Notes on the Dordogne — what to eat, where to go, what's worth knowing before you arrive. Occasional longer pieces on hospitality, heritage, and the strange business of running a 19th-century estate in the 21st century.
A walk through the cellar for the 2026 season — Bergerac at the centre, the Atlantic line running west, Jurançon climbing south, rosé reconsidered, and dessert wines that don't end the evening. Our actual producers, our actual recommendations.
Fourteen restaurants within a comfortable drive of the gate — Michelin-listed tables in Issigeac, bistros under 12th-century abbeys, and the ones we go back to. With real notes on which are worth the drive.
The Sunday market in Issigeac is six minutes away and one of the prettiest in France. The summer night markets in the surrounding villages are the real secret. A full week ordered by day.
One of the prettiest squares in the Dordogne, anchored by a 12th-century Cistercian abbey. Thirty minutes from the gate, and one of the quieter great places of the region.
The Dordogne is still the best place in Europe to buy honest old French furniture — cheaper than Scandinavia, deeper inventory than Paris. A practical guide, including how to actually get a farmhouse table to Copenhagen.
Two summers of string quartet masterclasses and singing residencies have taught us that old stone is surprisingly good at chamber music. Notes on why, and on what kind of music events we now welcome.
A summer 2025 evening where the expected script — Champagne, Burgundy, Bordeaux — gave way to three quieter voices: a Pét-Nat from Gaillac, a Pineau d'Aunis from the Loire, and a Cahors Malbec.
An hour east, clifftop boxwood gardens look down over La Roque-Gageac. On summer Thursdays, the paths are lit by two thousand candles. One of the best days this region does.
A 12th-century château fifteen minutes from the gate runs itself more like a medieval game than a museum. Giant chess, archery, a serious labyrinth, and three Bergerac wineries within a ten-minute drive.
An hour northeast of the estate, a gentle river runs past 12th-century châteaux and 30,000-year-old cave dwellings. A two-hour paddle, a village lunch, a swim, dinner under soft yellow street lights.
Forty minutes west of the gate, through the sweet-wine hills of Monbazillac, a 27-hole country club with one nine-hole course genuinely worth the drive. The 18th on the Vines course is a boomerang that reveals the château on the final approach.
Notes on energy sovereignty, Sky Farming, and In The Dark — the book — live on ViviSolari.com. Different publication, same author, related themes.