Discover the tranquil Tarn region

Discover the tranquil Tarn region in Occitanie, beautiful villages and countryside, the land of Goya and pink garlic, history and heritage – Gillian Thornton explores two beautiful, off the beaten track villages in southern France.

What to see and do in Lautrec

Mention the name Lautrec, and most people think of 19^th century artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Descended from both the Viscounts of Lautrec and the powerful Counts of Toulouse, Henri was born in Albi, and today, the principal town in the Tarn department is home to a unique museum dedicated to his work.

There are no such tangible connections to the artist in Lautrec, some 30 km from Albi, but this pretty hilltop village in the Occitanie region is popular with visitors seeking both authentic community atmosphere and one of France’s most celebrated food products. Classified amongst Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, the medieval village of Lautrec is not only blessed with a well preserved natural and architectural heritage, but is also famous for its Ail Rose – Pink Garlic.

Lautrec’s narrow streets still feature many traditional properties, its half-moon marketplace lined with brick facades criss-crossed with timbers above a ground-floor arcade. Push the door of nearby Saint-Rémy Collegiate church to find a lavishly decorated interior and trompe l’œil vault, at complete odds with the sober facade.

Relax over coffee in the shady courtyard of Café Plum which offers a bookshop and regional lunch dishes by day, and an eclectic musical mix – from jazz and folk to rock and flamenco on selected evenings. Then work up an appetite for lunch by climbing the steep but rewarding staircase of the Montée du Moulin to the stone windmill. Still used to grind flour for the local bakery, the 17^th century mill is surrounded by a Botanic Trail with panoramic views over terracotta roof tiles to rolling countryside.

Walk through the historic streets of Lautrec and you will almost certainly catch the aroma of Pink Garlic as you pass by a Friday morning market stall or a boutique selling local produce. Grown only in a strictly controlled area protected by European IGP status, this iconic French flavouring also carries the coveted Label Rouge quality mark. Milder and sweeter than other garlic, L’Ail Rose de Lautrec imparts a subtle flavour to an impressive variety of dishes without overpowering your tastebuds. Nor the air around you!

Keen to taste the prized local product, I sit down to lunch at L’Ocxalis, a stylish restaurant where chefs Lydia Darasse and Thomas Massoutier offer Pink Garlic at every course for aficionados, plus other gastronomic fare. Cream of Pink Garlic Soup is a revelation, drizzled with oil from local Black Garlic made by slow roasting pink cloves until the centre is soft and subtly smoky. I enjoy more Pink Garlic in a delicate sauce accompanying my braised ham, and even in a small scoop of ice-cream that goes with my rum-soaked baba dessert. Unexpected but utterly delicious.

Sadly 2025 was a disastrous year for many local producers of Lautrec’s prized product. I visit in early summer and meet up with Jean-François Tournier, former president of the Ail Rose syndicate that oversees quality and production. His family farm just outside the village lay right in the path of a freak hailstorm that destroyed the entire crop within 25 minutes and with it, 70% of the farm’s annual income.

But after 45 years as a garlic farmer and still an active member of the local festival committee, Jean-François is philosophical. Next year is bound to be better he says, and fortunately, not every farm was affected, and enough crop remained for the full-on Fête de l’Ail that takes over the village during the first weekend in August.

Look out too in Lautrec for goods made using another signature local product. Not pink this time, but blue. From the mid-15^th to 16^th century, the village lay at the heart of the dying industry. Until the middle of the 18^th century, blue dye could only be obtained from the leaves of a yellow-flowered plant called Isatis Tinctoria, or pastel (woad in English), rendering blue clothing unaffordable to all but the nobility.

Here in the Pays de Cockagne – Occitanie’s ‘Land of Plenty’ – plants were cultivated and processed to produce the coveted dye. Wear blue and your social standing was on show for all to see, so Le Bleu du Tarn was highly prized. Today pastel is still used for scarves, dresses and shirts, as well as in skincare products, thanks to the moisturising properties of the seeds. Browse the ranges at La Ferme au Village and resist if you can!

What to see and do in Castres

Historic Lautrec is surrounded by unspoilt countryside, but lies only 15km from Castres, second largest town in the Tarn after Albi. Despite a modest population of just 40,000, the town’s former Bishop’s Palace is home to a unique attraction, the Goya Museum, the most important Hispanic art museum in France after the Louvre.

Born in 1746 in Spain, Francisco Goya was apprenticed to an artist at the age of 15, rising to become court painter to the King of Spain until their political views diverged. Goya lived his last three years in Bordeaux where he died in 1828 and he had no connection with Castres, so why a museum here?

It is all thanks to Pierre Biguiboul, a local admirer of Spanish art, who in 1894 bequeathed his entire collection to the town’s museum, including three paintings by Goya and four series of his engravings numbering around 40 each.

The Musée Goya opened in 1947, and underwent an imaginative revamp in 2023, centred of course on the Goya exhibits that include a charming self-portrait with glasses, painted in the artist’s fifties at the height of his success. With significant works by great Spanish masters from the 14^th century to the present day, this chronological journey is a delight from start to finish.

I’m not a big fan of religious art but the vibrant colours and 3D effect of the museum’s first room are stunning, followed by a range of Spanish styles and a section exploring their effect on French artists. Boosted by loans from The Louvre and other leading collections, the museum includes works by Velasquez, Murillo and Picasso.

Next to the museum, the riverside Jardin de l’Evêché was created in 1700 in the classical style of André Le Nôtre, gardener to King Louis XIV, and is today classified as a Jardin Remarquable for its topiary, ‘English borders’, and multiple perspectives.

There is more vibrant colour beside the museum where a rainbow of coloured facades hug the banks of the Agout. Once housing all manner of water-based trades, these private homes now star in many an Instagram selfie. Shoot from the bridges or from Le Miredames, a replica of a traditional wooden river boat that cruises in summer months to the Gourjade Park, 2.5km from the town centre.

Don’t leave Castres without exploring the town centre where many major buildings have recently been restored to their gleaming original stone finish. And maybe linger over a drink in Place Jean Jaurès beside the statue of the Socialist politician and editor of L’Humanité newspaper. Born here in 1859, Jaurès was assassinated in Paris in 1914 for his anti-war stance and is buried in the Panthéon. A man who argued for world peace from this most tranquil corner of France.

For 4-star riverside accommodation in Castres, try the Grand Hotel (grandhoteldecastres.com). Or for luxury accommodation with spa and gastronomic restaurant, Chateau de Fiac (chateaudefiac.com) lies between Lautrec and Castres.

By Gillian Thornton, one of the UK’s leading travel writers and a regular writer for The Good Life France Magazine and website.

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