Tarn-et-Garonne

We headed off before 9am for a quick drive down the autoroute to the Medieval hilltop village of Auvillar. We arrived ahead of schedule, so we had the chance to grab a coffee prior or starting our guided tour.

Our guide Pam, was great. She has lived in Auvillar for the past two years and provided wonderful information and anecdotes about the town. Auvillar is very picturesque and is also classified as a “most beautiful village of France”. It is situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Garonne river. The town dates back to the Romans. It is surrounded by ancient fortified walls with gateways granting access to the centre. One of the gateways, the one we entered through, passes under a 17th century clock tower that has alternating white stone and red-brick. This is typical of the region and gives it a distinctive look and character.

After entering the village, we headed down the Main Street to a large round structure, the Halle aux Grains, an old market where different grains were weighed and sold. It is still used as a marketplace to this day.

In the seventeenth to the nineteenth century, Auvillar owed its prosperity to two industries, pottery and the preparation of pens of goose feathers used in calligraphy. There was also a lot of river traffic, with up to 3,000 boats coming through each year.

On the tour we also visited the Church, Église Saint Pierre, and the attached bell tower. We then wandered down the narrow streets and made our way to the Place Du Château to view the Garonne river and the “ancient port d’Auvillar”, from where boats could take produce to Bordeaux. We then saw a couple of houses from the 15th century that had been lovingly restored. We also visited the the Tourist Office, which used to be a Covent. It was a lovely village to wander about and I will definitely return for a loner visit.

While at Tourist Office, the Director came to tell us about a special jubilee ‘Monnaie de Paris’ coin they had on sale. In 2021 they celebrated the 120th Compostela Holy Year. However, due to COVID, the Pope prolonged the celebration, the first time this had ever happened. This meant the coin, minted in 2021 was quite rare - the office had been contacted by people from all around the world to get the coin, and it had now doubled in value.Read more