One of the most beautiful castelnaux (fortified villages) in the Gers, a department home to many superb bastides. Nicknamed ‘the little Carcassonne of the Gers’, Larressingle – one of the smallest fortified towns in France (population 210) – boasts a wealth of defensive architecture.

Formerly the summer residence of the bishops of Condom, the town is home to an imposing Gascon castle and a 12th-century Romanesque church. Don’t miss the Cité des machines au Moyen Âge, which recreates a medieval siege camp.

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