Art in Les Arques
The tiny, typical Lot hamlet of Les Arques wouldn’t be so well known if it hadn’t been for a famous Russian artist, Ossip Zadkine, who moved to this part of France in 1934. There is an interesting museum of his works, along with some paintings by his wife, Valentine Prax. It is also thanks to Zadkine that visitors can see the little 11th century St André Chapel in the woods where he discovered 15th – 16th century mural paintings.
Enjoying nature
Chestnut and oak forests blanket this area, and the sedge meadows of La Masse Valley are nearby, an important wetland habitat, with an amazing diversity of species. There is a 3.5km family friendly route from the village allowing walkers to discover the scenery and the wildlife of the marshes via a raised trail, along with points of interest such as mills and the church of St André with its frescoes.
Markets
The market is the best place to buy fresh local fruit and vegetables, honey, cheese, wine and meat. You can find open air markets in different villages each day of the week, such as the pretty one in Cazals on a Sunday.
In the evenings in July and August there also are ‘marchés gourmands nocturnes’, evening markets where a range of prepared dishes can be bought to eat there and then with the locals and friends at the tables set out under the stars. One of the prettiest nearby is in Loubéjac on Thursdays.
Eating Out
In les Arques there is a very well-known upmarket restaurant housed in a former school, which due its reputation needs to be booked well in advance. And in Goujounac, about 15km away, there is another lovely small restaurant that uses only fresh local and mostly organic produce – this must also be pre-booked but there is also a more traditional auberge and hostellerie in Goujounac, and many more to choose from around this ‘gastronomique’ area.
