Uncover the tranquil Tarn area in Occitanie, stunning villages and countryside, the land of Goya and pink garlic, historical past and heritage – Gillian Thornton explores two stunning, off the overwhelmed observe villages in southern France.
What to see and do in Lautrec
Point out the title Lautrec, and most of the people consider 19th century artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Descended from each the Viscounts of Lautrec and the highly effective Counts of Toulouse, Henri was born in Albi, and right this moment, the principal city within the Tarn division is residence to a singular museum devoted to his work.
There are not any such tangible connections to the artist in Lautrec, some 30 km from Albi, however this gorgeous hilltop village within the Occitanie area is widespread with guests searching for each genuine group ambiance and one among France’s most celebrated meals merchandise. Categorized amongst Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, the medieval village of Lautrec isn’t solely blessed with a properly preserved pure and architectural heritage, however can also be well-known for its Ail Rose – Pink Garlic.
Lautrec’s slender streets nonetheless function many conventional properties, its half-moon market lined with brick facades criss-crossed with timbers above a ground-floor arcade. Push the door of close by Saint-Rémy Collegiate church to discover a lavishly embellished inside and trompe l’œil vault, at full odds with the sober facade.
Chill out over espresso within the shady courtyard of Café Plum which presents a bookshop and regional lunch dishes by day, and an eclectic musical combine – from jazz and people to rock and flamenco on chosen evenings. Then work up an urge for food for lunch by climbing the steep however rewarding staircase of the Montée du Moulin to the stone windmill. Nonetheless used to grind flour for the native bakery, the 17th century mill is surrounded by a Botanic Path with panoramic views over terracotta roof tiles to rolling countryside.
Stroll by means of the historic streets of Lautrec and you’ll virtually definitely catch the aroma of Pink Garlic as you move by a Friday morning market stall or a boutique promoting native produce. Grown solely in a strictly managed space protected by European IGP standing, this iconic French flavouring additionally carries the coveted Label Rouge high quality mark. Milder and sweeter than different garlic, L’Ail Rose de Lautrec imparts a delicate flavour to a powerful number of dishes with out overpowering your tastebuds. Nor the air round you!
Eager to style the prized native product, I sit all the way down to lunch at L’Ocxalis, a trendy restaurant the place cooks Lydia Darasse and Thomas Massoutier provide Pink Garlic at each course for aficionados, plus different gastronomic fare. Cream of Pink Garlic Soup is a revelation, drizzled with oil from native Black Garlic made by gradual roasting pink cloves till the centre is gentle and subtly smoky. I take pleasure in extra Pink Garlic in a fragile sauce accompanying my braised ham, and even in a small scoop of ice-cream that goes with my rum-soaked baba dessert. Surprising however completely scrumptious.
Sadly 2025 was a disastrous 12 months for a lot of native producers of Lautrec’s prized product. I go to in early summer time and meet up with Jean-François Tournier, former president of the Ail Rose syndicate that oversees high quality and manufacturing. His household farm simply exterior the village lay proper within the path of a freak hailstorm that destroyed your entire crop inside 25 minutes and with it, 70% of the farm’s annual earnings.
However after 45 years as a garlic farmer and nonetheless an lively member of the native competition committee, Jean-François is philosophical. Subsequent 12 months is certain to be higher he says, and thankfully, not each farm was affected, and sufficient crop remained for the full-on Fête de l’Ail that takes over the village through the first weekend in August.
Look out too in Lautrec for items made utilizing one other signature native product. Not pink this time, however blue. From the mid-15th to 16th century, the village lay on the coronary heart of the dying business. Till the center of the 18th century, blue dye may solely be obtained from the leaves of a yellow-flowered plant referred to as Isatis Tinctoria, or pastel (woad in English), rendering blue clothes unaffordable to all however the the Aristocracy.
Right here within the Pays de Cockagne – Occitanie’s ‘Land of Lots’ – crops had been cultivated and processed to supply the coveted dye. Put on blue and your social standing was on present for all to see, so Le Bleu du Tarn was extremely prized. At the moment pastel remains to be used for scarves, clothes and shirts, in addition to in skincare merchandise, due to the moisturising properties of the seeds. Browse the ranges at La Ferme au Village and resist in case you can!
What to see and do in Castres
Historic Lautrec is surrounded by unspoilt countryside, however lies solely 15km from Castres, second largest city within the Tarn after Albi. Regardless of a modest inhabitants of simply 40,000, the city’s former Bishop’s Palace is residence to a singular attraction, the Goya Museum, an important Hispanic artwork museum in France after the Louvre.
Born in 1746 in Spain, Francisco Goya was apprenticed to an artist on the age of 15, rising to turn out to be courtroom painter to the King of Spain till their political beliefs diverged. Goya lived his final three years in Bordeaux the place he died in 1828 and he had no reference to Castres, so why a museum right here?
It’s all due to Pierre Biguiboul, an area admirer of Spanish artwork, who in 1894 bequeathed his total assortment to the city’s museum, together with three work by Goya and 4 collection of his engravings numbering round 40 every.
The Musée Goya opened in 1947, and underwent an imaginative revamp in 2023, centred in fact on the Goya reveals that embrace a captivating self-portrait with glasses, painted within the artist’s fifties on the peak of his success. With vital works by nice Spanish masters from the 14th century to the current day, this chronological journey is a delight from begin to end.
I’m not an enormous fan of spiritual artwork however the vibrant colors and 3D impact of the museum’s first room are beautiful, adopted by a spread of Spanish types and a bit exploring their impact on French artists. Boosted by loans from The Louvre and different main collections, the museum contains works by Velasquez, Murillo and Picasso.
Subsequent to the museum, the riverside Jardin de l’Evêché was created in 1700 within the classical model of André Le Nôtre, gardener to King Louis XIV, and is right this moment categorised as a Jardin Remarquable for its topiary, ‘English borders’, and a number of views.
There’s extra vibrant color beside the museum the place a rainbow of colored facades hug the banks of the Agout. As soon as housing all method of water-based trades, these personal properties now star in lots of an Instagram selfie. Shoot from the bridges or from Le Miredames, a duplicate of a standard picket river boat that cruises in summer time months to the Gourjade Park, 2.5km from the city centre.
Don’t go away Castres with out exploring the city centre the place many main buildings have just lately been restored to their gleaming unique stone end. And possibly linger over a drink in Place Jean Jaurès beside the statue of the Socialist politician and editor of L’Humanité newspaper. Born right here in 1859, Jaurès was assassinated in Paris in 1914 for his anti-war stance and is buried within the Panthéon. A person who argued for world peace from this most tranquil nook of France.
For 4-star riverside lodging in Castres, strive the Grand Resort (grandhoteldecastres.com). Or for luxurious lodging with spa and gastronomic restaurant, Chateau de Fiac (chateaudefiac.com) lies between Lautrec and Castres.
By Gillian Thornton, one of many UK’s main journey writers and a daily author for The Good Life France Journal and web site.
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