The town of Lavardens is classified as one of the beautiful villages of France,  situated in the Gers (Gascony) department of south-west France, to the north of the town of Auch.  A very small village located on a hill, Lavardens is dominated by its castle.  Historically, it was a fortified village but today there are just sections left for view.  The current castle dates from the early 17th century, although an earlier castle stood in the same location as early as the 12th century.  By the 19th century the castle had fallen to ruin, starting to collapse but over the last 40 years it has been carefully restored.