Holidays in France the golden triangle of Toulouse-Albi-Carcassonne : ‘le Pays de Cocagne’

Cultivated from the 11th century onwards in the plains of the Lauragais region, between Toulouse, Albi and Carcassonne, the dyer’s woad, Isatis tinctoria, has brought wealth to an entire region. Woad flowers are yellow, but it’s the leaves that, compacted into a ball (known as cocagne), produce the organic blue pigment so coveted in days gone by to colour the clothes of kings.
Take a holiday in one of our châteaux, where the gold of woad has been sown in this beautiful region with its Tuscan flair:
– The charming little château de Coulom in Gibel is in the Lauragais region.
– The magnificent medieval château of Malvignol in Lautrec is close to Albi.
– The imposing château de Goudourville is in the Tarn et Garonne.
– And La Commanderie is a Cathar castle between Toulouse and Carcassonne.
These châteaux are an ideal starting point for visiting Toulouse and its superb town houses, which belonged to the ‘Capitouls’, elected representatives of the city who owed a large part of their fortune to the exploitation of pastel.

As Sébastien Desurmont wrote : ‘This is one of the most flamboyant epics to hit the Toulouse region since the 14th century. Throughout Europe, the nobility were crazy about it. It was the colour of the powerful. Only the richest could afford it. The Garonne served as an export route to the rest of Europe, via Bordeaux to the northern countries and via Narbonne to the Mediterranean markets. As a result, the merchants ended up with a monopoly on exports to Antwerp, Venice and London. Unfortunately, from the 1560s onwards, a succession of poor harvests, lower-quality production and the troubles linked to the Wars of Religion (many pastel-makers were Protestants) led to an inexorable decline. Added to all this was the arrival of Caribbean indigo (Indigofera tinctoria), a dye plant that produced similar blues, but which was much cheaper to process because it was based on slavery. As a result, an entire economy was wiped out in the Occitan region. The arrival of this new raw material made it easier to obtain powerful blues. However, woad remained in the dye vats. It wasn’t until the 19th century, with the discovery of chemical processes that allowed indigo to ferment optimally, that woad lost its usefulness completely and the know-how evaporated for good’.

Some twenty town houses have survived in Toulouse, among the 80 built by the wealthy merchants of the period. The Hôtel Delfau, built at the end of the 15th century, is home to the La Fleurée de pastel shop. The Place de la Bourse was just a stone’s throw away. It was here that all exports were negotiated and the quality of the goods was checked, a guarantee of Toulouse’s reputation. A little further on is the Hôtel de Bernuy, now home to the prestigious Lycée Pierre-de-Fermat. The place still oozes the success of the merchant, and his proximity to the courts of Europe, so much so that the decor seems to go from Tuscany to Spain by way of the Loire. These mansions, both elegant and functional, served as headquarters as well as a showcase for the owner’s political and economic influence. The Hôtel d’Assézat, undoubtedly the most sumptuous in the city, illustrates all this. Pierre d’Assézat had it built from 1555 after being appointed capitoul. Today, as a symbol of continuity, it houses the Fondation Bemberg, one of the finest private art collections in France.

Pastel was already used in ancient times for spleen pain and to treat wounds and sores. In Chinese medicine, Isatis has long been used for its antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also an edible plant, eaten raw in salads, rather like rocket.

Pastel leaves produce the organic blue pigment so coveted in the past for colouring the clothes of kings. Harvested from early summer to autumn, they are washed, dried and then crushed before undergoing a fermentation process. A final drying after they had formed into ‘cocagnes’ (shells) made them finally usable for dyeing, but it generally took 2 years from harvesting to the end of preparation. Today, woad is still produced in the traditional way.

In the imagination of certain European cultures, the Pays de Cocagne is a miraculous land where nature overflows with generosity for its inhabitants and guests. Far from famine and war, Cocagne is a land of perpetual feasting and merrymaking, where play and laziness are extolled, and work is outlawed. The word cocagne itself comes from the Provençal coca, meaning ‘shell’ or ‘cake’.

The word ‘cocagne’ is still used in the name of the mât de cocagne, a traditional attraction at village festivals. It’s a soaped pole at the top of which are hung hams, bottles and other treats that young people would climb up at their own risk, much to the amusement of the crowd.

Come and enjoy the delights of this generous land, the ‘Pays de Cocagne’, by renting one of our wonderful châteaux for your family holiday!