Espelette

Espelette is a charming town located in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd and is known for its dried red peppers, which are used whole or ground to a hot powder in the production of Bayonne ham. The town has traditional Labourd houses and a castle, and its protected 16th-century church, Saint-Etienne, features a Baroque altarpiece and traditional Basque discoidal tombstones. Espelette is also famous for its chilli peppers, which are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The town hosts a festival to honour the peppers on the last Sunday in October