Gers in the heart of Gascony, south west France

The department of Gers lies between Bordeaux and Toulouse, in the South West of France. Gers is at the centre of the old region of Gascony. Because of its vineyards and landscapes the Gers is often called by the “Tuscany of France”.

The summers in Gers are long and warm; the winters are warm and short. Gers annual rainfall varies from over 90 cm in the south-west of the department (Riscle, Nogaro, Marciac), to less than 70 cm in the North-East (Auch, Condom, Lectoure). The winters have occasional freezing temperatures, but mostly the weather remains mild and dry, in fact the department of Gers is one of sunniest in France. The summers in Gers are very hot and dry, the temperatures often is exceeding 40°. The capital of Gers, Auch is along with Toulouse and Millau one of the hottest cities of France, with more than 300 sunny days per year.

Annually more than 600 000 tourists visit the department of Gers, many of them stay in Gites or Holiday cottages. Attractions include: The music festivals in Marciac (Jazz), Mirande (Country) and Vic-Fezensac (Latin). Gers has a famous F3 racetrack at Nogaro which brings motorcycle and motor racing enthusiasts from all over the world. The Gers is also steeped in bullfighting tradition (known as Course Landaise in Gers) and Vic-Fezensac attracts thousands of visitors a year to its huge wooden arena. Finally, the thermal springs and Barbotan-Les-Thermes, Castéra-Verduzan and Lectoure are renowned for their therapeutic qualities.

The population of Gers and indeed all areas of rural France declined during the 20th century. This began, as in many other rural areas during the First World War. Many young men did not return to Gers and this lack of manpower altered the once wealthy and healthy Gascony farming area into a region where both the population and wealth decreased. Immigrants to the Gers from Spain and Italy compensated partly for the loss in population and then after the independence of Algeria, French farmers and winemakers returning to France were encouraged to settle down in the Gers. More recent changes in the rural economics have meant that Gers agricultural land and farms have sold to northern Europeans who are looking for an active rural way of life. Nowadays retired people from the north European urban areas come to the Gers in search of holiday homes, also known as Gites, or even permanent idyllic homes and pleasant climate for their retirement. Apparently the rich food of the Gers contributes to the longevity of its inhabitants; in particular Gers is renowned for its Armagnac and Foie Gras. Gers is the country of Charles de Batz-Castelmore ,better known as D’Artagnan, the most famous of the Musketeers made famous by Alexandre Dumas. You can reaquaint yourself with this classic as you relax by the pool at the Gite.

Historically, Gers is named after the Gers River which is a tributary of the Garonne. Gers was created from the provinces of Guyenne and Gascony that existed prior to the French Revolution and is one of the original 83 departments created due to the re-organisation of France as a result of the revolution. Auch is the capital of Gers. Gers is home to numerous old castles, medieval walled villages called Bastides, small towns built around castles (castelnaux) and also many sacred holy places because of the Via Podiensis and the Way of St. James of Compostela which cross through the Gers region. The Gers countryside comprised of pleasant wooded valleys, which provided refuge for the pilgrims en route to Saint-Jacques de Compostelle. The Camino de Santiago de Compostela, also known in English as The Way of St James, is a collection of old pilgrimage routes which cover all Europe. They all have Santiago de Compostela in north west Spain as their final destination. Since the 9th century and the discovery of the tomb of St. James the Great in Compostela, thousands of pilgrims have travelled across the Gers and then the Pyrenees.