The Best of Both Worlds -
Gers, South West France
By David Seymour
Little known to many, the area known as Gers lies deep in the south west of France and is part of the Midi-Pyrenees region. It sits just to the west of the university town of Toulouse. It is named after the river Gers which has it’s source in the foothills of the Pyrenees, near Lannemezan.
If you have been looking at property in Spain as well as France, or maybe you have had trouble deciding between Spain or France, then perhaps Gers is the place for you. Due to the proximity of Spain, the strong influence of Spanish culture is evident throughout this area. There have been many waves of Spanish immigrants to this part of south west France, adding colour and variety to the region, and making a truly unique ambience.
Property in Gers tends to reflect this influx of Spanish culture. The rolling countryside is lush and green, and forts and castles adorn the hilltops. This area is only now becoming increasingly popular with foreigners and is still relatively undiscovered.
From the foothills of the Pyrenees, the river Gers flows north and passes through the departments of Hautes-Pyrenees, Tarn-et-Garonne and Gers. The capital city of Auch, is found beside the river Gers. This department covers just over 6,000 square kilometres, and has a total population of around 150,000. Auch is the administrative capital of Gers, one of France's least bustling and most overlooked areas.
Historically, Gers was part of Gascony. It was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution in 1790. Interestingly, residents of this area are referred to as ‘Gersois’.
Gers is a part of the historic Armangnac region well known for its predominant commercial activity - the production of fiery world famous brandy. Gers is mainly an agricultural region, producing a variety of cereals, poultry and well known gastronomic specialities including goose pate “fois gras”.
Wild mushrooms are abundant here and their presence has spawned yet another specialist gastronomic industry all of its own, built up around the areas famously prolific wild mushrooms.
Whilst this region officially has it’s own language, a dialect of the “langue d’oc” it is little spoken or known today. The majority of people speak French here, but you will find smatterings who also speak Spanish. For many years throughout history, the people of Gers have offered shelter to pilgrims making their way to Santiago De Compostella in Spain.
The region of Gers is comparatively little known, and therefore property in Gers is usually a very welcome surprise in many ways to most Europeans. If you are seeking to make your dream of a home in France reality, then check out the property for sale in the Gers area of south west France.
David Seymour is Managing Director of Adept Marketing, owners of french property for sale south west france.
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