The more I see of these pictures, the more convinced I am that St-Emilion is a cliff town.  Flat land stretches below it for league after league; the same is true above it.  The town itself is caught between two worlds, one high, the other low.

Many of the streets in St-Emilion are pitched at nearly 45°.  Walking down seems more hazardous than walking up, but both are stressful pursuits.  We saw women in high heels trying to navigate these polished cobblestones and thought them mad.