This book is a one-of-a-kind tour through the charms of small French towns. Each town is as remarkably varied as the many different regions of the country, shaped and influenced by geography, climate, and history. Travel between hilltop hamlets in the Central Massif and in the Pyrenees to rockbound coastal fishing villages in Normandy and Brittany to the ancient woodsy towns of Alsace with their half-timbered Hansel-and-Gretel architecture and fortress-like castles. Sidebars offer invaluable information on local curiosities and delights to explore, unique artisanal products to buy, local wines to savor, and age-old culinary specialties to sample. A detailed appendix tells you where to shop, sight see, eat, and drink-avec plaisir! Beautiful as well as informative, 101 Beautiful Small Towns in France is a tour through the delights of the French countryside a place where the pace slows down, locals engage strangers in conversation, and every town has its local specialty. Beautiful, full-color photographs create the perfect atmosphere as you wander the alleys with the locals in an unexplored town that will prove once and for all that the heart and soul of France lies in the countryside far from the grandeur and pomp of Paris.