Le Pays Lauragais – A part of France not to be missed
Le Pays Lauragais is the region that encompasses the departments of Haute Garronne (31), Tarn (81) and Aude (11) in southern France. I imagine that most people know the Tarn, with its capital Albi, as an area of great beauty, but they may be less familiar with the departments of Aude and Haute Garronne, until, of course, the fabulous cities are mentioned. from Carcassonne and Toulouse.
Carcassonne is the capital of the Aude department and is home to 2 world heritage sites, and Toulouse, known as the ‘Ville Rose’ or the ‘Cite d’Espace’ is of course the capital of Haute Garrone and is the main city of the south. from France. It is also home to the French aerospace industry and Airbus headquarters.
All three departments are named after the major rivers that run through them and two of them are also home to the famous Canal du Midi, which was promoted by Pierre-Paul Riquet, France’s answer to Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The main feeding reservoir of the Canal du Midi is a beautiful lake that sits above the market town of Revel, famous for its food market and furniture industry. To form the lake, a large dam 30 m high, 10 m thick and 871 m long was built in the 17th century.
Today the lake is used as a recreational area providing a beach from where you can swim, sail, fish and walk in a very nice and attractive part of France, it has also been made more interesting by providing an arboretum around its shores. which has over 150 different varieties of trees, including one that is around 400 years old. It has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
The lake has become a natural draw for leisure facilities and there are a number of restaurants, shops, a grand hotel, an equestrian center, camping and cafes overlooking the lake. The most recent addition is a museum dedicated to Monsieur Riquet (opened in 2008 overlooking a large fountain) that provides a detailed insight into his life and work, you can also enjoy a nice lunch in his new restaurant if you want to make a day or half a day of it.
Castelnaudary, of Cassoulet fame, is a little further south of Revel and is actually on the Canal du Midi, it also has a very good food market that takes place on Monday mornings. There are canal boat trips from the port in the summer months and here you can find some good examples of the Canal du Midi locks.
Going towards Toulouse from Castelnaudary, you will find Villefrance de Lauragais and opportunities to rent bikes to ride the canal paths and explore the small villages, restaurants and a bit of wildlife along the way.
Going around towards Revel, you can find the towns of Durfort and Soreze, Durfort is well known for its copper-based products which are made by hand and sold in local shops, a good place to visit on a Sunday morning especially from the clutch Handicraft products have now spread to include leather, ceramic basketry and cabinetmaking.
Soreze is best known for its ‘Parc de l’Abbaye-Ecole’ which, at its peak around 1776, was one of 12 military academies created by Louis XVI. It was later administered by Father Lacordaire, who revived the Dominican Order in France, but after educating several famous people, including officials, writers, philosophers, and politicians, it finally closed its doors as a school in 1991. Since then (as of 1993) the entire site has undergone a restoration program and has been listed as a historic monument.
The city itself is filled with old world charm with 16th and 17th century half-timbered town houses and its famous building is the ‘San Martín Bell Tower’, believed to have been completed around 1512.
Soreze is located at the foot of the ‘Montagne Noire’ and has become a favorite tourist destination in the region, it provides a gateway to the Parc natural regional du Haut-Languedoc, where you will find caves, grottoes and streams, in addition to many places . ride a bike or walk.