n the Albigensian walled town of Cordes-sur-Ciel that
appears to float in the clouds, mysteries and legends
of this 800-year-old hilltop hamlet are chockablock.
Wander the steep storybook cobbled laneways
passing whimsical timber facades and Gothic
stone houses adorned in gargoyles and stags, and
spot clusters of artist studios and craft shops. Out-
side these stone structures, medieval tin knights
greet passersby as original artworks of sleeping
dragons hover by blue pastel shutters, a hue that is
as common as the pink shades sprucing up
Toulouse, Montauban and Albi, a trinity of pink
cities nearby.
As one of France's highly lauded Les Plus Beaux
Villages de France (meaning most beautiful vil-
lages), a title bestowed only in 2021, day-trippers
come for the scenic vistas, architecture, gallery
hops and shops, and to savour the laidback living
of escagoter (a local Tarn expression for "lounge
around"). Of course, ice cream from Yves Thuriès,
Cordes-sur-Ciel's beloved son and renowned
master chocolatier, is a must. His tiny ice cream
stand abuts his confectionary shop and his sugar
and chocolate musée happens to be in one of the
oldest medieval houses in the city. I wonder if this
foodie encounter meets art de vivre is by design.
À L A C A R T E
The
Occitanie
T
ourist
Teetering between heaven and earth,
there's a rocky medieval mountain village
that crowns one of southwest France's
valleys of riches. It's a region where Harry
Potter would feel right at home.
BY ILONA KAUREMSZKY
FOR
FOODIES
+
ART
DE
VIVRE
I
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