March 25th, 2009 | 
by Perhaps more well-known as The Dordogne Valley, this region of France is actually known to the French as “Périgord” and it is split into four regions – green, white, purple and black.
Green Périgord – this is the northern area of the Dordogne region. It is covered in forests and green pastureland – hence its name. It is probably the least visited part of the area – but it has some great villages such as Brantôme that are worth your time. See Dordogne day trips: The Périgord Vert.
White Périgord – this area surrounds the region’s capital of Périgueux and gets its name from the grey and white limestone found in the area. In my opinion it is the least attractive part of this area – but Périgueux is a nice place to visit for shopping and lunch.
Purple Périgord – this is the wine producing region and gets its name from the colour of the grapes. This is where you will find “bastides” (fortified villages), beautiful rolling countryside covered in vineyards, and of course our holiday villa.
Black Périgord – this is the most visited part of the Dordogne and includes the spectacular Roccamadour and town of Sarlat. It apparently gets its name because the oak trees found here are so dark but some believe it is named for the truffles also found here in plentiful supply. Chateaux, cliff-hugging villages, rivers… it’s a beautiful part of the country. See Dordogne day trips: The Périgord Noir.
