric cave art country: Lascaux, Font-de-Gaume, and dozens of painted caves are within easy reach. This is old France at its most authentic and edible.
Périgueux was the Gaulish and then Roman city of Vesunna, whose amphitheatre and tower still stand in the Gallo-Roman museum park. The Périgord was contested between England and France during the Hundred Years' War and changed hands repeatedly. The domed Saint-Front Cathedral, rebuilt after a fire in the 12th century in a Romanesque-Byzantine style, was one of the models for the Sacré-Cœur in Paris. The region's cuisine codified during the 19th century when trains brought Périgord truffles and foie gras to Parisian tables.