From Friday to Sunday, the first edition of Bastides en fête is held, organized by the Lot-et-Garonne Departmental Council and Tourism. A year of work was necessary to honor 25 of these new towns from the 13th century.e century, throughout Lot-et-Garonne. After an edition of Châteaux en fête in 2021, the Department is changing the formula for its heritage promotion operation. “It’s especially on the bastides that we need to unite, that’s the image of Lot-et-Garonne,” enthuses Valérie Tonin, president of the Tourist Development and Reservation Agency (ADRT 47) . The territory is in fact home to around forty bastides, the largest number in New Aquitaine.
Characterized by a central square often lined with arcades or covered, they were designed to place the market, and not the church, at the heart of the city. “The goal at the time was to overshadow the great lords, but also to secure the population, while remaining open to the world,” recalls Nathalie Founaud-Veysset, mayor of Monflanquin. This is what we continue to do, and it touches me to relaunch this story. »
A survey across the entire territory
Throughout Lot-et-Garonne, 25 bastides will be animated over all three days of celebration. The Dordogne will follow suit next weekend, with eight bastides participating. “We gave the municipalities carte blanche but with a common thread: the obligation to offer the public free entertainment,” adds Valérie Tonin, who specifies that a route will be set up to connect the territories around a common investigation .
The department will therefore be divided into four zones, for four different storylines. Visitors can start the journey in any country house and investigate throughout the weekend. The details of the game “Intrigues dans les bastides” are specified on the event website, where bags containing the clues necessary for the game are on sale for pre-order (also available in each tourist office in the region). A draw will be organized among participants to try to win a gift card worth 200 euros, usable in Gîtes de France 47 accommodation.
Unique Tèrra Aventura treasure hunts will also be available for the occasion: 12 bastides in Lot-et-Garonne will highlight their heritage through unusual walks of 1 to 3 km. At the same time, various cultural, musical, gastronomic and sporting events will be organized in each municipality throughout the weekend.
While Lot-et-Garonne supports its identity through this promotion of its bastides, the concept has a bright future ahead of it: the Departmental Council has been contacted by neighboring departments to extend the festivities during future editions.
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