Lagrasse

Lagrasse is a "commune" in the Aude "département" in southwestern France.

Lagrasse is officially one of the most beautiful villages in France according to the “Association des plus beaux villages de France” [http://www.gordes-village.com/html/villages2.html] .

The village is allowed to use the trademark and the logo "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" (The Most Beautiful Villages of France). Only a very few villages are part of the association. To be classified the village must fulfil some 27 criteria. An expert reports on this. The criteria apply to the following topics: value and diversity of the patrimony, quality of the architecture, of the town planning and of the environment, a common will (from the Municipality to the shopkeepers, and the inhabitants) to create excellence in the village. To be registered, the village also has to comply with a Quality Charter.

Lagrasse is about 30 kilometres south-east of Carcassonne [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcassonne] , in the Aude department of Languedoc-Roussillon. Lagrasse is found in the valley of the River Orbieu. At the foothills of the Pyrenees, the region is renowned for the wine produced in the surrounding hills - this is the Corbières wine region, the largest wine-producing region in France.Lagrasse dates from the time the abbey was built - permission for the construction was given by Charlemagne in 783. The two highlights of the village are perhaps the Abbey [http://www.lagrassecanons.com/home/home2.html] and the bridges, although the narrow medieval streets of the village itself are also very attractive, and remains of the town walls can still be seen. Several beautiful houses can be seen, especially around the central square. The village is now home to numerous pottery workers and artists attracted by the place itself and the renowned natural light of the region.