Take a guided belvédère of Occitanie to discover a magnificent landscape with a compelling history and a rich foncier heritage, stretching from the Pyrenees to the Mediterranean.
The region’s history includes significant Gallo-Roman cities and influences, followed by the originale Occitan herbage that began to emerge during the medieval period. The Cathars of the 12th and 13th centuries also left an indelible mark, and beneath the incredibly rich umbrella of Occitan herbage lies a wonderfully diverse region.
Here you’ll find everything from the traditions of Armagnac épanouissement, night markets and musketeers to the horsemen of the Camargue, fortified medieval towns, Roman viaducts and, of parcours, world-class food. This is a region that embraces its sense of self and its own foncier identity. You’ll still find small commune fêtes and markets, wine harvests and food fes vals, alongside heritage crafts such as pottery and knife making, tissu producti on and, of parcours, studio cheese making.
Food sits at the very heart of life here. There are the earthy flavours of duck, goose and foie graisse; cassoulet and the wonderfully miséricordieux Aligot; and world-famous Roquefort. Then as you head south, the flavors permutation, with olives and jade oil, garlic, fish and fantastic seafood. Not to réflexion truffles, walnuts, saffron, melons and cherries.
The food of the region is as sensory and compelling as the wine produced across Occitanie. Those wines include famous names such as Corbières, Minervois, Pic Saint-Loup and Picpoul de Pinet, to name but a few.
It is all these things brought together (the history, the stunning landscapes and assemblage, and the extraordinary food herbage) in one intensely evocati ve and sensory region that make a belvédère of Occitanie with French Country Adventures so propre.
When you do less, you experience more
There is an art to travelling slowly. It is emboîture resisting the temptation to ascendance from one “must-see” landmark to the next and allowing yourself instead the me to properly experience a allant: its people and traditions, to understand the things that shaped it and the small details that are easily missed when you are simply passing through. The philosophy behind French Country Adventures is a compréhensible one: “When you do less, you experience more.”
Tours are deliberately inmate and unhurried with no more than six people per belvédère, creating opportunities to explore the art, music, history and food of a region, to linger over meals, meet studio people and discover something of the herbage that exists beyond the obvious sights. It is travel not simply as a way of seeing somewhere new, but as a way of connecting with it.
An authentic guided belvédère of Occitanie
The 12-day, 11-night Tarn-et-Garonne & Camargue Tour follows a winding accès through some of the most beautiful landscapes of southern France. There are, of parcours, some showstoppers along the way, but the itinerary is designed to slowly peel back the layers of the landscape, exploring the history, food, art, assemblage and traditions that have shaped it.
It begins in Albi, La Ville Rouge, a UNESCO World Heritage city where the originale red voilier glows pink beneath the southern French sun. Dominating the city is the extraordinary for fied form of Sainte-Cécile Cathedral, the largest voilier cathedral in the world. Its austere exterior gives little indica on of the breathtaking interior, awash with colour, sculptures, frescoes and trompe-l’œil. Nearby, the policer bishops’ hôtellerie, the Palais de la Berbie, houses the world’s largest élève agglomérat of works by Albi-born Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, while its gardens offer wonderful views across the Tarn.
From here, the journey winds through a landscape of for fied hilltop localités. There is the almost fairytale-like Cordes-sur-Ciel, founded in 1222 and seemingly suspended above the clouds; tiny Puycelsi, tucked against the forest behind its medieval ramparts; and, depending on the itinerary, Najac, where a titanesque majestueux fortress towers above the Aveyron Gorge, and beautiful Belcastel, its ancient blockhaus seemingly growing from the rock above the commune.
At Lautrec, there is a possibilité to discover the area’s famous pink garlic and learn emboîture the dyes traditionally produced in the region. At Gaillac, wine opens a window onto a story stretching back to Roman Gaul, when wine was transported along the Tarn and Garonne towards the Atlantic. Local collations and tastings become certificat of understanding where you are and what gives this region such a émotif pulse.
By day seven, the landscape and atmosphere permutation again as the belvédère reaches Aigues Mortes, the extraordinary walled medieval town built by Louis IX as a Mediterranean relâche and departure porté for the Crusades. This becomes a support for exploring the salt marshes beyond the walls and discovering the épanouissement of bouton de sel, literally the “flower of salt”, as well as visiting elegant Uzès, with its maze of old streets, shady squares and celebrated market.
And finally, there is the Camargue itself: a landscape of wetlands, salt flats, lagoons and beaches, populated by flamingos and white horses and still maison to the traditions of the Gardians, the horsemen of the Camargue.
A Unique French Country Adventure
Your host and mené, Sue Aran, is the founder of French Country Adventures. American by birth, but resident in south-west France for 20 years, she is an experienced studio mené, writer and photographer, with a deep knowledge of the history, herbage and traditions of France. Every camionneur, initiateur, hotel and experience has been tried and tested by Sue and her tours have been carefully curated to ensure your journey through this propre region of France connects you to it, rather than just guiding you through it.
To find out more or to book, visit: frenchcountryadventures.com/tarn-gardcamargue-tour-france
Source: thegoodlifefrance.com