Narbonne SPOTLIGHT on

Narbonne SPOTLIGHT on living in Languedoc Roussillon Some call Languedoc Roussillon the true South of France – especially those lucky enough to live there! Edged by the sea, Languedoc Roussillon always seems bathed in glorious sunshine. Its coastline stretches from very edge of Provence to the Spanish border and Catalonia – some 220kms. Languedoc’s name derives from the ancient romance language which once dominated this area. It’s still spoken, to greater or lesser extent, in southern France, northern Spain, Monaco and even parts of Italy. In this medieval language the customary word for yes was ‘oc’ and it became known as langue d’oc. Langue d’oc split into increasingly distinct dialects - from Gascon to Catalan, and Provençal. Languedoc Roussillon stretches all around France's most eastern seaboard with the Mediterranean and now forms part of the larger administrative district of Occitanie. In some ways it almost appears to be an amphitheatre for this part of the Western Mediterranean with its terraced vineyards. Around one third of all French wine is produced in this sunny region. Reds tend to be full-bodied and fruit driven, then there's the 'black' wine of Cahors, Côtes de Nîmes, unoaked white wines, and the palest pink rosé. There's Cremant de Limoux – supposedly older than Champagne – and unctuous sweet wines from Muscat to Maury – the latter is reputed to last up to 100 years. And then there's the food... They say Languedoc Rousillon sits between the olive groves of Provence and the Landes of Gascony – you could say between garlic and foie gras – and they use the best of these ingredients in their dishes. The coast 102 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 103