Capitole · Basilique Saint-Sernin
The Cross of the Pink City
Toulouse calls itself the Ville Rose, the Pink City, after the brick that has covered nearly all its buildings for eight hundred years. This route crosses its historic centre: from the square where the old capitouls once governed to the basilica that kept relics for pilgrims bound for Santiago de Compostela, by way of a church shaped like a fortress and a convent with a stone palm tree on its ceiling. It's about 2.5 km, all flat, through the heart of the city.
“This medallion, nearly 18 metres across and cast from 20 tonnes of bronze, was installed in 1995 by the Toulouse-born painter and sculptor Raymond Moretti. At its centre is an Occitan cross — the symbol of the old counts of Toulouse — surrounded by a ring bearing the twelve signs of the zodiac. Look just at the cross in the middle: count how many points it has in total.”
This is what the puzzles are like. The rest unlocks once you start playing.
The playing area
- Access to the full trail for 1 year after purchase
- Built-in hint system if you get stuck
- Printable version, in case you’d rather go phone-free
- No signal needed once the trail has loaded