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With a thousand castles and almost as many churches, France's south-western Périgord region is a paradise for lovers of ancient stones. Aude, 32, has inherited the fortress of Commarque. The young Parisian left everything behind to protect this 12th-century monument. Gastronomy is also a key part of life in the Périgord. In this region that cherishes quality produce, chef Pierre Corre cooks black truffles like no one else.

Located west of the Baie des Anges, Antibes is one of the pearls of the French Riviera in the south of France. In the 1920s, US novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald took up residence with his wife Zelda in the Villa Saint-Louis to write his masterpiece "Tender is the Night". The villa is now a five-star hotel, the Hôtel Belles Rives. Antibes is also home to a yachting legend: the One Wave, a monohull designed in 1948 and fully restored by its passionate owner. Last but not least, the resort is a paradise for underwater photographers.

The Lot-et-Garonne is a south-western French department created from the union of the land and two rivers: the Lot and the Garonne. It's therefore not surprising that some of the most beautiful gardens in France can be found here. The stories of these mini Edens are both astonishing and little-known. Impressionist painter Claude Monet came to one in Temple-sur-Lot to buy hundreds of water lilies for his garden at Giverny. Not far away, in Nérac, legend has it that another garden was the scene of a brief but passionate love affair between a certain Fleurette and Henri de Navarre, later King Henri IV, giving rise to the French verb "to flirt". Last but not least, Vincent Beylard's orchards have enabled this local man to become a world champion of jam.

The French region of Alsace is famous for its traditional half-timbered houses. But this centuries-old heritage is threatened by the passage of time and urban development. Every year, 400 of these remarkable old houses are demolished. But a few locals are trying to safeguard their heritage. One young couple have embarked on a project to renovate their old house, using ancestral techniques. Meanwhile, a company near Strasbourg specialises in dismantling the half-timbering of abandoned houses, renovating them and reusing them on new structures. We take a closer look.

Covering almost 9,000 km², the southern French department of Aveyron is one of the country's largest. With its limestone plateaus and vertiginous gorges, the area is full of contrasts: just like its iconic cheese, Roquefort. The blue-veined ewe's milk cheese – one of the oldest and most famous in the world – was born in this region. It became France's first cheese with AOP (Protected Designation of Origin) status in 1925. Making Roquefort requires special know-how, from milking the sheep to storing the cheese in cellars. We take a closer look.

Nestled at an altitude of 400 metres in the heart of the Alps, France's Lake Annecy is considered the purest lake in Europe. On its shores, the medieval old town of Annecy is nicknamed the "Venice of the Alps" for its picturesque canals. Out on the lake, fishermen catch féra, a delicate fish that Michelin-starred chef Jean Sulpice is particularly fond of working with. The forests that surround the lake are also a source of inspiration for the chef, who never misses an opportunity to stroll through them in search of new flavours.

In the creeks near Marseille, 37 metres underwater, lies the only submerged cave on the planet that's covered with cave paintings. On its damp walls, people have painted horses, bison, ibex and even penguins – animals that were present in the south of France during the Ice Age. The oldest paintings date back some 27,000 years.

In the vineyards of France's Anjou region, in the Loire Valley, a ritual takes place every year at the end of the summer. At harvest time, dozens of brave seasonal workers come from far and wide to pick the ripe grapes. Some of them have been regulars for several years and their experience is invaluable to the newcomers. The grape picking is done by hand and in a good atmosphere, but has its own rules. Once collected, the harvest heads to the winery. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look.

The French Mediterranean island of Corsica attracts two million holidaymakers every summer. To properly discover the so-called Isle of Beauty, what better way than on a cruise ship? Aboard a week-long cruise on La Belle des Océans, passengers explore Corsica's most beautiful beaches, as well as the local gastronomy and breathtaking panoramas – such as the medieval town of Bonifacio, perched 40 metres above the Mediterranean. FRANCE 24 brings you a little taste of summer.

In the skyline of France's Provence region, Mont Ventoux culminates at 1,909 metres. Each year, its steep slopes are the setting for an epic stage of the Tour de France cyling race. The bald mountain fascinates professional and amateur cyclists alike. The most determined of them even attempt the "Nutters' challenge": climbing Mont Ventoux three times in one day on the three different roads to the summit. We went to meet some of them.

In the Breton language, its name means "little sea". The Gulf of Morbihan, in the French region of Brittany, is made up of around 40 islands, all of them small paradises. The largest of them, l'Île aux Moines, is the most popular with tourists. Others belong to private owners, who live out their desert island dream. Oysters are farmed all year round on this storm-protected inland sea. We take a closer look.

Located in southern France, the Aubrac plateau is the scene of an explosion of colours and flavours in summer. The Aubrac dairy cows graze in rich meadows. Their cheese, tomme, is the main ingredient in the local specialty dish: aligot. The lush slopes are also home to the narcissus flower, which is harvested in the old-fashioned way with a raking tool. These delicate, fragrant flowers deck the region in white and are used by perfumers for their finest creations. We take a closer look.

Half of the one million oak barrels produced worldwide each year are made in France. French cooperage is a centuries-old tradition that dates back to the Gauls and plays a key role in the excellence of the world's finest wines. Choosing the right oak trees, cutting, seasoning and charring the wood are all delicate stages carried out by the cooper to create a made-to-measure oak barrel. We take a closer look at this expert craftsmanship.

Deep in France's southern Lubéron mountains lies a stunning red and orange landscape reminiscent of the vast plains of America: the Colorado provençal. This spot of wild nature is in fact a former open-cast ochre quarry. Every year, some 300,000 visitors venture through these 30 unusual hectares, between fairy chimneys and strange sculptures, to discover the remains of the site's industrial past. FRANCE 24 takes a closer look.

The southern Camargue region in France is known for its wetlands and flamingos. The region however holds a lesser-known animal sacred: bulls. The bulls of Camargue are reared by enthusiasts called manadiers for one purpose only, which is to become champions of the bullring in the regional bullfighting games. Consisting mainly of participants, called raseteurs, aiming to snatch rosettes tied to the bull's horns, the course camarguaise is harmless for the bulls that live in semi-freedom. FRANCE 24 takes you to uncover the region and its bulls.   

Deep in France's Burgundy region lies the Boutissaint wildlife park. Within its 400 hectares of forest, several hundred animals roam free: stags, roe deer and boars, which visitors can observe as they wander through this natural setting with very few fences. The park is the brainchild of the Borione family, which purchased this former priory and its vast abandoned estate in the early 20th century. When it opened in 1968, it was France's very first wildlife park. FRANCE 24 takes you on a tour.

Beaune is the wine capital of France's Burgundy region. Above ground, the old fortified city is already beautiful. But the real treasure is hidden below the surface, down in the cellars. They contain two million bottles of wine, in a total of five kilometres of galleries, all linked together. One of the oldest cellars in Beaune has been occupied for four generations by the Maison Drouhin. It contains traces of the city's ancient past. Meanwhile, the cellars of Maison Champy were once frequented by Louis Pasteur and Gustave Eiffel. The much more modern Jadot winery has an unexpected skylight. FRANCE 24 takes you to discover these hidden treasures.

Agriculture in France is not immune to the digital revolution. More and more farmers are using IT tools to carry out their administrative and technical tasks. But some go much further: from fully robotic milking of cows, to connected cameras, to data gathering and even a digital fruit and vegetable market. FRANCE 24 went to meet some of these farmers for whom technology represents the future of their livelihood.

To discover France's Baie de Somme, on the northern Picardy coast, it's best to venture out at low tide. The River Somme's vast estuary reveals an archipelago of sandbanks and salt marshes: a paradise for migratory birds, but also for sheep farmers. During a canoe trip, tourists can get close to the stars of the bay: the seals. The largest seal colony in France has taken up residence here, much to the delight of visitors.

Of all the Renaissance-era castles that adorn France's Loire Valley, the Château de Chenonceau is perhaps the most refined. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it attracts almost a million French and foreign tourists every year. This success keeps a hundred employees busy at Chenonceau: ensuring the safety of the premises, restoring works of art and composing the bouquets that decorate the corridors. FRANCE 24 takes you behind the scenes of this beautiful château.

Guadeloupe, nicknamed the “butterfly archipelago” because of the shape of one of its central islands, welcomes over 600,000 tourists to its sunny little paradise every year. This French Overseas Territory abounds in opportunities to break from routine: hiking in the heart of the Basse-Terre rainforest, lounging on the deserted beaches of La Désirade island, swimming in its turquoise waters. Guadeloupe's waters are an ideal place to observe dolphins.

Located in France's eastern Lorraine region, Amnéville Zoo is home to some 2,000 animals. These include 40 species that are considered endangered: from Siberian tigers to white rhinos, gorillas and small squirrel monkeys. Behind the scenes, some 150 zoo employees work tirelessly around the clock, taking care of the animals. Preserving endangered species and making visitors aware of the threats to wildlife are also a key part of their daily tasks. FRANCE 24 brings you a glimpse of this vast menagerie.

In a small village deep in central France, the same family has run the "La Promenade" restaurant for four generations. The story began in 1960, when Lucienne created a small bistro. Then Jacky, the son, took over and won the first Michelin star in 1989. Today, the grandson Fabrice watches over this mecca of French gastronomy, and now his son Clément is studying for his chef's diploma. "La Promenade" is a moving family story, whose finest pages are perhaps yet to be written.

We take you to the westernmost point of France; the last piece of civilisation before the vastness of the Atlantic Ocean. Ouessant, located 25 kilometres off the Finistère coast in Brittany, is a rugged and fascinating island, where less than 500 people live all year round. We meet a fisherwoman, a doctor and a photographer who appreciate its raw beauty. The island is also home to no less than five lighthouses that have guided generations of sailors along this fearsome coast. The locals call them the "heroes of Ouessant".

In the heart of the Touraine countryside, in France's Loire Valley, old mechanical wind turbines are being dismantled from their masts to be restored. These turbines are known as éoliennes Bollée – named after their inventor, Ernest-Sylvain Bollée. In the 19th century, they were used to pump water from the ground. Today, they're being given a new lease of life, thanks to retired aeronautical engineer Jean-Claude Pestel and other enthusiasts in the region. We take a closer look.

For more than 75 years, the "Maîtrise de Radio France" choir has been training schoolchildren to become classical singers. Andrélia is one of them. She has undergone demanding training, with music theory, piano and singing lessons. With the other choir members, the teenager is preparing a special concert alongside the Radio France Philharmonic Orchestra. Based in Paris, the choir now has a branch in Bondy, in the north-eastern suburbs of the French capital.

In the sunlight of the French Riviera lies the port of La Ciotat. It's home to the Eden Theatre, the world's oldest cinema. It was there, in 1895, that an audience witnessed the first ever projection of moving pictures: the mythical "Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat" by France's Lumière brothers. A hundred and thirty years later, Michel Cornille is the guardian of this monument of cultural heritage. After being closed for three decades following a deadly hold-up in 1982, the Eden Theatre has been showing films to audiences again since 2013.

Of the 370 long-distance hiking paths that criss-cross the French countryside, some in particular stand out. In Finistère, on the Atlantic, the Chemin du Pouldu merges with the Brittany coast. Its contrasts of green and blue have inspired many artists, such as French painter Paul Gauguin. Down in the Cévennes, Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson gave his name to the Chemin Stevenson, where you can still come across donkeys. As for the route to Santiago de Compostela, one of the oldest long-distance hiking paths in France, it contains delights for the eyes and the soul.

We take you to discover rare French firms where master craftspeople with a golden touch keep alive traditional know-how to create the wonders of today. Tours, in the Loire Valley, is home to the Offard workshop, where printers design exceptional new wallpapers and recreate those from the past. Meanwhile, the Auto Classique Touraine garage specialises in restoring the most prestigious pre-war cars by hand. Finally, Olivier Cottet is a string instrument maker who brings old musical instruments back to life.

Eight decades after World War II, the Atlantic Wall is still breaking up. Along the coast of Brittany, in western France, lie more than 1,000 bunkers. Most of these vestiges of German occupation are abandoned, but some have been given a new lease of life. The submarine base of Lorient has become an ideal location for manufacturing carbon masts for yachts. Further west, on the tip of Finistère, a bunker has been transformed into a museum on the war. Finally, on the Crozon peninsula, a young entrepreneur has decided to convert a network of tunnels built by the Allies into a brewery.

Lined by magnificent French castles frozen in time, the Loire is nicknamed the royal river, with its breathtaking views of these jewels of Renaissance architecture. But the river is also a place to escape, to get back to nature and to discover a lesser-known heritage.  In Chaumont-sur-Loire, an association is bringing traditional flat-bottomed boats back to life, in order to offer tourists an exceptional view of the region's castles. Meanwhile, thanks to the development of a network of cycling paths, the most athletic visitors can now choose to admire the beauties of the royal river by bike.

Once important seats of Christian worship, and now treasures of the country's heritage, French abbeys often have surprising histories. That's the case of Fontevraud abbey, in the former duchy of Anjou. Run by a woman during its heyday, the abbey was turned into a prison after the French Revolution. In Alsace, the abbey of Mont Sainte-Odile is famous for its supposedly miraculous spring water. Finally, on the outskirts of Montpellier, Valmagne abbey used to be a wine cellar. Visitors can still observe the gigantic barrels that were once used to store thousands of litres of wine.

The most beautiful gardens in France are the fruit of monumental work by men and women, in partnership with Mother Nature. In the north of Corsica, the magnificent floral paradise of Parc de Saleccia was born from the ashes of a terrible fire in 1974. Much further north, near Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, the Château de La Ballue is most remarkable for its listed gardens, where geometric shapes abound. Finally, on the French Riviera, the luxurious Eilenroc villa is especially famous for its rose garden, with varieties named after film stars.

Some artists' palaces are worthy of every superlative. Straight out of the boundless imagination of their creators, unique buildings now fascinate visitors to France: Postman Cheval's Ideal Palace in Provence, the estate of Robert Tatin in Mayenne and the "Bubble Palace" (pictured) on the French Riviera. FRANCE 24 takes you on a journey to the confines of fantasy to discover three palaces that share the fact they are unlike any other.

With its chalk cliffs and its bright green meadows, the French region of Normandy offers stunning scenery but also iconic local produce. It's in this unique landscape that cider producer Guillaume Capelle grows apples, the local fruit, to make the world-famous Calvados brandy. Meanwhile, Pierre Marie is hoping for a good season for scallop fishing – another emblematic product of Normandy, along with Isigny butter and caramels. For the latter two to see the light of day, dairy farmer Pierre Aubril pampers his Normandy cows, who produce up to 1,200 litres of 100 percent organic milk every day.

Thanks to their architecture, history and exceptional heritage, some French villages are the pride of their inhabitants and a joy for tourists. Perched on its Corsican hilltop, the village of Sant'Antonino is not easily accessible. Here, people still ride donkeys and cultivate olives the old-fashioned way. In Brittany, the charming village of Pont-Aven has inspired artists such as Paul Gauguin, earning it the nickname of "city of painters". Finally, down on the French Riviera, flowers have brought renown to the aptly named village of Bormes-les-Mimosas.

Located near the Spanish border, France's Basque Country has no fewer than twelve Michelin-starred restaurants, born of the marriage between local produce and the know-how of top Basque chefs. In Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, regular market-goers easily recognise chef Philippe Arrambide. Another of the region's Michelin-starred chefs is Cédric Béchade, an adopted Basque. FRANCE 24 went to meet them and discovered some of their cooking tips.

Glaciers are increasingly threatened by climate change. The French Alps are home to more than 4,000 of these fascinating natural monuments, of which 80 to 90 percent are set to disappear by 2100 due to global warming. Among the most emblematic glaciers is the Mer de Glace, or Sea of Ice, which retreats a little more each year, under the watchful eye of tourists. Meanwhile, the Bossons glacier reveals aircraft debris that was thought to be lost forever. FRANCE 24 went to meet some of the guardians of the glaciers.

In the northern French city of Dunkirk, thousands of people look forward to carnival season every year. As Mardi Gras approaches, the carnival transforms the city: the Black Cat Ball, fancy dressing and herring throwing from the town hall balcony are all part of the two-month-long festivities. The tradition dates back to the 17th century, when shipowners would host a big party for fishermen before they sailed off to Iceland for six months to fish for cod. Today, the tradition continues and is prepared weeks in advance. 

The rose is the top-selling flower in France, with more than 22 million bunches sold every year. It has been grown for four generations by the Meilland family on the French Riviera. A symbol of lovers, the rose is also a favourite of perfumers. François Demachy, a perfume designer and famous Dior "nose", swears by it. Finally, the flower's fragrance and colours may be sensational, but its taste is too. In the medieval town of Provins, in the Seine-et-Marne region, rose petal jelly is a must for discerning palates.

Legend has it that in 1963, France's Vanoise National Park was created to save the last endangered Alpine ibex. With 107 peaks of over 3,000 metres or more, the park in the heart of France's Savoie region attracts thousands of hikers each year in search of fresh air and the great outdoors. In this intact nature reserve, locals have developed alternatives to the usual winter sports. From snowshoeing to discover wildlife, to dog sledding for a unique adventure and even diving into a frozen lake, there's something for everyone!

Under a blanket of snow, the vineyards of France's Côte d'Or region seem asleep in winter. However, it's during this season that their destiny is played out: the vines are pruned and fires are lit to protect them from frost. The coopers make barrels for the next harvest, with a know-how that has earned them international success. Down in the cellars, day after day, oenologists and their keen senses supervise the wine ageing in the barrels.