Where is Autignac?
Autignac lies in the heart of the Herault district (district 34) which is part of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region which covers the whole of the western end of the Mediterranean, from the Cevennes mountains in the north and Carmargue to the east down to the Pyrenees and Spanish border.
The village is approx 20 kms N.W. of the city of Beziers, lying off the D909 road to Bedarieux. It has a population of approx. 700 and there is an air of quiet tranquillity, helped by the fact that, unlike most villages in the area, there is no through road. The peaceful atmosphere is broken only during the 4/5 days of the village fete and paella evening (see under “entertainment”) and during the grape harvest in September, as Autignac is, like all the similar villages of the area, a working village.
Facilities include a café, boulangerie, boucherie, tabac, pharmacy and post office. Market traders set up their stalls on Thursday and Friday mornings. There is a 15th century church in the village centre and petanque (boules) is played daily during the summer months.
The countryside surrounding the village is largely used for growing grapes, the Languedoc-Roussillon Region producing one third of France’s table wines. To the north of the village loom the foothills of the Cevennes and the Regional naturel Parc du Haut Languedoc, where cattle, sheep and forestry replace the vineyards the climate is cooler and fresher.
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