On the same cold day, we headed south towards Carcassonne to see a 13th century medieval city, the fortified town of La Cité Medieval. This extraordinary medieval city commanded the communication route that links Toulouse with the Mediterranean Sea. The Romans fortified the town in the 1st century BC and built its first ramparts. In the 6th century AD, the Visigoths erected defensive towers that still survive today. In the 8th century, the Franks took the town and they steadily improved the defenses of the walls of the towns.
There is an interesting legend about how the city received its name. Charlemagne and his army besieged the town for several years. Just as the food was running out, Madame Carcas fed the last bite of grain to the last pig and tossed him over the wall. SPLAT! Charlemagne frustrated forces amazed that the town still had enough food to throw fat party pigs over the wall. His troops decided they would never succeed in starving the people. Charlemagne's army ended the siege and the city was saved. Madame Carcas "sonned" (sounded) the long-awaited victory bells and the town had a new name, "Carcas-sonne".
After a period of decay, this city was restored in the mid-19th century when there was a renewed interest in medieval castles and life. This occurred during the Romantic period.
It was so cold during our visit to this city that it started to snow. So as we walked along the narrow cobblestone alleys through snow flurries, we imagined what it was like to live in a medieval city.
