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Region
Auvergne region
Made up of 4 departments - Allier, Cantal, Haute-Loire & Puy de Dôme - the Auvergne is one of the last unspoilt areas of France,
a forgotten magical region, extremely rare in terms of no pollution, people still connected to the earth and their gardens, peaceful roads and
stunning scenery all around. This landscape lends itself to many outdoor activities, summer and winter.
Its name is derived from the Arverni, a Celtic people, whose leader Vercingetorix defied and was defeated by Julius Caesar.
In fact, this region has been settled by humans probably longer than anywhere else in France.
It is France's 'green lung'; a land of natural beauty, open countryside, forests, lakes, rolling hills, mountain peaks and the largest group of volcanoes in
Europe; a land of history, romantic chateaux, ancient rural villages, Romanesque architecture and elegant spa towns.
The region is huge, but relatively sparsely populated, so has an overwhelming feeling of space and seclusion, while at the same time being easily
accessible nowadays by road, rail and air.
Strangely, in the 12th century, Auvergne became a possession of the English king, Henry II, upon his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine,
heiress of Auvergne, and remained thus for a good number of years. The Auvergne has always retained a certain uniqueness
from the rest of France and is sometimes referred to as an island surrounded by land. Nowadays, it's an enclave little known to the Brits!.
Puy de Dôme department
The department takes its name form the famous Puy de Dôme volcano (extinct for over 7,000years!), a well known landmark, with
stunning panoramic views from its summit. At its feet lies the capital of the Auvergne,
Clermont Ferrand, with its modern shopping facilities and ancient cathedral built of black volcanic stone.
Puy de Dôme has two national parks. To the west, the
Parc des Volcans with its chain of Puys, including more than 80 dormant volcanoes, and
to the east the Parc Livradois-Forez, a lower mountain range with a variety of beautiful natural landscapes, a profusion of various animals and plants and hundreds of
kilometres of hiking and cycle tracks.
Livradois-Forez
The property is within the Parc Livradois-Forez, named after the Livradois mountain mass and the Forez mountain range.
The park straddles 2 French departments, Puy de Dôme and Haute Loire, and is one of the largest natural parks in France,
covering more than 300,000 hectares.
Food & drink
The Auvergne has a fine range of local dishes and is a very important cheese area, with no less than five award winning
cheeses (Bleu d’Auvergne, Cantal,
St Nectaire, Forme d’Ambert and Salers). Less well known are Drean, Savaron, Gaperon and Montagne, but equally delicious.
It is also noted for its salted hams and dried sausage and is the home of
Puy lentils,
which have been cultivated in the area for over 2,000 years. The region's vineyards are among the oldest in France, but it is not
a reknowned wine area. However, it does produces some very reasonable light red wines.
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