The English also call it Cotswold, due to the cots, the dry stone walls that enclose acres of grazing land, and the wold , gentle hills dotted with splendid medieval churches that Saxons and Normans, after the Romans’ defeat at Hastings in 1066, began erecting with the proceeds of the local wool trade. The environment of the Cotswold is one of the most captivating in England: limestone formations alternate with bright fields of rapeseed; endless oak woods open onto villages with thatched-roof houses and sandstone walls; emerald-green valleys host flocks of somewhat dazed-looking sheep which, for centuries, have been the main source of wealth in the region. Their number easily surpasses that of people. Must-visit stops include Cheltenham, where the Romans built baths using hot waters, and where you can admire elegant Regency-style buildings; curiously, every year in mid-May, the Cheese Rolling Festival takes place, during which a giant wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down a hill chased by a crowd of revelers trying in vain to stop it.
Cirencester with its Victorian houses, the museum housing remains and mosaics of ancient Roman villas, and the church of St. John the Baptist, with its 1450 stone pulpit. Stow-on-the-Wold , the region’s most important sheep market village, with very narrow streets called tune, which once served to herd sheep into the main square, the site of trades, bordered to the south by a medieval cross that preached honesty. Northleach, with the church of St. Peter and Paul, featuring an elaborately carved porch and tall pinnacles, making it look like a castle. Or Burford , the home of English antiques. And finally, Bibury , with the beautiful wool processing mill and the Arlington Row Cottage, built in the 17th century for weavers.
