St. Antonin Noble Val, c'est la vie

Doreen Porter full time resident here jumps to the challenge and tells us why she loves St. Antonin.

 In 1351, during the Hundred Years War, the British invaded St Antonin and held on to it for a few months. More than 650 years later, we’re back and, I have to say, I’m very happy to be part of this friendly invasion. Or to be more accurate, to be a Saint-Antoninoise — now try saying that after a few glasses of Gaillac. There was indeed once a Saint Antonin who was born around 453AD and brought Christianity to the province of Rouergue, where St Antonin is sited.

I was born and brought up in and around London which, let’s face it, has its fair share of history. But, even though I walked passed St Paul’s Cathedral on one daily commute and also worked in historic Whitehall, it still amazes me that I live amid such a perfectly preserved slice of history. And I’m not only thinking about the stunning“cite medieval” that is St Antonin. You can go to bigger towns like Caussade and still see historic buildings. It’s with a sense of relief that you appreciate they have not been torn down to make way for a Brent Cross, a Lakeside, blocks of executive homes or another handy bypass. Small family-run shops and restaurants rule, OK!

So what’s so special about St Antonin? Whether long-time residents or new arrivals, people undoubtedly enjoy living here. From colourful window boxes and planters in the summer, to the Christmas candles that briefly dot the streets in December, there’s a sense that residents take pride in, and feel part of, their surroundings. Sit outside at Gazpacho or La Halle, look around, watch the world go by and you couldn’t be anywhere but France. Have a meal at the Le Beffroi Tentations in the summer and you’re sitting behind the oldest civic building in France. As dusk falls, you can almost hear the troubadours. Wander out to La Guingette and sup an apero by the River Aveyron — it’s difficult to imagine a more picturesque spot, with the towering Roc d’Anglars opposite and the canoeists negotiating the weir in front of you. It’s like being on holiday every day.

Charlotte Grey was filmed here — I love to watch it and spot my hairdresser’s shop — and the Sunday market showcases all that is great about living in France: fresh vegetables, local cheeses, chickens on the rotisserie and, of course, good value regional wine. Listen carefully and even today you might hear some of the locals speaking in Occitan, the old language of the region.

That’s not all. We have the nicest, most friendly cinema I’ve ever been to, some superb restaurants, a shop selling soaps of every imaginable perfume and even three supermarkets of manageable size. What more could we want? (OK, a Marks and Spencer Simply Food and an Indian restaurant, but I can cope.)

So how did we end up here? Like most people you speak to, by accident. Although we’d travelled quite a bit around France, we’d never spent any time in the Tarn et Garonne. Then, a helpful colleague offered us the use of his nearby gite while we were house-hunting and the rest, as they say, is history.

Of course, living in St Antonin Noble Val is not without its downsides. These generally centre around our address and the difficulties of spelling it out to anyone in the UK or, more alarmingly, a call centre in Mumbai. We’ve had letters addressed to us in Sant Antoni Noble Val, Saint Antonia Noble Val, Saint Antonin Nobel Valley and Saint Antony Noel Val. We have also been transported to the Torn et Garonne, but it could have been Gavin’s Scottish accent to blame there. So what if we have to play “hunt the Amazon parcel” every so often, it’s a small price to pay for living in this small, but beautifully formed town in such an attractive part of France.

It’s 2 March and for the past few days we’ve eaten lunch outside in the sunshine, listening to the birds and the river Bonnette flowing past the garden. C’est la vie.
Photograph by Drummond Cowie