The Gers is a small division in southwest France. It’s a rural space and, simply 60 miles huge, peppered with completely preserved and pristine medieval cities and brimming with lovely villages together with 6 Plus Beaux Villages de France.
Because the birthplace of D’Artagnan, Alexandre Dumas’ hero from The Three Musketeers – and France’s oldest brandy, Armagnac, Gers, additionally identified by its historic identify of Gascony, is steeped in historical past. The area is residence to a spectacular array of gorgeous landscapes, outside actions, castles, historic websites and probably the most scrumptious gastronomy – that is the genuine France you dream of
The most important city is the capital, Gers however you couldn’t name it crowded with a inhabitants of round 22,000. The entire area has lower than 200,000 inhabitants.
The Gers is wealthy in agriculture, fruit and walnut manufacturing and cattle farming, particularly the massive creamy Blonde d’Aquitaine cows. Most householders have a ‘potager’, vegetable backyard, it’s a great place for eager gardeners. Nicknamed “God’s larder” by the locals, day by day markets space a lifestyle and gastronomy is an important component of ‘art-de-vivre’ within the area. Look out for Ferme auberges that produce practically all that they serve on the desk.
The hillsides are smothered in vines and the realm is known for Armagnac. Much less well-known, wonderful wine can be produced right here.
The Pyrenees are simply two hours by automotive, nice for snowboarding in winter and mountaineering in summer time. The west coast seashores, Basque nation, Spain and the Côte d’Azur are on the doorstep. Toulouse metropolis could be reached in round 1.5 hours by practice from Auch. The seasons are distinct with winters tending to be chilly and moist in January and February. Typically the climate is clement year-round – spring sees an explosion of flower, fauna and birdlife. The summer time is lengthy, fields of sunflowers are all over the place, and the great climate usually lasts properly into September and mellows in October, and it’s common to have the ability to eat exterior within the solar in December.
As soon as fashionable with retirees, increasingly more younger individuals and households are selecting the Gers for its laid-back lifestyle plus wonderful web service for home-working – this division was one of many first in France to deploy excessive velocity broadband and fibre optic networks.
There’s a diversified fashion of property obtainable together with fashionable, timber-frame and conventional limestone homes that are all the time fashionable. The common worth for a wholly renovated small village home is round €150,000 – €200,000 (2024). And you’ll nonetheless purchase properties to renovate ranging from lower than €30,000 for a village home (2024). Giant nation mansions begin from €350,000 (2024), and farmhouses, plus properties with plenty of land, appropriate for horse homeowners are fashionable. There’s additionally the likelihood to purchase land on this low-population division.
The Armagnac-producing Tenarèze space is named the ‘Golden Triangle and consists of the gorgeous city of Lectoure, Condom, Castera Verduzan, Saint Puy, and the prefecture capital of Auch. Traditionally, this space was the wealthiest due to the Armagnac commerce and the beautiful honey colored limestone homes right here mirror the funding in property. Vic-Fezensac and Eauze are engaging cities, with many stone buildings. As you go bit additional south in direction of the steeper hillsides surrounding Marciac the place the annual and famend jazz pageant is held, properties are usually extra timber-framed fashion.
The distances between villages and providers imply {that a} automotive is important as public transport isn’t broadly obtainable.
Within the Gers, it’s simple to really feel such as you’ve stepped again in time to a gentler place. You received’t come throughout coach a great deal of vacationers. And also you received’t discover site visitors jams. What you will see that are roads which take you thru sweeping panoramas, undulating fields of sunflowers, corn and rapeseed. Vineyards laze underneath the solar alongside lush grazing pastures dotted with wildflowers. Hedgerows which are filled with hawthorn, broom and honeysuckle hug fields and forests. And the cafés and bars are stuffed with pleasant folks, comfortable to share their little nook of paradise.
Regardless of being very rural, The Gers is accessible with Toulouse or Bordeaux airports in simple driving distance and TGV excessive velocity trains can velocity you from Agen to Paris in 5 hours.
For those who lengthy to flee the rat race, then this idyllic off-the-beaten monitor, unspoiled area may be simply what you’re on the lookout for.
Janine Marsh is the creator of a number of internationally best-selling books about France. Her newest e-book Find out how to be French – a celebration of the French way of life and artwork de vivre, is out now – a have a look at the French lifestyle. Discover all books on her web site janinemarsh.com
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