Espelette

Espelette (Ezpeleta; Espeleta) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It lies in the traditional Basque province of Labourd.

Sights
The town is attractive, with traditional Labourd houses and a castle. The protected sixteenth-century church, Saint-Etienne, has a Baroque altarpiece, and its graveyard has many traditional Basque discoidal tombstones.

Espelette is a charming town located in Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France. It nestles near the Spanish border in the Navarre region of Spain. It sits approximately 122.4 kilometers from the capital of Pau, and is around 22 kilometers from Bayonne, a significant subprefecture in the region. Notably, Espelette is part of a vibrant community living area of Cambo-les-Bains, placing it in the heart of a dynamic and culturally rich region.

Notable people

 * Agnès Souret, the first woman ever chosen as Miss France, in 1920, is buried in Espelette. She died in Argentina, aged 26, in 1928, and her body was repatriated to Espelette by her mother, who sold most of her possessions to provide a resting place for her daughter.
 * Father Armand David (1826–1900), a Lazarist missionary Catholic priest as well as a zoologist and a botanist, was born in Espelette.

Red peppers
Espelette is known for its dried red peppers, used whole or ground to a hot powder, used in the production of Bayonne ham. The peppers are designated as Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée and are hung to dry outside many of the houses and shops in the village during the summer. The peppers are sold in the town's Wednesday covered market and are honoured in a festival on the last Sunday in October.