Northwest of the Tarn-et-Garonne department, Lauzerte bears the name of Lausèrta in the Occitan dialect. Part of the Plus Beaux Villages de France (Most Beautiful Villages of France), the locality dominates the Quercy Blanc (southern part of Quercy) from the top of a hill. The region bears such a name because of its lacustrine limestone dating from the Tertiary era (66 to 2.58 million years ago). Raymond VI of Toulouse, who already owned a castle there, was the first to establish a fortified town in Lauzerte.