Lot is a department of Occitanie region in South France that along with Quercy is positioned on three departments Lot, Lot et Garonne, and Tarn-et-Garonne. These were once parts of the ancient province Quercy, positioned on the southeast of Dordogne.

Town Property Guides

• Cahors
• Cressensac
• Gourdon
• Mercues
• Montcuq

Climate

Lot is a region in South France that along with Quercy is positioned on three departments Lot, Lot-et-Garonne, and Tarn et Garonne. These were once parts of the ancient province Quercy, positioned on the southeast of Dordogne. The climate in this region is cold as a whole with not many sunshine but still there are some places where the summers are hot. The climate may be compared to the one on the south coast of England. The warmth of the English Channel had effect on the cold winter. The data of this region come form the weather station at the Gourdon. This is one of the highest points in the area and it is close to the Massif Centrale. The winter temperatures in Gourdon are higher than anywhere else in the region. It is very strange that the villages along the river experience something like microclimate that is influenced by the rivers. It is known that the summer temperatures on the south are higher than the one in the UK. It is also displayed that the minimum temperatures are a bit colder. The temperatures in France have a greater range than the ones in UK.

Geography

One famous town is Saint Antonin Noble-Val. It was used for filmmaking the movie Charlotte Gray in 2001 starring Cate Blanchett. You can enjoy the café situated at the end of the ancient halle and view one of the finest buildings Maison des Consuls that originates from 1120. The houses of the region are built from Quercy stone that varies in color and texture from cool gray to warm pink. Most of the walls are over a meter thick and it is a wonder how builders managed to move these stones without the use of the modern machinery. They are usually bleached white they have the feeling of solidity and the ability to have survived the many years war and just like the good wine they seemed to improve with the ages.

History

The Benedictines started to rebuild the place in the 11 th century that was finished around 1150. At the end of 12 th century its control was passed to the Augustinian Canons Regular. The old town that is nowadays restored is also of a high quality. Later the town was taken by Simon de Montfort when in 1212 it was burned by de Montfort and nowadays it survives as a romantic ruin that overlooks the river Aveyron. In 1227 St Louis occupied Saint-Antonin, which was very wealthy at this time. The town was besieged and taken by the English in the 14 th century and was damaged a lot in the War of Religion late in the 16 th and 17 th century.

Gastronomy

The truffles in this region are known as Black Diamonds because of their high price and rarity. They are the most desired culinary product in the world. They grow in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of many spices and this is mainly oak. They become more and more rare and their price goes up. Because of the dry summer the production for the last years was a little more than ten tones and their price reached 3,500 euros per kilo. Because of that many researches were made about how they can be encouraged to grow and what the necessary conditions for that are. Most parts of the truffle production are a mystery. It is needed to wait for a few years to infect the root of the tree. You have to take care of the tree diligently but no matter of that it is needed four years in order for the truffle to appear.

Useful information

Tourism office in Lot www.tourisme-midi-pyrenees.com Maps of Lot www.ign.fr www.maps.google.fr Travel from the UK Easyjet flies from London Gatwick to Toulouse. Ryanair flies from Dublin, Liverpool and East Midlands to Carcassonne, and from London Stansted to Rodez. Our team of sale advisers at Sextant Properties will be happy to help you to find a property in Lot. We have a large network of estate agents in Lot. All of them are registered French estate agents and speak both French and English. Whatever kind of property you are looking for: farmhouse, longere, barn, gite, B&B, country house, mill, villa, castle or chateau, we will do our best to find a property in Lot matching your requirements. To find out more about our selection of properties for sale in Lot do not hesitate to contact us.