The best walks and hikes around Saint-Médard

One of the many wash houses preserved in the area, but much better preserved than average. It is part of a particularly well-preserved complex with the farm, located just across the road, and the mill below. It also offers a beautiful view of the valley.

A pleasant spot located in the heart of the village, where many small curiosities are worth a visit: church, washhouse, gardens. The adjacent parking lots can serve as a starting point for hikes to explore the surrounding area.

In the Middle Ages, Barbezieu served the surrounding villages and hamlets as a market, craft and court location. The area is still largely agricultural, with winegrowing playing a leading role: the small town lies in the south of the Cognac wine-growing region and is part of the Petite Champagne region; Pineau des Charentes, a type of liqueur wine, is also produced here. The Barbezieux breed of chicken (poule de Barbezieux) is known nationwide. Several small and medium-sized industrial companies (food packaging, furniture manufacturing, agricultural machinery) have settled in the industrial areas (zones industrielles) outside the town.

Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire, located in the heart of the small Champagne, has several advantages for the development of a framework for a pleasant and attractive living. The town has managed to preserve its architectural heritage, the two most important buildings erected such as the castle, which dates from the fifteenth century, and St. Mathias Church built in the eleventh century. The old center of Barbezieux is remarkable for the homogeneity of its building fabric, dating largely from the eighteenth century.

An old windmill in the middle of the vineyards. Without her sails, it's a lovely place to stop and admire her.

The ruins of Bouteville Castle were built around the year 1000 on the site of a Roman villa.

Church built in the 12th century in a region traveled by pilgrims to Compostela. The town of Conzac was ruined during the Hundred Years War, in the 15th century. The church may have been ruined at this time. It was restored in the 17th century but the town did not recover. The building has a cross plan, with a single nave, and ends in a semicircular apse. The nave was rebuilt in the 17th century. It is covered by a wooden ceiling. The square of the transept had a cupola on pendentives. The sculpture of the capitals is important: riders, characters, animals, ornaments. The apse is decorated with two floors of arcades. All the capitals are sculpted (griffins, birds, interlacing). The apse is covered in the bottom of the oven. The north transept, covered in panelling, retains its vaulted apsidiole. The southern brace was destroyed. The bell tower, which rises above the transept, has been truncated and only retains one floor with four arches on pilasters on each side. A spiral staircase rises between the north apsidiole and the apse.

a true wonder and at its feet, do not forget to visit a local artisan manufacturer of balsamic vinegars sold in the best restaurants!