Salers is one of the 150 or so little towns that are members of the Plus Beaux Villages de France association. In fact, the organization was founded in Salers, after the idea of creating it was conceived by the mayor of Collonges-la-Rouge, less than 50 miles to the west. (However, it takes between 90 minutes and two hours to drive those 50 miles on twisty little roads, according to Google Maps.)
Salers, pop. 350 or so, is five or six hours south of Paris by car, and four hours south of Saint-Aignan. Two hundred years ago, its population was about 1,600. It feels like a town but now has the population of a village. About half the housing units in the town are occupied only seasonally.
Salers, pop. 350 or so, is five or six hours south of Paris by car, and four hours south of Saint-Aignan. Two hundred years ago, its population was about 1,600. It feels like a town but now has the population of a village. About half the housing units in the town are occupied only seasonally.
Above is a short slideshow of photos I took when Walt and I spent a few days in the Salers area in September 2009. You can see our friend Evelyn in the first photo, and Walt and our now-deceased border collie named Callie in the second photo. Compare this slideshow to one about Collonges-la-Rouge that I posted a couple of months ago. Maybe Salers should be named Salers-la-Noire. The local building stone is gray and black volcanic rock.
By the way, the final S of Salers is silent as pronounced locally, so Salers rhymes with the French word salaire (salary). You do sometimes hear people from other places say [sa-'lehrce]. The town is famous for producing a cheese called Salers, which is the high-end Cantal cheese made only in summer when the cows are grazing out in the pastures on fresh grasses and wildflowers. The town is also famous for the meat of the Salers breed of bovines — more about those later.
In the spring, the cows and their handlers go up in the mountains to graze for several months. The handlers live in small pierres sèches huts called burons. I guess some of the cheese is made up there.
ReplyDeleteProbably, but I can't imagine it is available commercially. Cantal cheese is made year-round, even in winter when the cows are in barns and fed hay. Only the cheese made with milk from grazing cows can be called Salers. That's what I understood.
ReplyDeleteWe visited Salers a few times when we stayed for a week in the Cantal 20+ years ago. I had forgotten how beautiful it is. As to the cheese, I believe we bought Salers a couple of times while we were there, but I don't remember whether it was at markets or a cheese shop.
ReplyDeleteI feel sure there were vendors selling Salers cheese at the outdoor market in 2009, and probably when you were there too. We went to see the cheese-making process at a dairy farm and they made both Cantal and Salers.
DeleteI just love that grey and black volcanic rock, especially with the red shutters against it.
ReplyDeleteI remember your saying something back when you visited Salers, about milking the local cows... that they have to be out in the field when it is done? I feel like maybe I misunderstood that?
No, you did not misunderstand that.
Deletequelques compléments à votre reportage... Il n'y a pas que le salers comme fromage "haut" de gamme du cantal... Dans le même genre et avec la même fabrication il y a le laguiole produit sur l'Aubrac pas très loin du Cantal. Et je défie qui que ce soit de trouver une différence (le laguiole est peut-être plus gras). Je suis à peine chauvine puisque ma famille paternelle est encore à Laguiole (Aveyron) connu aussi pour les couteaux.
ReplyDeleteAutre chose, il n'y a quasiment plus de fromage fabriqué dans les burons ou alors pour les touristes pour leur faire goûter la truffade dans le Cantal et l'aligot sur l'Aubrac !
J'aime bien aussi le salers ! Bravo et merci pour vos récits (j'ignorais que Salers avait été le premier "plus beau village de France").
I'm not sure that Salers was the first Plus Beau Village, just that the organization was apparently founded there. I first became aware of the PBV organization when we stayed in Collanges la Rouge about 30 years ago. We picked up a copy of the PBV book there, and I always thought that the organization was founded there. But apparently while it was the brainchild of the mayor of Collanges, it was founded in Salers.
DeleteThat's my understanding too, Bob,
DeleteBonjour Christiane, malheureusement je ne connais pas l'Averyron, mais j'ai envie d'y faire un séjour quand je pourrai. Laiguole, Rodez, l'Aubrac, Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Conques, Estaing, Roquefort... Je connais l'Aligot parce que j'ai dîné une ou deux fois dans le restaurant parisien appelé l'Ambassade d'Auvergne, pas loin du Centre Pompidou.
Gorgeous village! I wonder if that area has received many rewards for their masons. So many arched windows!
ReplyDeleteThat gate that Walt was sitting beside is so majestic. Without him and Colette I don't think I would have noticed just from a photo how immense it really is! My father was always trying to get me in all his photos saying, "I need to have you in the photo to show the size of the _ _ _ _ _ ."
Easy to see why this is a Plus Beaux Villages. Sorry I've never been there. There's some nice potted plants in the photos too! Sorry I missed yesterday's conversation about your buns.
ReplyDeleteA lovely slideshow. I will likely never see this beautiful village, so am grateful to have these photos.
ReplyDeleteOh, how I've enjoyed this trip down memory lane! The houses in Salers are uniquely beautiful.
ReplyDelete