Roussillon, officially

Roussillon, officially one of the prettiest villages in FranceBarfleur © Gillian ThorntonSunny Village VibesSoak up the summer sun in idyllic villages officially classified as ‘the most beautifulin France.’ Gillian Thornton suggests some of her favourites to tempt travellers overthe summer months.Readers of The Good Life France MagazineSpring issue will already be familiar with LesPlus Beaux Villages de France, an associationformed in 1982 in an attempt to reversethe exodus from historic rural communities(read the article here). Today, there are180 members spread across 70 Frenchdepartments, all selected according to strictcriteria and reviewed regularly.Now, thanks to new craft studios andhospitality businesses, restaurants and activityproviders, these idyllic villages are welcomingnew visitors and permanent residents, allin search of an authentic lifestyle in scenicsurroundings. To find out more, visit www.plus-beaux-villages-de-france.com whereyou can also buy the 2025 English languageedition of the official guidebook and theMichelin PBV map.Barfleur, MancheOnly a small number of PBVs sit directlyon the French coast, a situation thatimmediately sets them apart from othermembers. Located on the tip of the Cotentinpeninsula, 28km east of Cherbourg, Barfleuris also unusual for its historic links withSt Etienne Church, Ars-en-RéEngland. In 1066, Matilda of Flanders, wife ofWilliam, Duke of Normandy, commissionedthe building of the flagship Mora at thisimportant medieval port, and in 1120, theonly son of Henry I of England drownedhere, changing the course of English history.Plundered several times in the 15 th and 16 thcenturies, the medieval town has largelydisappeared, but the quays around Barfleur’spretty fishing harbour are a delightful place towatch the world go by, overlooked by granitehouses and the tower of Saint-Nicolas Church.Ars-en-Ré,Charente-MaritimeIf Barfleur is unusual for being beside the sea,Ars-en-Ré is not only by the sea but also oneof just four Plus Beaux Villages located onan island. Piana and Sant’Antonino stand onthe rugged Mediterranean island of Corsicawhilst Ars-en-Ré and La Flotte lie amongst the30 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 31