Dordogne is a department in southwestern France, with its prefecture in Périgueux,
located in the region of Aquitaine between the Loire Valley and the Pyrenees.
It’s named after the great Dordogne river that runs through it.
It is also referred to as the Périgord. The region has a long history of wars and battles.

Four Périgords are identified: the Green Périgord, with its main town of Nontron, consists of verdant valleys in a region crossed by many rivers and streams;
the White Périgord, situated around the department's capital of Périgueux, is a region of white limestone plateaux, wide valleys and meadows;
the Purple Périgord, with its capital of Bergerac, is a wine region;
and the Black Périgord, surrounding the administrative center of Sarlat, overlooks the valleys of the Vézère and the Dordogne,
where the woods of oak and pine give it its name.

One commentator describes the Dordogne as a picture-postcard fantasy of castles, cliff-top châteaux, geese flocks, storybook villages, and prehistoric wonders.
Since the 1990s the Dordogne region has become one of the main destinations in France, whereas formerly it was an off-the-beaten-path area.
Scratch the surface and you find one of the most authentic and appealing regions of rural France.