The main square is the heart of Salers and the best place to get your bearings. It is flanked by tall Renaissance mansions built from the local dark grey basalt, giving it an unusually dramatic look for a French village square. The towers and turrets belong to private houses — families who grew wealthy from selling Salers cheese and cattle in the 16th century.
On summer mornings the square fills with market stalls selling local cheeses, dried sausages, and honey. The surrounding streets fan out into a warren of steep alleyways — walk any of them and you will find carved doorways, old stone fountains, and garden walls draped in flowers.