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LARRESSINGLE

Larressingle, a little fortified jewel

One of the most beautiful villages in France, Larressingle nestles in the heart of the Armagnac vineyard, in the Gers. 45 Km northwest of Auch, this lovely little fortified town (the smallest in France) takes us right back to the Middle Ages

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LARRESSINGLE - Gers (32)

It is nicknamed «the miniature Carcassonne of the Gers». With its beautiful fortified, almost round enceinte, as clear as an illumination, its moats, its drawbridge and its curtains, Larressingle does indeed evoke the image of a citadel.

And yet this miniature town was not designed to ward off great armies. It is a typical fortified village where the poor people and peasants could find refuge, at a time when Gascony was shaken by wars between lords.

Strolling inside the honey-coloured walls, one can but be delights: lovingly restored houses, little secret passages, an old deposed castle, a curious Romanesque church with a double choir, and a museum retracing daily life in medieval times.

Property of the Bishops of Condom in the 13th century, Larressingle was saved from ruin by the Duke of Trévise (in the 1920s). Today, the «Friends of Larressingle» have embraced the task, working to bring this unique heritage back to life. The association opened, just a stone's throw from the village, the «City of war machines of the Middle Ages».

Both amusing and instructive, a visit to the «Cité des machines» will delight the whole family. You can learn a host of surprising facts about the art of war, you can watch the shots being fired and you can even manipulate a couillard or other diabolical machines displayed on the site.

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