France. Aude. Carcassonne. The medieval fortress city which was restored by the theorist and architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc in 1853 and added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997. Carcassonne became strategically identified when Romans fortified the hilltop around 100 BC although it had been known for its strategic hilltop position since about 3500 BC. Successive owners built and enlarged the city only to have it destroyed during many periods of turbulence. In medieval times, the city was developed yet again and much of the buildings of that time remain intact. A tourist in a shop selling soaps and bath products made from local flowers and oils is undecided about what to buy. 2016