Cyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac statue in the town centre © Pays de Bergerac Tourisme BERGERAC – secret Dordogne Even if you can’t pinpoint it on a map, the town of Bergerac will almost certainly sound familiar. Standing amongst the vineyards of south-west France, this bustling community of around 27,000 people is the second largest town in the department of Dordogne after Perigueux. But Bergerac’s biggest claim to fame is through a man with only a distant connection to the town. Parisian by birth, 17 th century novelist and playwright Hercule Savinien de Cyrano grew up on a family estate outside Paris, given to its original owner by King Charles VI for his contribution in capturing Bergerac from the English. So, when young Hercule joined the Gascon Musketeers, he bracketed ‘de Bergerac’ to his family name as something of a personal statement. After a brief military career, Cyrano de Bergerac led a short but colourful life as part of the libertine movement of literature, dying in an accident in Paris in 1655 aged just 36. And there the story might have ended, had it not been for a play written nearly 250 years later. In 1897, Edmond Rostand created a work of fiction loosely based on Cyrano, but portraying him as a gifted Gascon poet with a very large nose, who secretly loves his cousin © Pays de Bergerac Tourisme Roxane but believes he is unattractive to women. The story of how Cyrano woos her with his poetry on behalf of a friend has been acted out on stage, television and cinema screens ever since. And today you can admire his facial physique in two statues that grace the Art & History town that shares his name. Bergerac’s historic quarter is a pleasant place to while away a few hours with its ancient streets and bustling marketplace. Or maybe take a boat trip in a traditional Dordogne barge or gabarre. First-time visitors are also surprised to find France’s only Tobacco Museum, a discovery centre for a plant once widely grown in the area. But the surrounding area is packed with interest too, from heritage towns to lush countryside, riverside walks to some of France’s Most Beautiful Villages. And if you have even a passing interest in wine, you can soak up the vineyard atmosphere first hand with a stay at Chateau Masburel, west of Bergerac near the village of Fougueyrolles. Bergerac lies in the area known as Purple Périgord, a land of vineyards that morphs into the Bordeaux region. Successive owners at Chateau Masburel have produced wine here since 1740 when both chateau and vineyard were planted by a Consul to King Louis XV. Over the centuries, the vineyard became established within the Montravel appellation, whose chief function is to produce the top Bergerac wines grand crus. Exclusively producing both sweet and dry white wines until 200l, Montravel also now includes excellent red vintages. Today the vines at Chateau Masburel are in the capable hands of Chris Walker and Irma Lazickiene who also welcome guests to their 72 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 73
