There is a network of villages in our region, each about 5 kilometers from each other, yet each having a completely independent character. Ten minutes from Villa Roquette is the town of Vias – a thriving market town only a couple of -kilometers from the popular seaside resort of Vias plage.

In medieval times it was a very wealthy town, as were many of the towns and villages in Herault – wool trade, shipbuilding, mining and rich agriculture provided Languedoc with wealth and even very small communities could build magnificent churches and houses.

The local building materials were used for construction and in Vias and Agde the local stone is black basalt – a very hard volcanic rock. Theblack stone gives buildings a characteristic look.

Vias still has many fine buildings, most of the town wall has dissappeared intp the local buildings, but some vestiges remain – every town and village was protected by huge strong walls, until recent times, right into the 18th century, raiders from North Africa, corsairs, would come and take prisoner any person they found in the fields and take them into slavery or as galley slaves for their trading and war ships.

Here is a brief photo essay on a short walk around Vias