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Explore France Holiday Guides Lot-et-Garonne The Agenais
| The Agenais |
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| Wednesday, 28 February 2007 | |
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The hilly frontier of the Aquitaine borders three départements of the neighbouring Midi-Pyrénées region: the Lot, Gers and Tarn-et-Garonne. The area around the Lot-et-Garonne’s administrative capital Agen extends north as far as Penne and Tournon d’Agenais, and south to the Brulhois, home of the local wine, the Côtes de Brulhois. Agen, on the banks of the Garonne, dates back at least 1,800 years to the Roman era, and some medieval buildings have survived, particularly in the old town centre, between the railway station and the town hall (Hôtel de Ville). You could start your visit in the small square, place du Dr Esquirol, which brings together the town hall, the theatre and, between these two, the most interesting building in Agen, a combination of four former town residences dating from the 16th and 17th century which now houses the museum. Quite remarkably, Agen’s Musée des Beaux-Arts houses five paintings by Goya and a Tintoretto, as well as a Roman statue, the ‘Vénus du Mas’, discovered in a field near the Garonne about 40km downstream from Agen. A few minutes’ walk away, along the rue Garonne, is the diminutive place des Laitiers with its shops, cafés and Wednesday outdoor market. Across the Boulevard de le République is the picturesque rue des Cornières, a medieval thoroughfare where arcade-covered pavements still shelter shoppers in bad weather. You emerge from this street on to the spacious square in front of the cathedral, place du Maréchal Foch. The cathedral itself, a 19th-century restoration of a previous building damaged and rebuilt several times since its 12th-century beginnings, replaced the old Cathédrale Saint-Étienne, destroyed after the Revolution two centuries ago. From the corner of this square, a pedestrian street (rue Molinier) with small shops and restaurants leads to the boulevard Carnot. The tourist office, opposite the main post office, is only a few minutes’ walk away. No introduction to Agen could be complete without a word about the canal. Passing just behind the railway station, this is part of the Canal des Deux Mers, which links the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. The canal has become a big attraction in recent years but if you don’t have a boat to enjoy it the towpaths make pleasant walks. Not far from the marina (Port de Plaisance) to the west, the canal crosses the Garonne by means of a splendid bridge, the largest canal bridge in France, built in the 19th century. Around Agen In this south-eastern corner of the Lot-et-Garonne, the Pays d’Agenais is a landscape of broad fertile plains, crossed by the stately waters of the mighty Garonne and its canal. There is a slight change of scenery to the north of Agen as you enter the steep valleys of the Pays de Serres. The Pays de Serres (serre means both greenhouse and talon) is named after the claw-like shape of the valley not, as some might think, the many greenhouses dotting the landscape. South of Agen, the rolling hills are covered in vines which are made into the Vin de Pays du Brulhois, a wine which is said to have been much appreciated by the Templars who spent time here. The countryside is great for walkers: the national footpath (GR), one of the pilgrim ways to Santiago de Compostela, crosses the Agenais. For a less strenuous stroll, the towpath and the banks of the Garonne are ideal. There are plenty of charming villages to explore, Saint-Maurin, Laroque-Timbaut and the bastides of Puymirol, Caudecoste and Sérignac-sur-Garonne. Fans of Romanesque art should visit the priory at Moirax, a real gem, and the abbey at Saint-Martinde- Layrac. |
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