The Landes, a region of wild, unspoiled beaches and lakes encircled by sweet-smelling pine forests, also offers a host of local delicacies including foie gras, truffles and armagnac.
Courchevel has often been compared to Aspen, in the United States, but Americans buying in the French Alpine resorts so far have been few and far between.
The future looks rosy once again in the world of French real estate — or at least that's what's being bruited about by experts predicting how the market will fare in 2010.
Although the Drôme département is officially in the region of Rhône-Alpes, the southernmost tip of the area nestles neatly into Provence, earning it the nickname of La Drôme Provençale.
