Located among the calcareous plateaus covered with Mideterranean scrub and alluvial deposites from the coastal plains, Nîmes appears as a city with various faces. First and foremost, the city is known as the 'French Roma', because of its famous history and its well conserved antique monuments. Nîmes is also, for many 'aficionados', the 'French Madrid'.
The Loire Valley stretches along the gentle curves of France’s longest river, a place where riverside towns, historic estates and vineyards have shaped daily life for centuries. This long stretch of landscape was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its remarkable cultural landscape, which includes towns like Tours, Blois, Amboise and Saumur and a tapestry of castles standing beside the river banks.