| Toulouse is a spectacular old town, with lots of cafés and restaurants. There is a substantial student population and it is also a major industrial centre, specialising in aeronautical engineering. Many of the buildings in Toulouse are built of the local warm, red brick, including the splendid mansions in the old town around the Place du Capitole, and two magnificent churches. The Gothic masterpiece, the Église des Jacobins, is most noted for its incredible vaulting high above the apse. The Basilique St Sernin is a vast Romanesque basilica, once a stage on the pilgrimage route to Compostela. It has a fine octagonal belfry with brick arches and turrets, and the crypt contains many medieval treasures.
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