The gite is in walking distance (a mile) of the historic centre of Rodez, and also in easy walking distance (100 yards by the nearest access) of a country park, with a fishing lake and access to country walks.
     Within less than a kilometer, there are bakers, some cafés, a pizzeria, a pharmacy, a cinema, banks, a post office, and a weekly market. A small supermarket is a few metres further. Alternatively, there is a bigger supermarket accessible by car in five minutes.
      The centre of Rodez is a historic hill town, crowned by its late mediaeval cathedral. The old narrow pedestrian shopping streets have a range of traditional shops including high-class butchers, patisseries, cheese shops, bookshops, delicatessens, restaurants, cafés and wine-merchants, as well as a good selection of modern French high street franchises. The town has markets twice a week, and has some other interesting shops of the kind that are rarely seen in modern cities; a saddlemaker, a milliner and others.
     With its two museums (soon to be three), Rodez is also a cultural centre; and in summer time, there are regular concerts in the former Royal chapel, and in the cathedral.

Main bedroom

 

Small single bedroom

Dining room, with french windows opening onto terrace

Rodez is capital of the Aveyron department, in the Midi-Pyrenees region. Aveyron is considered the "greenest" department of France, on account of its high investment in green technology.
   Aveyron is also a very varied and very beautiful rural department; the most important tourist attractions in the Aveyron, besides Rodez, are the town of Millau, and its famous viaduct, the world's highest road bridge, the exquisitely decorated romanesque church at Conques, on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostella, or the maturing cellars at Roquefort, where the cheese comes from. In terms of natural environment, the department includes the high granite uplands of the Aubrac plateau, parts of the limestone Causses, arid mediterranean hinterland, a long stretch of the Lot valley,  bastide towns such as Villefranche de Rouergue, plus castles, beautiful villages, geological curiosities, and much much more. The Aveyron is a haven for hikers, cyclists and nature lovers.
   An hour's drive from Rodez lies the city of Albi, classed in 2010 as a UNESCO world heritage site on account of its historic old town with its unique redbrick fortified mediaeval cathedral. Albi also boasts the Toulouse Lautrec museum, housing a large collection of works by this most famous French artist of the Belle Epoque.
    An hour's drive in the opposite direction brings you to the Gorges du Tarn, one of the longest and deepest gorges in Europe, and a popular tourist attraction.
     Also accessible from Rodez are attractive old towns such as Cahors or Figeac.