Introduction to The Massif Central

In your race south to Biarritz or through the Rhône Valley to the Riviera, you'll pass through the Massif Central, the agricultural heartland of France. Here you'll find ancient cities, lovely valleys, and wonderful provincial cuisine. With its rolling farmlands, countryside, and châteaux and manor houses (many of which you can stay and dine in), this is one of the most unspoiled parts of France -- your chance to see a life too rapidly fading.

From the spa at Vichy to the volcanic puys of the Auvergne, the Massif Central offers much of interest and much to learn about the art of good living. We begin in George Sand country, in the province of Berry, and proceed to the Auvergne Limousin.