Occitanie, France, The Most Fascinating Region
Occitanie, France, the most fascinating region, was created with the territory reform on 1 January 2016. Occitania is called Occitanie in French. It substituted the ex-Languedoc-Rousillon and Midi- Pyrenees regions. It is the second-largest region which is situated in the south of France. Occitanie comprises thirteen French departments, each with its customs, history, and culture.
It is a sunny and warm territory with a variety of the most enchanting and contrasting landscapes. It is a pleasant destination for tourists because of its picturesque sandy beaches on the warm Mediterranean Sea in the east and the rocky, mountainous landscapes to the west.
Occitanie, France Has a Rich Heritage
Occitanie, France has a rich heritage of poetry, art, and architecture. It keeps an unstable history that fascinates anyone who wants to discover it. Its cuisine and customs blend excellently with its neighboring country, Spain. The natural and rich cultural heritage of the Occitanie region, Midi- Pyrenees, will amaze you with its romantic atmosphere and beautiful sceneries.
The tourist situation, Carcassonne, Lourdes, and the Pont du Gard, have many quiet and little- traveled spots, where folk rituals and traditional practices are sustained by the bastide-resident locals, who enjoy sharing the wealth of food and wine, land and sea. Its exceptional heritage, culinary prestige, and year-round events create a unique setting that attracts 30 million tourists from abroad and from France to visit the region every year.
Occitanie, Pyrenees-Mediterranee’s Natural Heritage
Occitanie, Pyrenees-Mediterranee offers mountainous regions for energetic winter sports, thermal spas, and nature walks, along with scrublands, sweeping hills, and broad plains, beaches, and ports on a coastline that runs for 220 km along the Golfe du Lion.
Protected natural spaces and striking biodiversity provide the territory with a unique brand of easy living. It has become France’s fourth most popular tourist destination now.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
The shared rich heritage has been internationally recognized because eight sites around the region have been listed as UNESCO world heritage sites. From the Midi Canal to the sphere of Gavarnie, from Albi to Causse du Larzac, Occitanie is over flowering with significant natural as well as man- made spaces.
Ancient structures like the Pont du Gard and pre-historic sites such as Tautavel, Cather castles, and the medieval cities of Carcassonne and Rocamadour shoulder with exceptional contemporary structures, such as the Millan Viaduct. Occitanie’s rich historic and cultural heritage carries the influence of Arabs, Romans, and Celts.
Occitanie, France: The Significant Factors
- Occitanie includes 13 departments.
- The name Occitanie refers to the Occitanic language or Langued d’oc which is extensively spoken in the southern region.
- Its main regions include Nimes, Montpellier, Perpignan, and Beziers.
- Languedoc- Roussillon includes the historic county of Roussillon.
- Occitanie, France has been a traditional wine-growing area for hundreds of years.
- Its vineyards consist of 2, 996-kilo square meters of an area that is three times larger than the Bordeaux vineyard.
- It is a region of eye-catching sea and mountains.
- During the 20th century, one out of ten bottles of wine produced in the world came from Occitanie.
- The Romans naturalized the vines and planted the first vineyards around Beziers and Narbonne, about 2000 years ago.
- It is blessed with Mediterranean weather and clayed soil which is highly favorable for vine cultivation.
Occitanie, France, Climate
Occitanie has a warm climate. On average, it has more than 300 days of sunshine per year. With mountains and illuminating sea, Occitanie Pyrenees-Mediterranean is the sunniest one in France. It enjoys some of the best year-round climates.
It is the dream destination for those who want to start a new life in Franc due to its warm winters, the abundance of summer sunshine, glorious autumns, and stunning springs. Its diverse weather is one of the major reasons for making this region a tourist hotspot.
Famous Wine and Amazing Cuisine
Occitanie is famous for its diverse range of wines and amazing cuisine. It is the region commonly dominated by its neighbors, French Riveria and Provence. But Occitanie deals very skillfully with its own specialties of Provence when it comes to flavorful and rich cuisine. Both have many similarities, equally charming and delicious. But closeness to the Pyrenees mountains and the Spanish border means that it exhibits culture and influence of its own.
There is plenty to enjoy in this region from hearty stews to desserts to vineyards to farms. Amazing cuisine with good living is available all over the Occitanie. It is the world’s largest wine-making territory with 280,000 hectares of wide vineyards and a vast range of grape varieties. It produces varieties of exceptional wines, such as sweet and sparkling varieties, roses, whites, reds, liqueurs, and Armagnacs.
Occitanie is the second-largest fruit-growing territory and is best known for stone fruit like apples and plums. Its leading fruit processing companies are St Mamet, Florette, and more.
The local cuisine differs from Mediterranean subtilities, such as mushrooms, fish, and olive oil. Its diverse seafood dishes, highlighting sea urchins, snails, mussels, clams, and Thau basin oysters, are an alluring feast for the stomach and eyes as well. You can enjoy the region’s heartier and richer specialties, including foie gras, and cheeses, such as Cassoulet and Roquefort (bean stew and meat).
Occitanie Lifestyle
If you wish to experience a southern European lifestyle, Occitanie, France is a great place to start over. You can live and settle in this place affordably. It provides you with everything you need and much more. This is one of the best places where anyone can discover, rest, and enjoy the popular ‘Joie de Vivre’.
And above all, this is the place where you will never drown in crowds of tourists. Though this region is not as famous as French Provence or Italian Tuscany, it can entertain all the family.
Best Place to Spend Vacations
Occitanie is such a dream location where you can spend active vacations. You can take long walks and hike while enjoying its natural beauty along with a peaceful atmosphere and refreshing tranquility.
Why Live in Occitanie, France
With two European-sized cities, Toulouse and Montpellier, it is based in the heart of Southern Europe, with endless opportunities. It keeps three commercial ports providing value in terms of logistics and shipping. So, this region becomes home to France’s largest network of regional ports.
Growth by Leaps and Bounds
Occitanie grows by leaps and bounds according to the demographics. Its economic growth is remarkable along with its population increasing by 50,000 inhabitants each year. It is the leading region in France.
Agriculture
Occitanie’s agriculture comprises half of the land mass. Agriculture runs a strong agri-food sector with prominent features of organic farming, quality, regional specialties, and a powerful Mediterranean emphasis.
Aeronautical Expertise
Its aeronautical expertise and implanted systems are famous worldwide. It provides one-quarter of the European workforce with more than 800 companies and about 86,000 jobs. It has become the leading European region, particularly because of the National Center for Space Studies (NCES), Thales Alenia Space, and Airbus.
Europe’s First Positive Energy Region
By 2050, it is confident to become Europe’s first positive energy region because its huge green energy potential makes renewable energies one of its most powerful points.
Educational Progress
Occitanie has a 23 million student population which is the third-largest in France. It owns 35 Grandes Ecoles and two universities, along with 29,400 researchers. There are ten institutions dedicated to technology transfer, such as Toulouse Tech Transfer, AXLR, and IRT Saint Exupery Technology Research Institute. It also has several dozens of clusters and business networks that include two with a global focus and one global cluster.
Toulouse hosted the 8th edition of Europe’s largest multi-dimensional professional gathering, in 2018. This meeting was meant to evolve science and innovation, making it the first for France.
In the field of video games, Montpellier earned a prominent place in France. Many studios provide opportunities to everyone each year. They are creating a beneficial ecosystem for startups.
Most Popular Tourist Destination
Stretched out between the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees, Occitanie is a trip back to the indispensable, like the sky, the land, and the sea. A region that is best known for its changing weather, sunny days, contrasting landscapes, and lovely sandy beaches, is heaven for amazing outdoor experiences.
It is a land of traditions, where people enjoy the little pleasures of life with great merrymaking. It is the fourth most popular tourist destination, with the country’s number one spa that entertains about 166,000 visitors annually.
Outdoor Activities
Occitanie has a natural setting, best for outdoor activities. You can enjoy whatever you want, such as hiking, skiing, bike riding, rafting, and paragliding. This territory is a perfect place for golf players. You will surely develop your interest in golf Occitanie, which offers a variety of courses to suit players at all levels.
The Pyrenees-Orientals is the only department where it is possible to enjoy skiing in the winter and the waters of the Mediterranean Sea in summer. This region is steeped in a Catalan culture too, that has enriched history, gastronomy, and heritage.
You must try kayaking the Hérault river if you are a nature lover and want proximity to water. This is full of places where you can easily rent a kayak and spend your leisure time on lazy waters.
You will also find places where you will have fun horse riding on the beach. Camargue is famous for its white horses. The best experience is spending a romantic evening there. Just enjoy biking here, if you are afraid of horse riding. The local people skillfully bike on the mountain roads, of course, they are used to them.
Transport: The Essence of Economic Development
Transport is the essence of the economic development of a region and for the quality of the life of its people. Occitanie has become competent in terms of school and civic transport, since 2017. It is also the head of organized authority and inter-modality for non-urban rail and road transport.
The region has drawn up its railroad plan under the instruction of the State General of Rail and Inter-modality (EGRIM). In 2016, citizen consultation made it possible to establish ten projects on daily trains, high-speed LGV lines, and regional balance, stations, and shipment. It also participates in structuring road projects and supports regional airports.
Occitanie launched its public transport service, liO, in 2018. It provides daily mobility on different forms of transport, such as TER, school transport, multimodal exchange hubs (PEM), and transport on demand (TAO). The liO brings together several modes of transport to encourage connections around a station and railway stop.
Occitanie, Typical House Characteristics
French houses have varied characteristics according to the region they are found in. Let’s discuss some of the common regional styles.
Mas
Mas is a traditional farmhouse mostly found in Provence and the Midi regions of France and Catalonia as well. These hoses are self-sufficient with spaces to grow vegetables, land for crops and animals, and even a room for raising silkworms, accompanied by fruit trees. The houses are mostly made of local stone.
Bastides
Unlike a mas, a bastide is considered a house of a rich family. The size and the interior of the house depend upon the wealth of the family. The smaller mas is named a petit mas or mazet. Traditional mas are much sought-after now because of their imposing dimensions and prime rural locations in Provence. Nowadays, mas keeps bedrooms, large-lighted living areas, a wine cellar, stunning staircases, and dreamy pools.
Colombage
Colombages are commonly observed in Brittany and Normandy, but you will also find this style in the northeast and parts of Burgundy. This style exhibits a visible framework of wooden struts held together with a filler of either plaster or cob. A common characteristic of a colombage house is corbelling, which is an architectural form, that allows the upper portion to jut over the lower one. These houses have a traditional fireplace too.
Charentaire
This style is quite similar to bastide. In this style, houses have regular square dimensions accompanied by a hallway running through the house. They usually have two Storeys and are constructed from wood and stone, with shallow-pitched roofs, covered in terracotta tiles.
Longere
Longere, as its name suggests, is a distinctly long, rectangular building. Traditionally these buildings have dwellings for farmers and fishermen as well as stores for produce and livestock. These are one-Storey houses with attic spaces to store food and straw, made out of locally-sourced slate, granite, and timber.
Charlet
Charlets are typically made of Lorch or fir wood, but many are made with stones in the south department. Their significant features are overhanging eaves, sloping roofs, decorative wooden facades, and lovely mountainside locations.
Chaumiere
These are characterized by their thatched roofs. Similar to longeres, chaumieres have rooms laid out in a linear format. Now houses have woodlands, tennis courts, and swimming pools, too.
Troglodytes
This is perhaps the most unusual form of the house. Troglodytes are cave houses, carved into the mountains and cliff faces of the Loire valley. Many troglodytes’ houses can still be observed in the villages, such as Saumur and Doue la Fontaine. This style is now modified as per today’s living styles.
Welcoming People in Occitanie, France
The people of this region are welcoming and friendly. Because of their mingling nature, you will never feel yourself a stranger there. Though the region is not crowded and most of the places are abandoned, it’s easy to find friends there. Montpellier is one of the largest cities in the region, which is always full of people, especially in summer. Young Europeans come to study here, so you can find an amazing atmosphere at festivals.
In the center of Montpellier, every Friday in summer, you can enjoy En Plein air, fresh local food, and wine. You will easily blend with the local people even if you don’t speak French, because of their friendly nature.
Having A House in Occitanie, France
The charm of the region cannot be summed up in a few sentences. All of the towns and cities are worth living in, such as Roussillon is blessed with everything that one could wish for. The variety of landscapes, abundant vine-growing fields, mountains, blue sky, the sea, and a good road network are some of the many assets of the area.
Property in the Occitanie region is in itself a great investment because of the constant rental demands by students and holidaymakers.
Houses for sale are available in a vast variety here, including traditional houses, farms, and farmhouses. Just think about its historic past. The houses in Aigues-Mortes, Pont du Gard, or Carcassonne deserve spectacular admiration.
On the other hand, Hérault, between the Cevennes and the Mediterranean, is a diversified department that is full of everything anyone can imagine. Living here is superb due to its motorways, high-speed train stations, and airports. Hence, it is a dream destination where excellent wine and perfect cuisine, along with a sunny climate, guarantee a quality lifestyle with a relaxed rhythm.
Buying property here is not a difficult task because of the reasonable prices. But if you find it out of your budget in certain areas of Occitanie, France, you can live in the suburbs of a town or buy an apartment or a house to renovate in a village or hamlet. Therefore, buying a property here is a lifetime investment for future benefits.
