Castelnou

Member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France

The Aspres, a sliver of Roussillon between the Têt and the Tech, take their name from their stony soil, and Castelnou (Castellnou dels Aspres in Catalan) sits in these hills beneath its castle. The fortress rides a limestone outcrop; the base of its walls dates from the 10th century, though much was remade in the 19th. Below it, lies the old village and the Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie du Mercadal.

Highlights

The viscounts' castle on its limestone outcrop above the village
The Romanesque church of Sainte-Marie du Mercadal
The old watchtower of Castelnou
Voted seventh in France's favourite-village contest in 2015

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.

Population: 280

Things to see

Travel guide (Wikivoyage)

Castelnou est une commune et un village des Pyrénées-Orientales, classé parmi les plus beaux villages de France.

Text from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA · Translate

Events through the year

Winter patronal feast Religious · 5 February
Summer patronal feast Religious · 15 August

Dates follow the traditional patterns described on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage: check locally before you travel.

Based on Wikipedia (Castelnou) (CC BY-SA).

Specialities of Occitania

Typical of the region rather than of this village.

Petit pâté de NîmesBread and pasta
Fish soup of SèteDishFish cooked with vegetables, white wine and olive oil, served with rouille croutons
Pain paillasse de LodèveBread and pasta
TourinDishGarlic soup typical of the Dordogne and the Toulouse area
MilhàsDishMaize or millet flour porridge, set and often grilled, eaten in Languedoc
BajanaDishTraditional chestnut soup of the Cévennes