Le Puy-en-Velay, Auvergne 43000

An almost 700-m 12th-century medieval castle, with a terraced garden, in the southern reaches of the Haute-Loire area, in the former Gvaudan province, in the heights of a village. The castle, which is made of blocks of granite from the Margeride Mountains, underwent several construction periods. It boasts two round towers including one in the middle of the faade that houses the entrance and spiral staircase leading to the different storeys, from the basement via the ground floor to the attic. The entrance door, which is framed by ribbed pilasters, is adorned with Ionic capitals and a Renaissance style entablature with stone ties. The fortifications date from the era of muskets and cannons, with embrasures for such weapons. Indeed, there is still a cannon on the patio. The remaining brattices are in fact the former latrines. The faade is adorned with ten small-paned windows and a wooden door. Even though it is no longer used, the passage between the castle and church is still possible via the bell tower built in 1833.