Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town (📷1).

[ocdo@mastodon.nz]

Cité de Carcassonne is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town (1). First fortified in the Gallo-Roman period ~3rd–4th C. CE, it underwent extensive restorations in the 19th C. Set upon a hill overlooking the modern urban sprawl, the compact site is protected by ~3km of double walls & 52 defensive towers (2); it’s 19 € pp to walk the ramparts/ visit the restored château, but free to walk between the rows (without climbing on the outer battlements). The enclosed town is very touristy, filled with trinket shops & eateries, but also offers some architectural curiosities (3). Later, at nearby Trèbes, we walked alongside Canal du Midi, a ~360km network of navigable waterways linking the Atlantic (via Garonne) to the Mediterranean using locks, aqueducts, bridges & reservoirs. The canal is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, created through the vision of Pierre-Paul Riquet during 1667–94. The Trèbes Orbiel aqueduct (4) was designed by Vauban in 1688 & the town’s staircase lock dates from ~1674.

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