Auvergne
Situated south of the centre of France, the Auvergne includes the departments of Allier (03), Cantal (15), Haute-Loire (43) and Puy-de-Dôme (63).
This little-known mountainous region in central France is home to rural hilltop farming communities that have not yet been subjected to mass tourism. Wheat fields take up much of the lowlands of the north Auvergne, which compares drastically to the remote, steep and sometimes bleak surroundings of the far south. In between these two extremes there are soft, rolling hills, chestnut orchards and ancient farmsteads nestling in rich green meadows.
Skiing in winter and walks in summer are the perfect way to take in the scenery of the Massif Centrale mountains, and driving around the twisty roads you will see the dairy herds and roaming sheep, on which the local economy has been based for centuries.
Long, cold, snowy winters are replaced with clear blue skies and strong sun in the summer. Conditions are effected by the high altitude. The hot summers are punctuated by tremendous and sudden storms, for which you need to be prepared!
The extremely sustaining cuisine from the Auvergne developed in response its history of poverty and hardship. Cheese (Cantal, Tomme and Tomme Fraîche), bread and potatoes are the basis of lots of tasty local recipes, along with bacon, garlic, cabbage and eggs; calorific mountain food. Traditional dried sausages and salted hams from this region are world-renowned, as are the green lentils from Puy.
To view some Gites in the Auvergne, please visit Gites in the Auvergne.
All the best
