Lectoure

Lectoure is a major town and one of the finest stops on the Via Podiensis. It sits on a long east-west ridge with views over the Gers valley on both sides, and on clear days, the Pyrenees line the southern horizon. The Bastion Promenade is the place for the panorama.

Start at the Musee Archeologique in the vaulted cellars of the town hall. It holds the largest collection of taurobolic altars outside Rome: about 20 Gallo-Roman stone altars decorated with sacrificial bulls, relics of the cult of Cybele practiced here in the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. The collection is described as unique in Europe.

The Cathedral Saint-Gervais-et-Saint-Protais is southern Gothic, with origins in the 12th century and a major rebuild after 1480. At the height of the Armagnac era, no fewer than 30 towers lined the main street between the cathedral and the castle. A few survive, including the 13th-century Tour d'Albinhac.

For something unexpected, visit the Bleu de Lectoure workshop. In the Middle Ages, woad was the source of blue dye in Europe, and the pastel trade made fortunes across southern France until Indian indigo destroyed the market in the 16th century. In 1994, a local couple spent two years rediscovering the traditional process with chemists from the University of Toulouse. Their workshop and boutique in Lectoure are open for visits.

The Fontaine Diane in the southern ramparts dates to Roman times, with three underground springs feeding a covered basin since the late 12th century.

Full services: shops, supermarket, bakery, restaurants, pharmacy, banks, post office, tourist office, multiple pilgrim accommodation options. There's also a thermal spa, drawing water from over 1,000 m deep at 42 degrees. The Friday morning market is the main weekly event.