Take a guided tour of Occitanie to find an impressive panorama with a compelling historical past and a wealthy cultural heritage, stretching from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean.
The area’s historical past consists of vital Gallo-Roman cities and influences, adopted by the distinctive Occitan tradition that started to emerge in the course of the medieval interval. The Cathars of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries additionally left an indelible mark, and beneath the extremely wealthy umbrella of Occitan tradition lies a splendidly numerous area.
Right here you’ll discover the whole lot from the traditions of Armagnac manufacturing, evening markets and musketeers to the horsemen of the Camargue, fortified medieval cities, Roman viaducts and, after all, world-class meals. It is a area that embraces its sense of self and its personal cultural id. You’ll nonetheless discover small village fêtes and markets, wine harvests and meals fes vals, alongside heritage crafts equivalent to pottery and knife making, textile producti on and, after all, native cheese making.
Meals sits on the very coronary heart of life right here. There are the earthy flavours of duck, goose and foie gras; cassoulet and the splendidly indulgent Aligot; and world-famous Roquefort. Then as you head south, the flavors change, with olives and olive oil, garlic, fish and implausible seafood. To not point out truffles, walnuts, saffron, melons and cherries.
The meals of the area is as sensory and compelling because the wine produced throughout Occitanie. These wines embrace well-known names equivalent to Corbières, Minervois, Pic Saint-Loup and Picpoul de Pinet, to call however just a few.
It’s all these items introduced collectively (the historical past, the gorgeous landscapes and structure, and the extraordinary meals tradition) in a single intensely evocati ve and sensory area that make a tour of Occitanie with French Nation Adventures so distinctive.
Once you do much less, you expertise extra
There’s an artwork to travelling slowly. It’s about resisting the temptation to race from one “must-see” landmark to the subsequent and permitting your self as a substitute the me to correctly expertise a spot: its individuals and traditions, to know the issues that formed it and the small particulars which might be simply missed when you’re merely passing by way of. The philosophy behind French Nation Adventures is an easy one: “Once you do much less, you expertise extra.”
Excursions are intentionally inmate and unhurried with not more than six individuals per tour, creating alternatives to discover the artwork, music, historical past and meals of a area, to linger over meals, meet native individuals and uncover one thing of the tradition that exists past the plain sights. It’s journey not merely as a method of seeing someplace new, however as a method of connecting with it.
An genuine guided tour of Occitanie
The 12-day, 11-night Tarn-et-Garonne & Camargue Tour follows a winding route by way of a number of the most lovely landscapes of southern France. There are, after all, some showstoppers alongside the best way, however the itinerary is designed to slowly peel again the layers of the panorama, exploring the historical past, meals, artwork, structure and traditions which have formed it.
It begins in Albi, La Ville Rouge, a UNESCO World Heritage metropolis the place the distinctive pink brick glows pink beneath the southern French solar. Dominating town is the extraordinary for fied type of Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, the most important brick cathedral on this planet. Its austere exterior offers little indica on of the breathtaking inside, awash with color, sculptures, frescoes and trompe-l’œil. Close by, the previous bishops’ palace, the Palais de la Berbie, homes the world’s largest public assortment of works by Albi-born Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, whereas its gardens provide great views throughout the Tarn.
From right here, the journey winds by way of a panorama of for fied hilltop villages. There’s the just about fairytale-like Cordes-sur-Ciel, based in 1222 and seemingly suspended above the clouds; tiny Puycelsi, tucked in opposition to the forest behind its medieval ramparts; and, relying on the itinerary, Najac, the place a formidable royal fortress towers above the Aveyron Gorge, and exquisite Belcastel, its historical château seemingly rising from the rock above the village.
At Lautrec, there’s a likelihood to find the world’s well-known pink garlic and be taught concerning the dyes historically produced within the area. At Gaillac, wine opens a window onto a narrative stretching again to Roman Gaul, when wine was transported alongside the Tarn and Garonne in the direction of the Atlantic. Native lunches and tastings grow to be a part of understanding the place you’re and what offers this area such a vibrant pulse.
By day seven, the panorama and ambiance change once more because the tour reaches Aigues Mortes, the extraordinary walled medieval city constructed by Louis IX as a Mediterranean port and departure level for the Crusades. This turns into a base for exploring the salt marshes past the partitions and discovering the manufacturing of fleur de sel, actually the “flower of salt”, in addition to visiting elegant Uzès, with its maze of outdated streets, shady squares and celebrated market.
And eventually, there’s the Camargue itself: a panorama of wetlands, salt flats, lagoons and seashores, populated by flamingos and white horses and nonetheless residence to the traditions of the Gardians, the horsemen of the Camargue.
A Distinctive French Nation Journey
Your host and information, Sue Aran, is the founding father of French Nation Adventures. American by delivery, however resident in south-west France for 20 years, she is an skilled native information, author and photographer, with a deep information of the historical past, tradition and traditions of France. Each restaurant, artisan, lodge and expertise has been tried and examined by Sue and her excursions have been rigorously curated to make sure your journey by way of this distinctive area of France connects you to it, reasonably than simply guiding you thru it.
To search out out extra or to guide, go to: frenchcountryadventures.com/tarn-gardcamargue-tour-france
