The Good Life France Magazine




The Good Life France Magazine brings you the best of France - inspirational and exclusive features, fabulous photos, mouth-watering recipes, tips, guides, ideas and much more...


Published by the award winning team at The Good Life France

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Issue No. 28

This gorgeous issue is stuffed full of fabulous features from beautiful Annecy to the sunny southern Basque country and the city of Pau, the Canal du Midi and much more. There’s a fabulous photo essay of the four seasons of Provence, practical guides and recipes galore with a focus on the gastronomy of the Touraine region in the Loire Valley - from an ancient recipe for macarons to more-ish nougat cake!

History of the Canal du

History of the Canal du Midi The Romans are said to have previously planned the construction of a waterway that linked the Atlantic with the Mediterranean. However, the project did not start until the 17th century under King Louis XIV, the legendary Sun King. Pierre-Paul Riquet (1604–1680), a wealthy tax collector, presented his plans to the King in 1662 and was able to persuade him about the merits of the project. In the canal, Louis saw another opportunity to make himself immortal. In October 1666, he gave the royal seal of approval to the project. 40 per cent of the costs were borne by the Crown, 40 per cent by the State and 20 per cent by the Riquet family, with the latter becoming the owner after the death of the King. Around 12,000 people worked on the canal. They built 328 structures such as locks, tunnels, bridges, dams, harbours and aqueducts. The canal is filled with water from the Montagnes Noires, the black mountains. In addition, various small rivers are fed in, and reservoirs and ditches provide the right water level. In addition to the tremendous technical feat, the canal also impressed through its excellent integration into the landscape of southern France. Around 42,000 trees lined the banks. Their roots still serve to fortify the banks today and their foliage provides shelter for both people and animals. Before engine-driven vessels, barges were pulled by horses that walked along the towpaths that line the canal.

The opening of the Canal du Midi On 24 May 1681, the ‘Canal Royal en Languedoc’ (Royal Languedoc Canal), as it was initially called, was opened. The waterway allowed merchant ships to bypass the Iberian Peninsula, meaning that they now had to cover almost 2,500 fewer kilometres. Pierre-Paul Riquet did not live to see the canal finished. He died a poor man in October 1680. He had invested his entire fortune and more into the canal. His two sons worked on the canal until 1682 and it took them more than 40 years to pay off the debts incurred by their father. From 1686, engineer Sébastien de Vauban (1633–1707) was entrusted with the canal. In the following years, he improved the waterways, mainly to reduce the risk of flooding. Later, branches of the canal were added, including the ‘Canal latéral de la Garonne’ and the ‘Canal de la Robine Narbonne’. Trade blossomed and brought wealth to the communities along the Canal du Midi. Fuel, building materials, cereals and wine were transported by ships, and later there were also postal ships and passenger ships. The travellers needed to be provided for, and soon guest houses, shops and hostels were built along the banks. Barges, usually towed by three horses, took four days to make the 240-kilometre trip between Toulouse and Sète. This was incredibly quick.