We love driving with no particular place to go, no rush to be in time for an appointment with a dealer somewhere,or to be early at a market,allowing us to explore, and this was such a day. It was in the region Corezze, not far from Collonges la- Rouge, that we saw this hilltop village from a distance.
Curious to see more, we took the little winding road uphill.
It looked very quiet and there was a soft drizzle of rain, but we were not put off by that.On arrival we had to leave the vehicle at the bottom of the village. There was a sign indicating that only local residents were allowed to drive further up the narrow , what looked like a one way road.I have no idea who would have checked on us since there were honestly no-one to be seen anywhere...
most of the buildings were closed up, and not even a whiff of boulangerie anywhere..
The grass around the buildings were kept neat, some potted trees, so there must be activity ?...
it was early evening, ten to seven on the clock, and surely someone sees to that..since it was right on dot
then totally unexspected we were at the entrance to a open door..
it was dark and quiet on entering...Dd spotted a brown wooden box just inside, and felt we should at least light a candle ,(she has an obsession to do so at least once a day, I promiss..) When we inserted our coins as gesture when taking some candles to lite, the whole building lit up.
Music started playing (recorded) and we were quite stunned for a while, at the pure special feeling. I suppose this is quite ordinare , lights and music in a church come alive on insertion of coins...but we have never come across this and especially since the whole town seemed to have been "out" for the week. Perhaps this was a town people visited over weekends, escaping the city.
It is unplanned days like these with unexspected happenings that is filed in our little family's memory book..
On arrival at our car down hill, the house where we parked, the shutters of the windows that were closed earlier, were now open..
at last, this is real!
the only regret I have...I cannot remember the name of the village! - but we will surely check in on it again when next in that area..
Colette x
13 comments:
hello Colette, i love to be able to have a look at your treasures and adventures again. For several months i got a virus warning each time i tried to visit and the page disappeared, the problem seems to have solved now, great.
Beautiful shots and a lovely little story, it must have been quite special to be in that church, xx
Una verdadera belleza, que lugar tan maravilloso!
Saludos.
Veronica.
How fun a French ghost town...;) I would have loved walking around taking in my fill without a soul around. But it would have been nice to have been able to stop for a chocolate after your stroll. I'm curious as to what town it was too it looks lovely sitting up on its hill.
XX
Debra~
Ahhhh, Collette, you are after my own heart with this post. I love finding unexpected gems when travelling around. In France one of my favorites is St. Paul de Vence and so is Eze, but I've never been to another so this is a real treat. Sending love...
What a hauntingly beautiful hilltop village and you saw not a single person, no dogs, not a mouse? You simply must return to see if it is real. I am enchanted with the photos.
Bises,
Genie
Wow...how magical! So sweet of you to share the pictures with us. :)
heavenly +++++++ Thankyou Collette what a ttreat to enjoy merci beaucoup fay xxx
My dear Colette,
amazing village and when you'll remember the name ... tell me! I have to see this wonderful images by miself!
Bisous, Babi
Ohhh Colette, to think that you could come across such a magical place just driving....how lucky you are! I loved every single image and I can relate to what happens when you light a votive candle in these quiet holy places. I did a post on just such an experience I had in Italy..thank you for the memory . N. xo
Thanks for taking us on your road trip to this gorgeous village. Love all of the beautiful stone - full of character.
LOvely post and images - it has the air of a strange place, once seen, never forgotten, that doesn't seem to exist outside the memory... France is full of such tales!
What a beautiful hilltop village and how interesting that no one was around! As someone above mentioned, it is "hauntingly beautiful". How fortunate you were to come across such a place. It would have been wonderful to be able to stop for a cup of tea and find out more. Maybe next time it won't be so closed up.
An award has just been passed along to you. Please stop by. No obligations, it's just to show you how much I appreciate all the work you put into your wonderful blog.
Blooming Rose Musings just gave you a deserving award...I can help thinking how fun it would be to be in your car with her playlist on full of classical music and fabulous scenery!
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