Castelnau-de-Montmiral

Raymond VII, Count of Toulouse, founded Castelnau-de-Montmiral as a bastide in 1222 on a limestone outcrop above the Vère valley. Its heart is a square ringed by arcades, with an old pillory, where Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir once stepped off a rainy bus. North of the river spreads the oak forest of La Grésigne, and the village sits in Gaillac wine country.

Highlights

• The arcaded central square with its old pillory
• The reliquary cross made by an Albi goldsmith in 1341
• Walks in the Forêt de la Grésigne, a vast oak forest
• Les Musicales de Montmiral, a three-day music festival in late July
• Wines of the surrounding Gaillac area

Summary based on Wikipedia and Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA), written with AI assistance.