The House:
The center of the house is the huge living room dominated by the magnificent 12^th century fireplace.  Large French doors open onto a balcony that overlooks garden and the stunning view of the valley.  Through a glass paned door is the very large dining room/kitchen, which features another large medieval fireplace.  The kitchen has a gas stove, a dishwasher, built-in oven and a fridge.  Across the atrium is the master bedroom, which has a queen-sized bed, three windows and another fireplace.  Next to it is the bathroom, which features a tub/shower.  There is a smaller second bedroom with a double bed. The living room has a comfortable daybed that also accommodates two persons. 

Down one level is a laundry room with separate washer and dryer.  Next to it is a huge medieval room, which is cooler place to sleep in the heat of the summer.  Off this room, through a 12^th century stone arch closed by original hand made wooden shutters, is a quiet courtyard. 

Behind the house is the garden, with a swimming pool.  The view from the garden is stunning.

Plazac, the Village: 
The little medieval village of Plazac lies in the heart of the Perigord noir, famous for its history, its gastronomy and its joie-de-vivre.  The village square sits at the feet of the 12^th century roman church.  It is a 15 minute drive to Montingnac or Les Eyzies, both famous for prehistoric caves.  Cromagnon man once strolled these valleys.  The village has its own bakery, only a one minute walk from the front door.   The bakery has a small grocery store.  Next to it is a post office and across the street is a wonderful cafe/bar.  Five minutes walk down the road is a co-operative organic grocery store, Le Mille Feuilles.  Local activities include hikes on the dozen walking trails in the hills around the village, canoeing on the Vezere, horse back riding and tennis on the town courts.

The Surrounding Area:
There are two full supermarkets close by: one a 15 minute drive in Montignac and the other in Rouffignac just a 6 minutes drive (both are open 6 days a week and Sunday mornings).  Many local towns offer traditional street markets – in Montignac (Wednesday, Saturday); nearby Rouffignac has a Sunday morning market where local farmers offer freshly picked vegetables, fresh foie gras and a large variety of local cheeses; the Wednesday and Saturday markets in Sarlat are famous, as is the Sunday market in Saint Cyprien.  The Perigord noir is a gourmet’s paradise and there are many excellent restaurants nearby.

The Dordogne Region:
The Perigord Noir is the jewel of the Dordogne.  This is the land of 1,000 chateaux.  There are medieval towns everywhere.  The Dordogne River (15 minutes drive) formed the border between France and the English territory of Acquitaine during the Hundred Year’s War.  Castles were often built in pairs, one French, one English, on opposite sides of the river.  In the Valley of the Five Chateaux (15 minutes drive) Castelnaud still features a medieval catapult, which once hurled rocks across the Dordogne at Castle Beynac (still occupied by the Count).  Sarlat-la-Caneda (30 minutes drive) is a preserved medieval city where you can wander the narrow streets and marvel at the beauty of the architecture.  The vibrant, more modern city of Perigueux (30 minutes drive) is known as the truffle capital.  Also nearby are the medieval towns of Domme, Rocamadour, Saint Cyprien, Meyrals, Berbigueieres, Le Roque Gageac, and the bastide town of Monpazier.  Bergerac is a one hour drive away.

Practicalities:

• Bookings are Saturday to Saturday, except by arrangement

• This is a two bedroom house, although it can sleep up to six

• All linens are provided and included in the weekly rate

• There is cable TV, DVD and a CD player included

• Broadband Internet connection for your laptop is FREE

• Long distance calls to North America and European fixed lines is FREE

• The keys are kept by our next door neighbours, who will show you into the house and answer your question