Salers, Beautiful Village In France

Salers village is 42km north of Aurillac, in the Massif Central, (Auvergne region). It is at the western edge of the Cantal volcanic region. Salers dates from almost 1000 years ago, but it was during the boom years of the 15th century that much of the current town was constructed. Salers tags itself as 'a black diamond on a green carpet', a quite appropriate description, because of the dark grey volcanic stone used for many of the buildings in the town. Salers is surprisingly extravagant for such a small village, which is due to its role as a local administrative centre in the 16th century. Around the central square in Salers there are magnificent and ornate houses from the 16th century, the time when the town was at its peak, with luxurious architectural detail in the carved lintel doorways and mullioned windows, and the traditional slate rooves, with theirattractive little chimneys. Nearby is the 16th century church, with a lovely porch still intact - the church also has several renowned 17th century Aubusson rugs.