Photos

Coustaussa (Languedoc > Aude > Aude river valley, between Couiza and Rennes-les bains).

The little place of 49 inhabitants, between the Corbières massif and the Pyrénées mounts has an interesting heritage.
Above the village set the ruins of the big castle, built in 1157 to kep watch on the Vals valley. Hence the name of the place, from "Custodia" that means "the valley keeper".

On the territory of the village, in the middle of the vineyards and the meadows where we still can see some sheeps, there are some dry-stone huts, called here "capitelles".
[we can also find this kind of buildings in the area, at Conques or Fitou for instance... and far away, like the "bories" at Gordes, in Provence).

Nowadays, a "capitelles path" allows to walk through this landscape made by the man's hand, with the mountains in background.