Simplify the following text for a Grade 8 native English-speaking person.
Original: Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department , of which it is the prefecture , in the former province of Languedoc .
Simplified: Carcassonne ( Carcassona in Occitan ) is a fortified French town , in the Aude dÃ partement in the Languedoc .