The southern French city of Toulouse is famed for its rugby club, its pink brick buildings, its sunny climate, its nightlife and its storied history. Since the 20th century, it's also become home to one of the largest Spanish communities in France. The biggest wave arrived in the wake of the Spanish Civil War, with half a million people crossing the Pyrenees to flee Franco's victorious forces. It was from Toulouse that the exiled Spanish political class was able to prepare a return to democracy in the post-Franco era. Toulouse retains a special place in modern Spanish history, as our team reports.