GERS ❘ SLOW TOURISM


Take it slow in GERS


TSlow OURISM O


Justin Postlethwaite lives and learns on a tour of the eastern Gers, combining great food, dazzling architecture and idyllic villages


ne of the many reasons that France is such a beloved tourist destination is the feeling that in certain rural corners, time has effectively stood still for what seems like centuries. Not in terms of technological advances, of course, but rather in the untainted architectural heritage; in the unhurried yet bustling markets on the same village squares as 200 years ago – still selling largely the same locally produced, simple delights like cheese, bread and fruit; and in unchanged attitudes to a deep-felt appreciation, and indeed protection, of a slower pace of life and of the traditions at the heart of a region’s identity. My latest Slow Tourism jaunt in Occitanie ticks all the above boxes, and takes me to the eastern flank of the Gers department – about an hour west of Toulouse and a short drive to the east of its prefecture, Auch. This is an ideal place for ‘steady as you go’ touring.


I visit with the vestiges of late summer still on show, making this laid-back Gascony at its very best: idyllic, photogenic villages for a pause (Plus Beau Village Sarrant is a must- photograph); stop-and-buy farm shops seemingly along every road, most of which bisect rolling valleys patchworked with crop fields and copses. Every so often, a wall of piled-high hay bales obscures the view of a pretty Gascon farmhouse, while the last of the summer fruits plus Armagnac producers’ bottled goodies are flagged up on handmade panneaux (signs) pointing down narrow country tracks.


THE BELLS, THE BELLS!


My weekend begins with a Saturday morning stroll through pretty L’Isle Jourdain’s vibrant market, set across two squares. I resist the temptation to scoff a piece of croustade – the crunchy, pastry-topped apple pie so beloved here – and head to the 19th-century grain market (listed as a Monument Historique) which since 1994 has housed the European Museum of Campanile Art. This most remarkable paean to the history of bell-ringing and time-keeping houses umpteen priceless examples of forged cloches (bells) and centuries-old timepieces. In the affable company of guide Bruno Delfino, I take a deep-dive into the bronze bell-making process, and take on board some impressively recountable dinner party statistics: such as how the battant (the clapper that bangs against the bell interior to make the sound) must be 1/20th


of the weight of the bell for sonic perfection. There are six permanent ❯❯


Opposite page and right from top: The Instagrammable Plus Beau Village Sarrant; beautiful Lectoure; Saint-Clar is a gorgeous village with two distinct historic centres; an orientation table at Saint-Clar; the brocante village at Lectoure is a treat for treasure-seekers


Oct/Nov 2023 FRANCE TODAY ❘ 71


IMAGES © CDT GERS, N. BACHOUX, G. VILMINOT, C. LAFFONT, S. DAUDIRAC, J.L. PEREIRA


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