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LIMOUSIN
The rolling countryside of Limousin lies at the very heart of France, on the western flanks of the great Massif Central. Sharing borders with Burgundy, the Loire and the Auvergne, it is immersed in history.
There's a feeling, in its sleepy villages, that the modern age has passed by; indeed this rural region has earned a reputation as the `Secret France'. Rising on the vast granite Plateau de Millevaches in the east, the Creuse, Vienne and Vézère rivers descend to the south, west and north, through lush landscapes of forest and lake, offering ample opportunities for outdoor pursuits. At the centre lies the Limousin Regional Park and the historic capital, Limoges, renowned for its porcelain. Downstream, on the Vienne, St Junien has specialised in glove-making since the Middle Ages and in the nearby Monts de Blond, pretty Mortemart is worth a visit. This area was a hotbed of Resistance activity during the last war and at Oradour-sur-Glane, ruins stand as testimony to the inhabitants who were slaughtered by the Nazis. South of Limoges, in the Corrèze, turreted Uzerche stands guard over the Vézère River before it plummets through the Saillant Gorges. Near Tulle, at Gimel-les-Cascades, are the highest waterfalls in the Limousin. At the southern limit of the region, on a bend in the Dordogne River, lies lovely Beaulieu with its many fine houses. Nearby are medieval Turenne and Collognes-la-Roughe, the latter famous for the colour of its architecture. In the rolling, wooded landscape of the Creuse, north-east of Limoges, the town of Aubusson has been making tapestries for centuries. Downstream, the river is spanned by a lovely old bridge at Moutier d'Ahun.
main pic Argentat, Correze
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