Rolling hills fold into one another under a wide sky, and then the view shrinks to a handful of details: a painted gate, a jar of preserves, a neighbour's laugh over a fence. Vineyards climb the slopes, and under some of them lie cool stone cellars where wine is kept for years.

The climate is continental, with warm summers and cold winters, a little wetter in the north and drier in the south. Spring and autumn feel gentlest for wandering from village to village. When your plans run out, a Local Friend picks the next stop, be it a roadside stand, a courtyard lunch or a lookout.