MONUMENTAL STAIRCASE

At the bottom of the light-colored steps, you quickly realize that it lives up to its name: monumental, this staircase certainly is. It unfurls emphatically, masterly with its 374 steps and double flights. Completed in 1863, it linked the old town to the new, with a 35 m difference in height and a 30% gradient, making it an unmissable climb! Listed as a historic monument and renovated in 2008, it's undoubtedly one of Auscitaine's finest architectural achievements, with three successive levels where beautiful encounters await you. On the second floor, you'll see a succession of rooftops and a magnificent statue of the most illustrious of Gascon characters, the famous d'Artagnan, born Charles de Batz de Castelmore. Standing tall and dressed in cloak and dagger, he is the work of Michelet. Be sure to look to the right, as the Pyrenees are never truly hidden on a clear day. It unfolds behind the line of hills, while to the left, the town, its streets, the cathedral and the Armagnac tower stand out against the greenery. A fountain in the hollow of the wall awaits you far above, and in front of it, the intriguing Observatory of Time lines the ground. The biblical text of the Flood is engraved here, and while you translate it, you can catch your breath, which, no doubt, will be taken away at the summit. The view is indescribable: from here, you can effortlessly imagine what the city was like in Roman times, and this moment of magic rewards all your efforts to climb this staircase.