Guide to Midi-Pyrénées

Midi-Pyrénées
Region comprising the départements of
Ariège (09)
Aveyron (12)
Haute-Garonne (31)
Gers (32)
Lot (46)
Hautes-Pyrénées (65)
Tarn (81) and
Tarn-et-Garonne (82)

Population: 2.4 million
Principal city: Toulouse
Tourist board

The Midi-Pyrénées is the largest region in France, and is actually bigger than some European countries. The region shares with Aquitaine the ancient province of Gascony, whose inhabitants are famous for their bravery and tall stories as well as for producing Armagnac.

Toulouse is the chef-lieu of the region, on the River Garonne, 679km south of Paris. Capital of the Visigoth empire, then of Aquitaine, it suffered during the crusades against the Cathars and became part of France in 1271. Now it is known for its beauty—it is referred to as la Ville rose—and as the home of Aerospace Industries, the European consortium which produces the Airbus.

The cities in the region were amongst the most civilised medieval Europe: they saw the flourishing of the troubadours, who took their odes and ballads the length and breadth of the south, making the langue d'oc the language of poetry, and of love. In Toulouse, Foix and elsewhere, proud lords built proud castles; and now, though these fiefdoms have long been governed by Paris, the fiercely independent spirit of the south lives on. Les Chevaliers cathares, by folk singer Francis Cabrel, is a poignant reminder of the Cathar heresy, which was crushed by the Inquisition in the 13th century. More poignant still is a visit to Montségur, in Ariège: it is the very symbol of Cathar resistance, and was the site of a bitter siege; the defenders opted to die in the flames of a giant pyre rather than recant.

More strife came during the Hundred Years' War, when English and French forces collided in the area. Both sides built bastides, or fortified villages, to establish strongholds in the area. There are several hundred examples of bastide in the area; most, if not all, are focused on a central square with the village church at one corner.

The 241-kilometre canal du Midi, used principally for tourism these days, is popular with everyone that travels it. Its 17th-century engineer, Pierre-Paul Riquet, pioneered a method of keeping it filled with water from la montagne Noire, even though it travelled cross-country from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and therefore sloped upwards on both sides. The cutting of the canal led to vast improvements in the speed at which goods could be transported across the south of France, and contributed greatly to the economy of the area.

One of the staples of the area's cuisine is poultry—specifically, duck and goose. Perhaps the most essential example of Gascon cooking is foie gras, although these days its preparation is the object of a certain amount of criticism. Unfortunately for ducks and geese, however, it is perhaps the most delicious foodstuff on the planet. Unfortunately for us, it is practically all fat. Another vital part of the cuisine of the area is cassoulet, made with poultry of one sort or another, sausages and beans. The dish may sound simple, but its many, many subtle ingredients and the complicated manner of preparing it mean that it is a major undertaking; local cooks, however, are all dab hands at it.

The most famous cheese of the region is Roquefort, which is made from ewe-milk and matured in cool, deep rock clefts. The local spirit is Armagnac, which was in fact produced before Cognac, and has a fatter, richer flavour—the product of a single distillation and dark oak casks for ageing.

Ariège (09)

Population: 136,000
Principal city: Foix
Tourist board

Not too long ago, the Ariège tourist board had a motto: "It goes up, and it goes down; but Ariège is never flat!" In these days of slick corporate marketing, this near-Hibernicism is refreshingly honest: Ariège is a mysterious, romantic, and yes, hilly region. For a start, it is riddled with grottoes that were inhabited as early as 30,000 BC, and which are decorated with paintings of horses, bison, deer and other animals, and which display collections of tools and bones.

No less fascinating is the history of the Cathars: coming from Asia Minor, this was a pacifist sect that obeyed strict laws to keep the body pure; including honesty, vegetarianism and chastity. The Catholic church, disturbed by this competition, brutally had all adherents destroyed in a fiery hecatomb. The castle of Montségur, where 200 Cathars were burned at the stake, is a moving symbol of this act of gross inhumanity. And, perched on top of a 1,207-metre outcrop, it is an enduring symbol of the defiance of the Midi to barbarous outsiders.

Gold panners retrieve around 50 kg per year from the rivers of the Ariège, and gold panning courses are available to visitors. Other interesting feature of the region are the talc quarry at Trimouns, the whetstone of Saurat and the sculpted horn from Lesparrou.

Other must-sees are the castle of Foix, the Cathar fortress of Roquefixade and, for those who have read the fascinating eponymous account of medieval life and the scourge of the Inquisition, the village of Montaillou.

Aveyron (12)

Population: 136,000
Principal city: Rodez
Tourist board

The Aveyron lies in the foothills of the Massif Central. In the north, the landscape is mountainous, dominated by the plateau d'Aubrac descending to the banks of the River Lot.

The département's capital, Rodez, is a relatively modest city, with an austere cathedral but not great pretensions as a tourist centre. Although the département has one or two showpiece attractions, its real strengths are its scenery, its cultural heritage and its gastronomy.

In the south, the River Tarn carves its way through the plateau de Larzac, leaving its mark in the form of the gorges du Tarn. The west of the département is a land of undulating hills and valleys, with numerous watercourses that ultimately find their way via the River Aveyron to the Garonne and the Atlantic.

Conques is widely regarded as a jewel of Romanesque art, with the 11th-century abbatiale Sainte-Foy as its focus. A pilgrimage centre for centuries, contains the remains of the child martyr Foy, brought to Conques during the 9th century by zealous monks, and kepts in a fine gilt reliquary. Indeed, the abbaye houses an exhibition of medieval gold, one of the finest collections in the world, and the village itself contains some fine examples of half-timbered houses.

But Conques is just one of the nine villages in the Aveyron to have been admitted to the élite club, Les plus beaux villages de France. Najac, Belcastel, Sauveterre-de-Rouergue, La Couvertoirade and Estaing are among the other members of this lucky group.

In the south of the département lies the unassuming village of Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, famous around the world for its 'king of cheeses', Roquefort, made from ewe-milk and matured in cool, deep rock clefts. Close by is the town of Millau, traditionally a glove-making town supplier to the leading Paris fashion houses.

The Aveyron is home to the Laguiole closeable knife — a rural tradition that has become a worldwide fashion icon thanks to designers such as Philippe Stark and Sonia Rykiel.

Haute-Garonne (31)

Population: 136,000
Principal city: Rodez
Tourist board

Toulouse is the chef-lieu of the region, on the River Garonne, 679km south of Paris. Capital of the Visigoth empire, then of Charlemagne's Aquitaine, Toulouse suffered from the genocide practised upon the Cathars by the Catholic church. Christian zealot Simon de Montfort (father of the Simon de Montfort who died at the Battle of Evesham) was killed whilst besieging the city in 1218. The area became part of France in 1271. Now it is known for its beauty—it is referred to as la Ville rose—and as the home of Aerospace Industries, the European consortium which produces the Airbus.

Toulouse is frequently cited as the top town French people would like to live in. The historic town centre is a wonderful place to walk: the maze of streets, with their café and restaurant terraces, lead to the famous basilique St-Sernin, the largest Romanesque basilica in the Western world. It houses the remains of St Sernin, martyred in year 250. Toulouse was an important stage on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela.

Also of interest are the pink-brick quarters of Capitole and the cathédrale St-Étienne, and the medieval Jacobins monastery (which received the remains of Saint Thomas Aquinas in 1974) and which, for 20 years, has welcomed music lovers for 20 years with the Jacobins Piano Festival.

Toulouse and the surrounding countryside is well known for gastronomic delights: goose, in cassoulet or foie gras, is a traditional winter dish. Culturally Toulouse is renowned for its music festivals, and in particular the Jacobins church holds an annual international piano festival.

Another festival of note is the classical and organ festival of Comminges (in the old Roman town of Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges, in the south of the département). The Comminges region is an ancient Gascon province, although its most southerly, mountainous parts could be considered another region again. Aurignac, north-east of St-Gaudens, is remembered for its prehistoric settlements: the shaped flints and bones found there in 1860 gave their name to the Aurignacian period of Palaeolithic culture.

The départment includes a slice of Pyrenean foothills and includes several spa towns such as Bagnères-de-Luchon, Barbazan and Salies-du-Salat. Amongst the skiing resorts, all above 1,400 metres, are Superbagnères, Peyragudes and Le Mouris.

In the extreme east of the département, the Lauragais is a picturesque rolling landscape filled with architectural delights (Calmont, Tarabel, Villenouvelle, Saint-Félix-de-Lauragais). The north of the départment, the small region of le Frontonnais straddles the River Tarn. The wines of the area were known for their quality as early as the 12th century, when the Knights Hospitaller founded a garrison at Fronton.

Gers (32)

Population: 175,000
Principal city: Auch
Tourist board

The heart of old Gascony, with lanscapes reminiscent of Tuscany, the Gers is something of a paradox: it is the quintessential Gascon region — and the Gascons have a reputation for being forthright, proud and somewhat boisterous people. And yet it is a calm, some would say undiscovered, part of France that endears itself to all who visit.

Its capital Auch, traditional focus of Gasony, is particularly known as the birthplace of Charles de Batz, the Captain of the King's Musketeers — better known, thanks to Alexandre Dumas's writings, as D'Artagnan. Yes, he did really exist; a statue honouring the fellow stands beneath the cathedral.

The Gers produces Madiran wine, but is best known for Armagnac, which connoisseurs invariably place on a higher pedestal than its rival Cognac. Foie gras is one of the prides of the area, although its production is somewhat controversial, involving as it does the force-feeding of geese to swell their livers.

Bastides — medieval towns constructed on a grid pattern — are common in the area: some good examples are Plaisance, Fourcès and Mirande. The bastide village of Marciac is now better known as the site of a summer jazz festival of international standing.

Whilst it is a worthwhile destination in its own right, the town of Condom, in the north of the département, finally succumbed to requests and opened a museum to the prophylactic of the same name. In point of fact, the one has nothing to do with the other — the word is ascribed to its putative inventor, a certain Doctor Condom — but for attracting Anglophone tourist revenue the move was almost inevitable.

Lot (46)

Population: 156,000
Principal city: Cahors
Tourist board

The Lot largely reflects the ancient province of Quercy, to the south-east of Périgord (Dordogne), and remains relatively untouched by industry. The countryside varies from wild limestone plateaux called causses, dotted with juniper bushes, small oak trees, to the rich valley of the River Lot. There are many caves and other geological features in the area: certain rivers that flow through the département have created dramatic canyons, and of particular not is the chasm at Padirac — one of the largest in Europe and an unforgettable visit.

Prehistory left a collection of famous cave paintings at Pech-Merle, where a museum now elaborates on Stone Age existence. The subjects covered include food gathering and chipping flints to the metalwork of the Iron Age.

Medieval times gave us the cliff-side pilgrimage site of Rocamadour (with its cult of the Black Virgin and a museum of sacred art), and the picturesque St-Cirq-Lapopie, where community of artists and artisans thrives. Another must-see is the fantastic, rustic architecture of medieval Carennac, on the River Dordogne.

Cahors's prime landmark is the spectacular pont Valentré over the River Lot. It was begun in 1308, and remains one of the best examples of a fortified bridge anywhere. It is also the source of many a myth and fable — most famously that the Devil was largely responsible for its construction.

Another notable town is Figeac, in particular for the Egyptology museum in the birthplace of Jean-François Champollion, who decrypted the Rosetta Stone. It is also classified as a Town of Art and History by the French National Office of Historic Monuments.

Other interesting visits include the museum of automatons in Souillac, the Jean Lurçat museum at St-Laurent-les-Tours (Lurçat came to live in the Lot in the 1940s) and the Ossip Zadkine museum at Les Arques. There are several impressive châteaux in the region, including those at Cénevières, on the edge of a cliff overlooking the Lot Valley, and at Castelnau-Bretenoux: overlooking the rivers Céré and Dordogne, it is a beautiful example of medieval military architecture and the boundary stone of four provinces: the Périgord, Limousin, the Auvergne and the Quercy.

Gastronomy is a way of life in the Lot: local delicacies include Cahors wine, goose and duck confit, foie gras, truffles and little round goat's cheeses called cabécou. The Lot owes its history to wine: barges used to take most of the wine to Bordeaux, where it would be loaded onto ships to the rest of Europe — some notable customers being the Czars of Russia.

Hautes-Pyrénées (65)

Population: 136,000
Principal city: Tarbes
Tourist board

Hautes-Pyrénées is a small département, but it makes up for area with some of the most spectacular scenery in France; a magnet for lovers of the outdoors.

The capital, Tarbes, is far from being the most celebrated town in the département: Lourdes, of course, is an internationally famous pilgrimage centre for Christians. Each year, more than five million pilgrims and tourists are attracted by the grotto. In terms of hotel accommodation, Lourdes is the second largest town in France after Paris (and is also the cheapest), with around 18,000 rooms between 350 hotels and guest houses, as well as 30 camp sites. Lourdes has the privilege of being the natural gateway to the high fertile Pyrenean valleys, with their spas and ski resorts.

Lourdes is visited by 5 million people annually, of whom over half a million come seeking a miraculous cure. It owes its status as one of the major pilgrimage sites in the word to the visions of the fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous in the 19th century. In all she experienced 18 apparitions of the Virgin Mary, during one of which she was instructed to scrape the ground by the side of the grotto where the visions occurred. A gentle trickle of water turned into a stream of 27,000 gallons a day in which pilgrims seeking cures bathe themselves. The first miraculous cures took place at Lourdes immediately after the discovery of this spring. To be declared 'miraculous', cures have to be stringently scrutinised to ensure that the cure lies beyond all medical explanation. Since the beginning of the craze about 5,000 cures have passed medical scrutiny but only 64 of these have been officially recognised as miracles.

The Pyrenees have much to offer, from wildlife and walking to ski-resorts and health spas. Cauterets doubles as a ski-resort and a spa town with the motto, "at Cauterets you can be cured of anything." The curative properties of the waters were discovered a thousand years ago by the monks of St-Savin, and the town reached the height of its popularity at the beginning of the 20th century. Amongst the visitors have been Victor Hugo, Claude Debussy and King Edward VII.

The Parc National des Pyrénées contains the spectacular sights of Vignemal and the pic du Midi de Bigorre (both of which offer grandiose panorama across the Pyrenees), the cascade du Pont d'Espagne and the cirque de Gavarnie. At 2,877 metres, the astronomical observatory on the pic du Midi de Bigorre benefits from the purity and hence optical clarity of the atmosphere, and is one of the most important stations in the world. South of the peak is the col du Tourmalet, which is considered the most demanding and breath-taking hurdle of the Tour de France.

Also worth a visit are the grottes de Gargas, whose 20,000-year-old cave paintings are disturbing and remarkable for the 217 imprints of hands whose fingers have been chopped off. Nobody knowns why Aurignacian man felt compelled to mutilate and paint in this way, but magic or initiation ceremonies have been put forward as possible explanations.

Tarn (81)

Population: 343,000
Principal city: Albi
Tourism

The rose-red bricks of Albi invite the visitor to relax and stroll through its streets. Although it gave its name to the Albigensian heracy, its bishop saved the city from the worst of the crusade against Catharism. The cathédrale Ste-Cécile-d'Albi looks a fortress on the outside, but the interior is richly adorned in true Gothic style. The River Tarn flows through the canyons in the grands causses to the east of the département, before rolling sedately through Albi.

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a talented artist, most remembered for his lively and colourful portrayals of the people he met in the bars of Montmartre. Many of these characters are depicted in his posters, which can be seen in the Albi museum that bears his name. Here are not only his famous posters but also sketches, lithographs and memorabilia from his life.

It was particularly in the Tarn that pastel was grown and exploited as a dye and paint pigment during medieval times, the only known alternative to the (rare and expensive) indigo. Better known as woad to Anglo-Saxons, this dye was in high demand in the 16th century and greatly contributed to the wealth of region.

South of Albi lies the Sidobre region, with fantastic rock shapes. History and culture are rich in the département's numerous other bastides (medieval fortified towns built around a central square), such as those at Puycelsi, Lisle-sur-Tarn, Castelnau-de-Montmirail.

France's best-preseverved Gothic site, the medieval hilltop town of Cordes in the north is a thriving centre for craftsmen. The fortified, 13th-century town is renowned for its medieval architecture, its craftsmen and for its hilltop location. There is also a confectionery museum: one of the most talented maître cuisiniers in France, Yves Thuriès set up a museum in 1989 dedicated to the art of sugar sculpture. Here you can see everything from dinosaurs to pianos made from sugar.

Other specialities of the Tarn are dried ham of Lacaune (similar to Parma ham), the milk of the sheep of Lacaune, which goes to Roquefort to be made into the world-famous cheese, and the garlic markets of Lautrec and Réalmont — real celebrations of garlic, its medicinal properties and culinary assets. The village of Lautrec, whose speciality is pink garlic, holds an annual Fête de l'ail, complete with garlic soup and models made out of the plant. Gaillac is one of the oldest wine producing regions in France, with a heritage dating back over 1,000 years.

At Ambialet, in the north-east of the département, on a tight meander of the river, stands a hydro-electric power station with a difference. Ambialet, with its 11th-century priory and ruined château, was deemed too lovely to accommodate the usual sort of power station, so a fake château, complete with turrets, was built to disguise it.

The small town of Labruguière was the home of a pioneering photographer, Arthur Batut. He experimented with kite photography and a technique that he called 'portrait-types', an early form of 'morphing'.

Tarn-et-Garonne (82)

Population: 200,000
Principal city: Montauban
Tourism

The Tarn-et-Garonne département is set in the heart of Gascony, and its hills lead up to the mountains of the Pyrenees; on a clear day the snow-covered peaks can be seen in the distance. It has traditionally been a hat-manufacting area (boaters are still made here), notably at Septfonds, which also has an alignment of standing stones.

Founded in 1144, its capital Montauban is known as the 'Rose City'. Montauban was the model for the bastide towns of the south-west of France, and it was probably at a bastide in the coteaux du Quercy that the tinder of the Hundred Years' War was first lit. Montauban city is not normally given much attention by guidebooks on France, but it is a delight, with its pink brick houses and the Musée Ingres, commemorating the fact that the great artist was born here in 1780. It was a centre for Protestantism during the Wars of Religion. The English would build a bastide; Charles IV of France would capture it; Edward II would retake it... and so on and so forth.

Unsurprisingly, wine is a popular crop here, but Moissac, famous for growing the chasselas grape, grows other types of fruit too — in fact, 80% of the fruit produced in the Midi-Pyrénées is grown in the département, including peaches, kiwi fruit and melons. Moissac is also renowned for its abbey church and cloister, which is a masterpiece of Romanesque art. It was founded in the 7th century, and by the 12th century had become the pre-eminent monastery in south-western France. Of particular not is the south portal (12th century), which is an intricate depiction of the Apocalypse.

Between St-Antonin-Noble-Val (the setting for the 2002 film Charlotte Gray) and Montricoux, the River Aveyron has worn into the limestone and sculpted deep, steep-sided gorges. Man has lived there since prehistoric times, and the villages of picturesque Penne, Bruniquel and Montricoux are well worth visiting. The Garonne Valley also has interesting places to visit, like the abbey of Belle-Perche and the village of Verdun-sur-Garonne, which has a fine church and medieval brick houses.

In the south-east of the département stands the bastide of Beaumont-de-Lomagne, founded in 1276. It has a 13th-century church and hosts a lively garlic market in season. Visits in the area include the castle of Gramont and the ramparts of Maubec, both of which have been restored.

A charming feature of Tarn-et-Garonne is the hundreds of dovecotes peppering the landscape. The ownership of a dovecote was once the prerogative of the feudal lords of the manor. After the Revolution, peasants were allowed to keep pigeons too: they were an important source of revenue, and their guano provided a prized fertiliser called colombine.

Local gastronomy is enriched with a variety of specialities that reflect the region: shad fish, Lomagne confits and foie gras, truffles and croustade, a puff-pastry delicacy.