French Fridays: Gascony, the other South of France

Sunflowers in Gascony on eatlivetravelwrite.comThose of you who have been following along on this blog for a while now will know that Neil and I own a house in France that we rent as a vacation rental property. I’ve written before about why we chose the town in the South West (Nérac) that we did and it seems incredible to me that it’s over 3 years now since I first visited the area and fell in love with it.

Recently I was asked by the folks over at Ensemble Vacations to craft a short article on some of my favourite eats and drinks in the area and with just 500 words, it wasn’t easy. There’s literally SO much to see, eat, drink and do in the area and choosing favourites was a huge challenge.

Of course, I couldn’t NOT mention my beloved Saturday morning market…

Le Pain at Nerac Market on eatlivetravelwrite.com Peaches at Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.com Local peaches at the Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.com Bread at the Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.com Apricot sampling at Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.comAnd the fabulous Chapolard charcuterie…

Dominique Chapolard at Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.com Charcutier Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.com Chapolard Charcuterie at Nerac market on eatlivetravelwrite.comThere are a few good local beverages to enjoy – Armagnac and Floc de Gascogne, to name but two…

Armagnac Ladeveze on eatlivetravelwrite.com Ladeveze in Fources on eatlivetravelwrite.com Floc de Gascogne on eatlivetravelwrite.comNot to mention world class eats…

IMG_6340 IMG_6342Stunning scenery…

Nerac with cloudy skies on eatlivetravelwrite.com Looking at the Baise river in Nerac on eatlivetravelwrite.com View of Nerac on eatlivetravelwrite.com View of Nerac at dusk on eatlivetravelwrite.com View of Nerac in the morning on eatlivetravelwrite.comOh, and those sunflowers…

Gascon sunflowers on eatlivetravelwrite.comAnd the chocolate shop that’s said to be the inspiration for Joanne Harris’ Chocolat

Saucisson au chocolat in Nerac on eatlivetravelwrite.comWant to know what I ended up choosing as my “top picks for the food and wine scene in Gascony”?

Check out my article in Bon Vivant ! Click here to download a PDF!

bon-vivant-gascony-article on eatlivetravelwrite.com

Read more about Nérac and the surrounding area:

Saturday morning market in Nérac
Scenes from a long weekend in Gascony
My favourite restaurants around Nérac
A stroll around Nérac
Nérac night market (video)
Saturday morning market in Nérac (video)

Want to experience Gascony for yourself? Rent our holiday home in the heart of Nérac! Click here for details!

maison de la fontaine banner on eatlivetravelwrite.com

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18 thoughts on “French Fridays: Gascony, the other South of France”

  1. Great post and great magazine article. It brought back very pleasant memories. For those who have not clicked on the information for Mard’s wonderful vacation home in Nerac, I urge you to do so and then book a stay . The house, the town and the area are delightful.

    Reply
  2. What a gorgeous – and delectable travelogue! I wouldn’t be able to tear myself away from that market. And can we talk about that fellow from the market behind the smoked pork belly? He looks like he stepped out of a French travel poster. I have yet to make it to France period, but when I do you can bet that I’ll be trying to make my way to the Southwest.

    Reply
    • Ah yes, Dominique Chapolard in the Nérac and surrounding markets is quite the character – with amazing charcuterie and pork products! It’s definitely a gourmand’s playground, this area!

      Reply
  3. Beautiful article Mardi. The photos are gorgeous, you certainly picked the perfect place to enjoy
    your getaways. If only Jim and I could still travel, we would be checking this out for sure.

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    • Thank you so much for taking the time to read. The thought of you and Jim enjoying the house would make me so happy, but I understand. You can be an armchair (and kitchen) traveler though 🙂

      Reply
  4. Too long since I wandered round a market in France and your pictures made me hunger to do it again soon – literally. What a gorgeous corner of the world your villa is in. So beautiful. I really like the shot of sunflowers in mist.

    Reply

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