West of Toulouse, the département of Gers lies at the heart of the historic region of Gascony. In the long struggle for supremacy between the English and the French in the Middle Ages it had the misfortune to form the frontier zone between the English base at Bordeaux and the French at Toulouse - hence the large number of fortified villages, or bastides , dominating the hilltops. It is attractive if unspectacular rolling agricultural land dotted with ancient, honey-stoned farms. Settlement is sparse and - with the exception of Auch , the capital - major monuments are largely lacking, which keeps it well off the beaten tourist trails.

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The region's traditional sources of renown are its stout-hearted mercenary warriors - of whom Alexandre Dumas' d'Artagnan and Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac are the supreme literary exemplars - its rich cuisine and its Armagnac. The food and brandy still flourish: Gers is the biggest producer of foie gras in the country. Other traditional dishes are magret de canard , Henri IV's poule au pot (the chicken that he promised to provide for every peasant's Sunday dinner), confit of duck and goose, thick garbure soup and daube de por . Then there's croustade , a tart of apple and Armagnac, the speciality of Gascon pâtissiers . And to wash it all down the red wines of Madiran, Buzet and St-Mont, and the whites of Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh.

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