Rue des Remparts

Auch is the old capital of Gascony and the prefecture of the Gers, a small, quiet town on a hill above the river Gers in south-west France, and its old streets are arranged on two levels, the upper town, with the cathedral and the main squares, and the lower town beside the river. The Rue des Remparts is one of the streets of the old town that recalls the medieval walls, the ramparts that once enclosed the hill, of which only fragments survive. Few details of the street are documented, so this description concerns the setting, and the best way to see it is to explore the historic centre on foot, where the lanes, stairways and old houses are the main attraction.

The unusual geography is the key. Auch stands on a steep spur, and the two parts of the town are linked by flights of steps and narrow lanes, called pousterles in the local dialect, which run between high walls and houses. The best known is the monumental staircase, built in the nineteenth century, a grand flight of 232 steps that descends from the terrace by the cathedral to the river, with a statue of d'Artagnan, the Gascon captain whose adventures were told by Alexandre Dumas in The Three Musketeers, at the top, a reminder that the real Charles de Batz-Castelmore, who took the name d'Artagnan, came from Gascony. The staircase is often used for walks and for views over the lower town.

The old centre has the stone and brick houses typical of Gascony, many with timber-framed upper storeys, pale shutters and carved doorways, and the streets near the cathedral are lined with shops and cafés. The Cathédrale Sainte-Marie, which dominates the upper town, is a very large church, begun in the late fifteenth century and finished in the seventeenth, and it mixes late Gothic and Renaissance styles. Its great treasures are the stained-glass windows, made in the early sixteenth century by the glass painter Arnaut de Moles, which are among the finest in France, and the choir stalls, with more than a hundred carved seats of oak, with elaborate scenes and figures, one of the most remarkable pieces of woodwork in the country. The Tour d'Armagnac, a medieval tower of the fourteenth century, which was once a prison, and the church of Saint-Orens are other sights of the old town, and the Place Marcellin-Berthelot is a pleasant square.

Gascony is known for its food and drink. Armagnac, the oldest brandy in France, is distilled in the countryside around Auch, and the region is also famous for its foie gras, duck confit and the sweet Floc de Gascogne. Local markets on Saturday mornings show the produce.

A walk around the old town takes about an hour or two, and it is free. The street suits walkers and visitors who like quiet, little-visited towns and are exploring the Gers.