Set in a fertile opening in the Lot Valley, 10km from Estaing and 32km northeast of Rodez Airport, Espalion is topped by the ruins of the Carolingian Calmont Castle, and peppered with pink sandstone monuments from the local stone: the 13th-century bridge, Renaissance Palace (1572) and 11th-century Romanesque St-Hilarion de Perse Church. The galleried and balconied houses overlooking the river once belonged to tanners and you can still see the flat stones, jutting out into the river, where the hides where scrubbed. Locally born Benoît Rouquayrol and Auguste Denayrouze invented the diving suit and tested out their invention on this stretch of the river. Dive into their story at the curious Diving Equipment (Scaphandre) Museum. Just 3km from Espalion, a narrow road winding past wild ravines leads to Bonneval Abbey. Founded by the Calmont family in the 12th-century, the Trappist monks produce delicious chocolate, for sale in the abbey shop.