SLOW TOURISM ❘ TARN
“ PENNE IS AN HISTORIC RIBBON OF A LITTLE
VILLAGE – THINK TIMBER- FRAMED HOUSES AND MYSTERIOUS, MOODY NARROW ALLEYS”
Above and right: Penne is a medieval beauty with a fortified château; there are countless pretty villages to explore in Tarn, such as Lautrec, where on a hill above the village you can visit a 17th-century windmill
ribbon of a little village – think timber-framed houses and mysterious, moody narrow alleys – is perched above the Aveyron gorge with the astonishing fortifi ed Château de Penne as its iconic original lookout point over the deep valley below. It has been listed as an historical monument since 1902, but only when architect Axel Letellier bought it in 2006 did it start to have a future and not just a past. The project to restore the ruins to some kind of secure, visitable state is well under way, and what an impressive project it is. Combining the talents of historians and stonemasons, pending plans include night lighting, a museum and café. A small visitors’ centre and shop has just opened, with entry to the site just €6 for adults, and lots of workshops and shows to please all the family this summer. Penne the village is very attractive in a more earthy, unpolished manner than Plus Beaux Villages and is a Tarn must-see.
A TASTY INTERLUDE
A late afternoon stop at the organic winemaker Domaine Plageoles, in Cahuzac-sur-Vère, revealed to me the true link between the Tarn terroir and its people. Seven generations of vignerons have turned grapes to wine here, with priority given to
72 ❘ FRANCE TODAY Jun/Jul 2023
reintroducing ancient cépages like Mauzac and Oudenc. As Bernard Plageoles explains while handing me a small snifter of his best-selling Mauzac Nature – a lovely, light fi zzy – this takes time and commitment, with each vine regrowth taking ten years. This slow-grow ethos sits perfectly with the slow tourism trend now dominating modern French tourism. There are countless such passionate makers to visit in the AOP Gaillac winegrowing area – check with the regional tourism board when planning your trip to ensure a satisfying stop-off and the chance to stick a few bottles in the boot. With its rolling hills and vineyards, the area is nicknamed ‘the Occitan Tuscany’ (
www.la-toscane-occitane. com) and all around, producers lay on dreamy summer concert aperitifs, in places like Cordes, Penne and Puycelsi, as well as Solex (electric bike) and bicycle activities in the vineyards.
IMAGES © PASCALEWALTER/CDT TARN; OLIVIER OCTOBRE, HELLOTRAVELERS, PASCALEWALTER/TARNTOURISME, BUCHOWSKI, STATION BEES GAILLAC
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