Near the beautiful village of Gordes, in Provence, is a unique and unmissable place: the Village of Bories and its thirty or so huts, whose exceptional dry-stone architecture has earned it the status of Historic Monument (Monument Historique).
Formerly used as seasonal shelters, the "bories" are small rural constructions built in a particular way: dry stones are skilfully stacked on top of each other and held in place using the corbel arch technique. The Gordes area counts nearly 400 bories, either isolated or grouped together in hamlets.
Inhabited until the 19th century, the Village of Bories is now a remarkable testimony to the Provençal way of life in centuries past. It's a real museum of rural life, where you can see dwellings, sheepfolds, bread ovens and wine vats. There are also objects and tools from bygone days.
Several walking routes in the countryside, such as the Local Heritage Trail (Sentier du petit patrimoine rural) or Les Bories de la Garriguette, enable ramblers with an interest in old buildings to complete their discovery of this incredible folk heritage.
