Gite Le Campané

Saint-Michel is a French commune in the south of the Gers department in the Occitania region. Historically and culturally, the municipality lies in the country of Astarac, a very hilly area in the south of the Gers. Around Saint Michel are several picturesque villages worth exploring:
Bastide Mirande is known for its famous country music festival, held every year in July, as well as for its Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts. Located in Rue de l'Evêché, this museum houses a rich collection of Italian, Flemish and French paintings from the 15th to 19th centuries, as well as a fine collection of antique pottery. After visiting the museum, explore the centre of Mirande, with the Place d'Astarac, adorned with a kiosk and surrounded by houses with arcades, and the Sainte-Marie church, a former 15th-century cathedral in southern Gothic style, whose buttresses run beautifully across the Rue de l'Évêché.
Bastide Marciac, founded in the late 13th century, is located in the heart of Gascony and is famous for its festival Jazz in Marciac, which has taken place in the first half of August every year since 1978. This internationally renowned, festive and convivial event has welcomed prestigious artists. The scenographic space Les Territoires du Jazz, located in the former Augustinian convent, opposite the charming Place du Chevalier des Antrags square, is an original place dedicated to the world of swing and the history of jazz, from its origins to the present day. A must for any music lover and lover of swing rhythms! The discovery of Marciac continues with its large covered central square - one of the largest in the south-west! - and the 14th-century church Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption. On the outskirts of the town is a 30-hectare lake with a leisure centre. Carp fishing, pedal or electric boating, windsurfing, swimming in the leisure pool or hiking around the lake are just some of the many leisure activities offered here.
The small village of Tillac, 11 kilometres from Marciac, is well worth a diversion for its charming main street with beautiful old houses with corner beams and half-timbering. While visiting this picturesque village, you can also admire the two medieval towers and the church Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur.
The city of Auch, the historic capital of Gascony and Grand Site Occitanie, is welcoming and warm, charming with its atmosphere and rich heritage. The historic centre of Auch, which overlooks the Gers valley from the top of a hill, is best explored on foot, strolling through the picturesque streets lined with old houses and passing important monuments such as the Sainte-Marie cathedral, the monumental staircase with its vineyards and the Armagnac tower. The Amériques-Auch museum, located in the former Jacobin monastery, houses remarkable collections of pre-Columbian art and Latin American sacred art, Egyptian, Gallo-Roman and medieval collections, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from the south-west, as well as folk art and traditions from Gascony. Two large traditional markets take place every week, one on Saturday mornings in the upper town and one on Thursday mornings in the lower town. A must for any lover of local produce!
The Notre-Dame abbey church, whose towers and battlements overlook the pretty village of Simorre and the land of Astarac, was built in the 14th century and then rebuilt in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc. This beautiful brick building, which looks like a fortress, has an octagonal lantern tower and houses stained-glass windows from the 14th and 15th centuries, carved choir stalls from the 15th century and wall paintings from the 14th century in the sacristy. Around the fortified church are picturesque little streets and squares lined with half-timbered houses and cantilevered facades, which you can discover on a walk.
Montaner Castle, built in the 14th century at the request of Gaston Fébus to protect the borders of Béarn, is today listed and has an imposing square keep that bears witness to its glorious past. Located on the top of a hill, this 40-metre-high red-brick tower offers a magnificent 360° panorama of the Adour plain and the Pyrenees from its terrace! There is also an interactive tour that takes us back to the Middle Ages and the life of the famous builder Gaston Fébus, the legendary prince of the Pyrenees... Every year in July, the village of Montaner and its castle host the Médiévales, two public holidays with street entertainment, a craft market, falconry, knight and fire-eater shows... The charming church of Saint-Michel, nestled at the bottom of the ramparts, is also worth a visit, if only because of its beautiful frescoes from the 15th and 16th centuries!
The imposing castle of Lavardens, the former military capital of the Counts of Armagnac, on which a picturesque village is situated, towers proudly over the landscape of Gascony. Built in the 12th century and rebuilt in the 17th century by Antoine de Roquelaure, companion of Henry IV, this magnificent building is listed and can be visited from mid-February to mid-January. Art exhibitions are held regularly. Inside, be sure to admire the beautiful floors of bricks and stones with geometric motifs! The charming medieval village, nestled on the edge of the castle, is well worth a visit to discover its pretty alleyways and the remains of the city walls.
Tarbes, capital of the Hautes-Pyrénées and Bigorre, invites you to come and discover its beautiful, listed garden: the Jardin Massey. This beautiful landscape garden, created in the 19th century by naturalist Placide Massey, is criss-crossed with footpaths and is home to a large number of rare plant species. The park is home to a Moorish-style house with a watchtower, which houses the Massey Museum with collections on fine arts and the history of hussars. Also worth a visit is Tarbes' national stud farm. In addition, the Maison du Cheval, located in the former stables, offers a museum space dedicated to the world of the horse, and more specifically to the image of the horse in the Midi-Pyrénées region. Every year, in late July-early August, the National Stud hosts the European equestrian festival, Equestria, a festive event dedicated to the meeting between the world of the horse and art. Lovers of gastronomy should definitely not miss the Hall Marcadieu, where a fresh produce market is held every Thursday morning.
The imposing 14th-century keep, a remnant of the former castle of the Archbishopric of Auch, towers high above the charming medieval town of Bassoues and is a remarkable example of military architecture. This tall tower, commissioned by Archbishop Arnaud Aubert, has a height of 43 metres and a quadrangular plan. Construction was completed in 1371, and from the platform there are great views over the landscape of Gascony and the Pyrenees. Inside, visitors can visit a museum on the history of the villages of Gascony and see exhibitions of paintings and watercolours. Surrounding the keep are picturesque half-timbered houses and an old wooden market hall from the 16th century.
King Louis XIV's famous musketeer d'Artagnan, whose real name was Charles de Batz-Castelmore, was born in Gascony around 1610, in the castle of Castelmore, near Lupiac. This legendary hero, immortalised by Alexandre Dumas in his famous cape-and-sword novel The Three Musketeers, is honoured at the chapel Notre-Dame de Lupiac, with an aural and visual tour dedicated to the famous Gascon.