1. Toulous: Self-Guided Audio Tour on the Glory of Occitania
Toulouse, a gorgeous ancient city founded by the Romans, has a remarkably preserved old city centre. Never destroyed by war, many medieval and Renaissance buildings still stand as do the picturesque twisting streets. Toulouse was a major stop on the pilgrimage route to Compostelle in the early Middle Ages and became a huge centre of learning at that time too. The tour takes you to some of the ancient university buildings, as well as to the World Unesco Heritage church of St Sernin. The Capitole square, in the heart of the old city, is a lively and lovely enormous plaza with cafés, restaurants and a spectacular City Hall called the Capitolium. It's a great place to stop and have a coffee or a drink as well! Then we go down to the river through the medieval quarter and spend time at the river and at a Renaissance palace. Toulouse also has an enormous amount of original and beautiful 19th-century architecture. We go to the Garonne River to find out where the Romans started it all, and to see the Renaissance bridge called the Pont Neuf. And we end our tour at the most enormous, most gorgeous building ever built during the height of the most affluent period for Toulouse, the wonderful Hotel Assezat, a magnificent Renaissance Palace!
