A city, a cliff, a canyon…and cheese Sep 12, 2020

A city, a cliff, a canyon…and cheese

Gazing down the lush Alzou river valley at the vertically-oriented village of Rocamadour, you won"t be surprised some regard the medieval French town as a holy site: Its beauty alone is mystical. The gorges of southwestern France are home to numerous striking historic hamlets built along and atop their steep edges. But Rocamadour is special as a stop for thousands of pilgrims on the Way of Saint James, a UNESCO-recognized traditional route through France and Spain that still draws journeyers both pious and secular. The town"s cliff-top sanctuary and the black-painted Madonna statue within have been purported to have healing powers. If you"re drawn to more earthly sources of good health, though, Rocamadour also lends its name to a delicious, locally crafted goat cheese.

© Rrrainbow/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Sep 12, 2018A cutting-edge art gallery opens in Paris
Sep 12, 2019Astrotourism at its finest
Sep 12, 2021A grand event
Sep 12, 2022Chestnut-eared aracari in the Pantanal, Brazil
Sep 12, 2023North Sea at sunset, Norddorf, Germany
Sep 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Sep 12, 2025In the Red Sea for World Dolphin Day

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Feb 10, 2023Ancient theater of Epidaurus, Greece
Oct 14, 2018Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
Aug 28, 2023Dubrovnik, Croatia
Apr 4, 2022Norway s Kjeragbolten boulder
Aug 17, 2021Wanderin Wawayanda
Feb 20, 2026Horsetail Fall in Yosemite National Park, California
Jan 25, 2025Porto, Portugal
Nov 16, 2021Glenfinnan Viaduct
Mar 11, 2019You re feeling sleepy
Dec 12, 2023Poinsettia Day
Nov 6, 2025Celebrating Yi Peng
Dec 28, 2025Anniversary of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
Mar 16, 2024National Panda Day
Jan 20, 2019It’s Penguin Awareness Day
Jan 9, 2023Wind Cave National Park celebrates 120 years
Jan 15, 2018Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC
Feb 13, 2019Life goes on at the Beatles Ashram
Jul 31, 2022Noctilucent clouds
Sep 20, 2019Fall comes to Pando
Jun 16, 2024Happy Fathers Day!
Jun 5, 2018Up, up, and away for Hot Air Balloon Day
Dec 17, 2021Bournemouth beach huts
Jun 10, 2019Ponta da Piedade rock formations in Portugal
Jan 6, 2025Flooded crypt, Basilica of San Francesco, Ravenna, Italy
Jan 11, 2019Life in a North African town
Jul 25, 2019Jane’s Carousel delights
Aug 30, 2023International Whale Shark Day
Aug 4, 2020Into the woods
Aug 7, 2024St. Joseph North Pier Inner and Outer Lights, Michigan
Feb 15, 2023Hippo family in Chobe National Park, Botswana