Occitanie
When people speak of the South of France they are usually referring to the Côte d’Azur. However, the travelling cognoscenti know that there is another part of the South, the sun-kissed Midi with majestic mountains, vineyards, Cather Castles and long golden beaches. It also enjoys equally beautiful blue skies, arguably even better beaches and nearby high mountains. While the cities and resorts are nowhere near as glitzy as its next door neighbour, they are nevertheless just as fascinating and steeped in southern French and Catalan culture and history.
Lateen Fishing Boats at Collioure
This relatively new (2016) Région of Occitanie is quite extensive and varied consisting of two parts: Languedoc-Roussillon and the Midi-Pyrénées. It stretches from the border with Spain, marked by the majestic Pyrénées in the West, above a beautiful beach-lined crescent along the shores of the Mediterranean leading eventually to the delta of the mighty River Rhône and Provence. In the west Occitanie stretches through Gascony towards the Dordogne and in the north towards the Limousin.