Today's Place to Daydream About: Sévérac-le-Château, France

Sévérac-le-Château is a small town in the Aveyron region of southern France, dominated by its famous castle.

The castle was built in the 13th century by the Sévérac family and rebuilt into a Renaissance Palace by the Armagnacs in the 17th.

A substantial section of the old medieval walled town survives, including numerous houses and two gates.

The church.

The House of Joan is oldest structure in town and one of the oldest private houses in France, dating to the early 14th century. It was this picture that drew me to Sévérac-le-Château; I see a whole cycle of tales in this picture, alchemists and old widows, dying travelers with coded maps and bluff guardsmen caught up in events they barely understand.

And then there's this wonderful map of the barony of Sévérac-le-Château, dating to 1504.

Seems like a wonderful place to explore on a slow summer afternoon.