The Heart of France: The Massif Central

The Massif Central, that ancient volcanic plateau at France's heart, represents perhaps the most traditional and isolated of rural regions. Here, in departments like Lozère - France's least populated - the landscape speaks of endurance rather than abundance. Villages built of dark volcanic stone huddle in valleys or perch on windswept plateaus. The region's isolation has preserved both its challenges and its character.

In the Aubrac plateau, vast grasslands stretch between dry stone walls, grazed by the distinctive honey-colored cattle that bear the region's name. The burons - traditional stone shepherds' huts - dot the landscape, most now abandoned but some converted to summer restaurants serving traditional dishes to hikers. The Cévennes mountains, scarred by centuries of chestnut cultivation and silk production, tell stories of Protestant resistance and agricultural adaptation to difficult terrain.