From Lectoure to Cologne, the blond stone, the pink tiled roofs, the tapered cypresses, the rows of vines and the wheat fields, the golden and grainy light evoke one of the most beautiful regions of Italy.
Often referred to as “little Tuscany”, this region of eastern Gers features a string of medieval villages where market halls, fountains, churches and period houses still exist.
Read also: By bike, on horseback, by boat… The Gers in slow mode
Lectoure, a town full of history
Lectoure, main town of Lomagne and historic capital.
Gérard Vilminot / Gers Tourism Collection
Gateway to Lomagne, Lectoure can be seen from the national road from Agen.
The square tower of its cathedral emerges from the roofs of round tiles.
Heavy gates conceal elegant mansions, shops and restaurants line the main street.
The walls preserve the traces of the small and the great history at the turn of shaded alleys: the Diane Fountain located in the southern ramparts of the city, flows under a Gothic vault, the House of Clarinets betrays the passion of its former owner, the old fortifications become scenic walks.
The Bleu de Lectoure, also called “Pastel des dyers” or “Bleu de guède”, once very popular for dyeing textiles, gave its name to a small local company which is the standard bearer of a flourishing craft industry.
She has brought pastel blue up to date and dyed organic cottons and linens in her back room.
Do not forget to take a look in the rearview mirror as you take the road to La Romieu.
The views over Lectoure perched on its rocky outcrop are superb.
Our good addresses
Bleu de Lectoure, 55 rue Alsace-Lorraine, 32700 Lectoure.
Boutique open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and from 2 to 6 p.m.
Possibility of mini-conference.
Phone.
: 05 62 28 14 93.
2 Pas, 56 rue Nationale, 32700 Lectoure.
Studio with kitchenette from € 68.
Phone.
: 05 62 28 99 67.
Hôtel de Bastard, rue Lagrange, 32700 Lectoure.
Room from 72 €.
Phone.
: 05 62 68 82 44.
La Romieu, a charming Jacobean stopover
The cloister of the La Romieu collegiate church.
OT La Romieu / Gers Tourism Collection
This village, which is one of the “most beautiful villages in France”, away from the main roads, is a major stopover on the road to Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle.
Witness its imposing 14th century collegiate church, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Its long nave, its two slender towers and its splendid cloister sign an architectural work typical of southern Gothic.
The view of the church is never more beautiful than from Les Jardins de Coursiana, a vast park set back from the village.
A collection of 350 varieties of roses stands alongside thousands of trees and plants and forms a bucolic and fragrant English garden.
The stroll in La Romieu continues in the footsteps of cats and the legend of Angeline, a mystery to be solved on the spot.
Our good addresses
Collegiate Church of La Romieu, rue du Docteur Lucante, 32480 La Romieu.
Entrance: 5 €.
Les Jardins de Coursiana, 32480 La Romieu.
Open from mid-April to mid-October from 2 to 6 p.m.
Price: € 8 and € 12.50 with a visit to the Collegiate Church.
Sleep at La Maison d'Aux, place Étienne Bouet, 32480 La Romieu.
Phone.
: 05 62 28 14 89. From 95 €, with breakfast.
Fleurance, the city of stars
The Fleurance market.
Gérard Vilminot / Gers Tourism Collection
Fleurance owes its name to the city of Florence.
It perfectly illustrates the architecture of the Gascon bastide.
Its regular checkerboard plan, its square square positioned in the heart of the city and the central hall are some of the essential elements of these new 13th century towns.
The cathedral-like church is worth a detour for its stained glass windows by master glassmaker Arnaud de Moles.
Every summer, the city looks up to the sky and scans the nebulae from the Hameau des Étoiles observatory.
The skies of the Gers are renowned for their deep darkness.
Our good addresses
Fleurance Astronomy Festival.
A week of workshops and conferences, opening August 6, 2021. Tel.
: 05 62 06 62 76.
Hameau des Étoiles, To sleep and observe the stars at the dome equipped with a digital telescope.
Chalet 4 people from 120 €.
Closed from November to March.
Haumont, 32500 Fleurance.
Phone.
: 05 62 07 58 56.
Le Piot, gîte and guest rooms, chemin du Piot, 32500 Fleurance.
Phone.
: 05 81 67 03 17. From € 59 with breakfast.
Sarrant, the illustrious village
The Porte de Sarrant, surmounted by its square tower from the 14th century.
Gers-Mairie de Sarrant Tourism Collection
The circular layout of this tiny village has earned it a list of the “most beautiful villages in France”.
Difficult to get lost there since it only has two streets.
The first which crosses it right through, and the second lined with houses forming a circle around the church.
The half-timbered houses and the tower gate give off a unique medieval atmosphere.
Entirely focused on illustration, the village hosts a bookbinding machine, an illuminator, a formidable bookshop-spread, a festival and an exhibition space supported by the Maison de l'Illustration.
Visits to workshops, master classes, activities for all audiences take place throughout the year.
Our good addresses
Les Âmes Papier, 12 rue du Milieu, 32120 Sarrant.
Visit of the bookbinding workshop by appointment.
Francisco Guttierrez Garcia, Porte Tour, 32120 Sarrant.
Visit of the illumination workshop from July 2021.
Des Livres et Vous, Place de l'Eglise, 32120 Sarrant.
Open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 9 p.m. in summer).
Closed on Mondays.
The Maison de l'Illustration, 14 rue du Milieu, 32120 Sarrant.
Les Pierres Blanches, guest rooms with spa, 10bis, rue Victor Hugo, 32120 Mauvezin.
Phone.
: 05 81 41 95 79. Room from 65 €.
Cologne and its medieval hall
The Cologne hall dates from the Middle Ages.
Gérard Vilminot / Gers Tourism Collection
Cologne closes the march of the fortified towns of Lomagne.
The Toulouse influence points with the appearance of pink bricks to form the arches of the cutlery or frame the windows of the houses.
The Haute-Garonne is not far.
The city has managed to keep some beautiful half-timbered houses.
But above all, it is one of the few to still have its original hall.
A heavy canal-tiled roof mounted on wooden pillars frames the old common room.
The market has been held there since the Middle Ages, every Thursday from 8 am to 1 pm.
The Comptoir des Colibris nestled under the arcades enlivens the square with simple, locally inspired cuisine.
His committed approach wakes up on weekends with evening concerts or a Sunday dictation.
Our good addresses
Le Comptoir des Colibris, solidarity café-restaurant, 6 place de la Halle, 32430 Cologne.
Open daily from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and until 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Les Musardises, guest rooms, 10 place de la Halle, 32430 Cologne.
Phone.
: 05 62 58 39 81. Room from 60 €.
Practical notebook
INQUIRE BEFORE LEAVING
From tourist offices: from Gers, Gascogne-Lomagne for Lectoure, La Romieu and Fleurance and Bastides de Lomagne for Cologne and Sarrant.
GO
By train.
From Paris, take the TGV at Gare Montparnasse to Agen (3h30 journey), from € 73 round trip.
By plane.
The Air France shuttle provides 12 daily connections during the week from Paris-Orly (1h15 flight), from € 101 round trip.
