undiscovered france

Okay, let's be honest; there isn't any 'undiscovered France', those good people of the Institut National de l'Information Géographique et Forestière have contrived to find it all. And, to dispel another myth, much of what is described as 'medieval', is anything but.     

For the record, in European history, the Medieval period (also known as the Middle Ages), lasted from the 5th to the 15th century. It began with the collapse of the Western Roman Empire and merged into the Renaissance (14th-17th centuries) and the Age of Discovery (early 15th-17th century). The Middle Ages is the middle period of three traditional divisions of Western history: Antiquity, Medieval and Modern. There is very little in France remaining from this era.

But, there are parts of France that, compared to Provence, the Alps, Ile de France, Brittany, the French Riviera and Languedoc, are relatively undiscovered. Yet, surprise, surprise, even here you'll find supermarkets, people driving modern cars, farmers using modern machinery, high-speed Internet and 4G.

In every part of France, there are places ignored by the masses; places that don't figure on 'Tick Lists', and are all the better for it. Here are a few examples; places you won't regret visiting.