The Trouble with Gascony

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Cadillac

In the 17th century, a certain Antoine Laumet decided to hop a ship to North America and masquerade as an aristocrat, renaming himself Antoine Laumet de la Mothe Cadillac, essentially Lord of Cadillac. The self-declared noble went on to found the city of Detroit, and eventually had a car named after him. The Cadillac connection, fuzzy at best, is enough to convince French Caddy owners to make a pilgrimage every August, to a festival in this delightful bastide in the Entre-Deux-Mers region. Balades en Cadillac is a bizarre spectacle of vintage Caddies cruising past 16th-century town houses and medieval ramparts. But you don't need a Cadillac to justify a visit. The elegant square with its 19th-century covered market, the mighty castle brooding over the village, and the delicious dessert wines made nearby are reasons enough to dawdle.

Though the last two centuries haven't been kind to the interiors of the Château de Cadillac, its dramatic history makes exploring it worthwhile. A ducal pleasure palace during the reign of Henry IV, it was turned into a grim women's prison after the French Revolution. A series of royal apartments on the ground floor have been restored to give a sense of what it was like in the good old days; the rest has been left bare except for the displays about prison life. (Request a brochure in English.) The vast halls are also used for temporary photography exhibits.

Restaurants and cafés are sprinkled near the Place de la République, where the majestic covered market hosts food vendors on Saturday mornings (and an antiques fair during the first weekend of October). Le Grilloir du Château specializes in grilled meats and fish. Down the street loom the city walls, pierced by two impressive entryways, or portes. Just past the crenellated Porte de la Mer is Cadillac's only hotel, the Hotel Restaurant Detrée, which has simple rooms and a traditional restaurant. (Note: It closes every year from October 15 to November 15.) A more refined dining alternative is near the banks of the Garonne River, where L'Entrée Jardin dazzles with dishes such as chicken and fresh foie gras in a puff pastry, with sweet Cadillac wine sherbet. Like Le Grilloir, it offers a $13 weekday lunch. On the way out of town, stop by Maison des Vins, a cooperative of local vineyards, inside La Closière, an 18th-century Carthusian monastery. (Don't get excited: The building is plain.) You can taste and buy wine, as well as gather information about visiting area tasting rooms. Then take just about any country road you see--you'll feel as though you've been dropped into a coffee-table book on the splendors of French landscapes.

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Fourcès

Overwhelmingly rural, the Gers region is mostly known for Armagnac and chickens, though savvy Brits are starting to buy up country homes at a rapid clip. Amid a gentle sea of rolling hills and tidy vineyards, Fourcès (for-CESS) is one of the nicest of the ancient villages and abbeys sprinkled around the area. It's unusually shaped, with a circular town "square" rimmed with half-timbered and stone houses. In the center is a disk of grass and flowers shaded by enormous plane trees. A few paces down a cobbled side street bring glimpses of Renaissance-era dwellings, hidden gardens, and willows weeping ever so poetically over the Auzoue River. A few more steps and you've passed through the medieval Tour de l'Horloge, out the city walls, and into a flower-filled garden. From there you can circle the perimeter of town and admire the countryside on a pebbled path.

The only thing missing from this idyllic picture is a castle, and as it happens there is a small one, which has been turned into a hotel. Rooms at the Château de Fourcès are on the expensive side but you can't beat the ambience: exposed stone walls and beamed ceilings in the restaurant and lounge; luminous rooms with pleasant, but not particularly exciting, decor; and a lovely pool. For cheaper lodgings, consider a B&B or a rental--some of those cute stone houses rent out by the week. The only other restaurant besides the upscale one at the hotel is L'Auberge, a pleasant café with a large terrace on the town circle. Shops are scarce, but there's a wonderful brocante (secondhand/antiques store) under the arcades, Galerie d'Antiquité-Brocante. Across the circle, Georgette Estrade sells braids of aromatic white garlic--a specialty of the area--out of her home. For vintage Armagnac, call at Jean Sommabére's house, also under the arcades. Look for a brass plaque with vieux armagnac next to his doorbell.

The tiny walled city of Larressingle, the Cistercian abbey at Flaran, and the 16th-century cloister at Condom are within 10 miles. The tourist office organizes visits to farms and distilleries, or you can get a list of producers and go tasting on your own.  

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Advice for whichever town you choose

Country restaurants tend to fill up quickly with regulars, so it's wise to call ahead for reservations. Though hotels are few and far between in these parts, there are generally plenty of B&Bs, as well as vacation rentals. Contact local tourist offices for a complete list. (Some have links on their websites.) You should also try the Gîtes de France, a fabulous network of quality B&Bs and cottages; its website, gites-de-france.fr, supplies lots of information and photographs. Just about every major town has an open-air market, or marché, a great source of delicious goodies. To find out where and when they set up shop, inquire at the tourist office. Be sure to ask about events, which are an effortless way to interact with locals. Besides the August automotive festival, Cadillac also has an antiques fair in October. In Bazas, the Fête de la Palombe--celebrating the wood-pigeon hunt--is held every September; Fourcès hosts an antiques fair in October.