Marmande by lantern: a journey through time

Every Monday evening, the tourist office offers the chance to discover the history of the Tomato City through a nighttime stroll through the streets.

Get ready for a true journey back in time. Since 2021, the Val de Garonne Tourist Office has been offering evening tours of Marmande this summer to help visitors discover or rediscover the town's history through its heritage. These tours are made unique by the use of lanterns, which have replaced the torches used in the first editions.

Stéphane Rouquet, a tour guide for the tourist office, is behind this particularly informative activity: "I'd been giving tours of this type for eight years, particularly in Moirax, and we'd never tried a night tour in Marmande. This was the opportunity. Christophe Zamprogno suggested the idea, and we went for it." Thus, starting from rue Toupinerie, a walk of about an hour and a half awaits locals and tourists to retrace nearly a millennium of history. From the genesis of the town to more recent significant events.

Armed with illustrations and photos from the early ^20th century to accompany his words, but also to illustrate certain facts and anecdotes, Stéphane Rouquet guides this fascinating journey with his words.

It's easy to be drawn into the tour guide's stories, which allow you to immerse yourself in the rich, thousand-year-old history of the Tomato City. The walk sheds light on the historic buildings that adorn it. From the Notre-Dame church to the imposing buildings located in the streets adjacent to the ramparts, all these constructions allow you to travel through the centuries, revealing many secrets, sometimes well-kept, and sometimes addressing legends that stem from the beliefs of the time. These themes are discussed in a fun way and suitable for adults and children alike.

In addition, olfactory abilities are also stimulated through several bars transcribing scents related to the theme being discussed. "Little scents are my trademark," says Stéphane Rouquet. "I worked at the Château de Nérac about ten years ago, and we had already offered this type of discovery. So we adapted these scents to the visit."

As stated shortly after departure, "you smell a city before seeing it in medieval times." Through nine different scents to smell, the guide invites you to project yourself into a historical period.

The Marmande Lantern Tour is available every Monday evening at 9:30 p.m. until August 18. Reservations can be made directly on the tourist office's website, or by contacting the office by telephone, subject to availability (40 per tour).