The English also call it Cotswold, because of the cots, the stone walls that delimit the acres of pasture land, and the wold , gentle hills dotted with beautiful medieval churches, which Saxons and Normans, after the defeat of the Romans at Hastings in 1066, began to erect with the proceeds from the local wool trade. The environment of the Cotswold is one of the most captivating in England: limestone formations alternate with bright rapeseed fields; endless oak woods open up villages with thatched-roof houses and sandstone walls; emerald-colored valleys host flocks of sheep with a somewhat dazed look who, for centuries, have been the main source of wealth for the region. Their number easily exceeds that of people. Must-see stops include Cheltenham, where the Romans built baths exploiting the hot waters, and where elegant Regency-style buildings can be admired; curious is the annual mid-May Cheese Rolling Festival, during which a gigantic wheel of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down a hill chased by a crowd of pranksters, trying in vain to stop it.
Cirencester with Victorian houses, the museum where remains and mosaics of ancient Roman villas are kept, and the church of St. John the Baptist, with the stone pulpit from 1450. Stow-on-the-Wold , the most important sheep market village in the region, with very narrow streets, called tune, which once served to channel the sheep to the main square, the venue for trades, bordered to the south by a medieval cross, which recommended honesty. Northleach, with the church of St. Peter and Paul, characterized by a lavishly carved porch and tall pinnacles, making it look like a castle. Or Burford, 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.
