Toulouse is located on the banks of the Garonne River, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, and its metropolitan area is the second largest in southern France and one of the fastest growing in Europe. The city is an agricultural market centre, an important university town, an aero-research centre and one of the great cities of French art; it has seven fine museums.
Known as the 'Ville Rose' (Pink City) for its distinctive brick architecture, Toulouse is host to a rich and diverse culture, a vibrant city with much activity, with its long rue Alsace-Lorraine being its axis. It is here in the early evenings that the locals and visitors alike sit for an apéritif at one of the large pavement cafés.
Another principal town, Rodez, is severe and beautiful. The crenelated summit of its red tower, one of the marvels of French Gothic architecture, rises above a confusion of narrow streets and small squares.
To the southeast is Millau, and to the south lies Roquefort with its windy caves that store the famous ewe's-milk cheese. These damp cold winds are the secret ingredient for the 'Cheese of Kings and the King of Cheeses'.
Cahors, situated on a peninsula formed by the River Lot, Cahors has a famous bridge, Pont Valentré, with its six pointed arches and three defensive towers rising 40m (130ft) above the river. It is the most magnificent fortified river span that has survived in Europe and was begun in 1308.
