Mike and Gary at Porte de Ferracap, medieval gate to the town of Penne d'Agenais; along with Becky and Phyllis, they had enjoyed a river cruise prior to coming to SW France; likewise, Gene had been on a different river cruise before joining us
This was the view from the chateau Gary won at a silent auction; Bob, David, Chuck and Bernie were due to join us but Chuck came down with Covid in Portugal so those four missed this bucolic setting
Saint Bartholomew's Church was completed in 1886; the original bell tower developed cracks and was demolished in 1945; a reinforced concrete bell tower was added in 1955 and, uniquely, also serves as a water tower
Chateau exteriors retained the village's historic look while the interiors, like ours, had all of the modern conveniences (except AC); the streets were narrow with virtually no parking so tourists were encouraged to park outside the old town and walk
The Place des Corniers is the historic center of Tournon d'Agenais which was founded in 1271 by Philip III, King of France; today the town has 761 residents but no bus or train service (closest station is Cahors, 28 miles away)
Bastide towns are picturesque because they were built all at one time following an urban plan giving the buildings a uniform look; city walls were prohibited by the Treaty of Paris so locations on natural promentories like Tournon d'Agenais's were prized
A 17th century bell tower on the main square has an attractive lunar clock below the bell, in copper with a deep blue background, that was added in the 19th century; Tournon d'Agenais is one of 700 bastide towns built in SW France between 1222 and 1372
Most of the time Tournon d'Agenais was super quiet with hardly anyone around but the homeowners beautifully maintained their properties; hours would go by without a single car passing in front of our house
Tournon d'Agenais hosts the Foire aux Plantes at the beginning of May with the center of the village becoming a blaze of color as specialist plant growers from miles around all come to display and sell their plants
Interior of Saint Bartholomew's Church; foodies visit the village every August 15 for the La Foire à la Tourtière, a festive event honoring the village speciality: a delicious pie consisting of thin layers of pastry and rum-doused apples
The medieval houses in Tournon d'Agenais are home to retirees, expats and artists; there is a newer part of town at the base of the promontory that had most modern conveniences
The medieval town was not designed with cars in mind so the streets were narrow, all one way and with no parking allowed; our group spent a week here but it would have been nice had Bernie, Chuck, Bob and David been able to join us!
This featured blog entry was written by VagabondCowboy from the blog The frugal travels of a vagabond.
Read comments or Subscribe
