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The Aveyron River is the link between three exceptional sites: Najac, Villefranche de Rouergue and Belcastel. Three sites where History (with a capital H) and stories are intimately linked. The opportunity to meet lovers of Rouergue, whose passion is expressed as much in the study of the past as in the rehabilitation and preservation of Aveyron heritage. We begin our escapades in an astonishing village, overlooking the meanders of the Aveyron. Najac, perched on a rocky promontory, stretches along a single street at the end of which stands an imposing fortified castle. Isabelle Aronowicz introduces us to the unique history of this royal fortress built by Alphonse de Poitiers, the brother of Saint Louis to establish the power of the crown of France over Rouergue. If the castle is extraordinary, the village, which Lucille Brège, a tour guide, introduces us to, is no less so. It has an astonishing shape: a village street that develops along the rocky promontory, all in length. Going up the Aveyron a little, we enter Villefranche de Rouergue, the economic competitor of Najac in the Middle Ages. Christophe Evrard, from the Association des Bastides du Rouergue, explains to us why and how this new town was created ex nihilo in 1252. Located next to the market square, the raison d'être of the bastide, the Notre Dame collegiate church, with its impressive dimensions, proves the success of the city. This department is also a very "natural" territory. With Stéphane Hish, we set off along the water in a canoe to discover the beauty and richness of the steepest, wildest part of the river: the Aveyron gorges. Still along the water, Belcastel appears. A unique medieval heritage with a magnificent fortified castle overlooking a village with its stone streets, its old buildings with slate roofs: All this would be nothing more than a pile of ruins today without the passion and probably the madness... of a few men including the former mayor Claude Cayla. Belcastel is the story of a rebirth. And the adventure continues. Heidi and Nicholas Leone, New York art collectors and gallery owners, have in fact bought the castle to open it to the public and make it a unique place where art and architecture, present and past, mingle! All the latest news in Nouvelle-Aquitaine ► http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.f... Join our Facebook community ► / france3aquitaine ► / france3limousin ► / france3poitoucharentes Follow us on Twitter ► / f3aquitaine ► / f3limousin ► / f3poitouchtes Download the France 3 Régions application ► http://bit.ly/1FPo7Ga Subscribe to our newsletter ► http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.f...