FRANCE 24 takes you discover the southwest of France in winter, when all the tourists have long since gone home. Life has a different pace for those who live here all year round - we take you to meet some of them.

Five centuries ago, a special type of glassware was born in the northern valleys of France's Vosges region. The production of crystal once employed 5,000 people in these hills. The Lalique factory, near the border with Alsace, is one of the world's best. Further west, another French town symbolises crystal excellence: Baccarat and its 250-year-old factory. FRANCE 24 takes you behind the scenes of both.

High up in the French Alps, just a few kilometres from the Italian border, winter is taking grip. Tourists glide down the slopes, while locals hunker down in their remote hamlets for the long and cold months to come. Those who choose to live here love these mountains despite the icy winters and relative isolation. We get a glimpse of life for them in this snowy landscape.

In France's Limousin region, arts and crafts are a tradition. For six generations, a family of tilers have been decorating the roofs of houses in the area. In an old factory, they make flat tiles by hand, baked in an old gas oven. Another Limousin tradition is wool processing. We meet Mariche, who uses a set of age-old techniques to make felt pieces (pictured).

FRANCE 24 takes you to discover France's eastern Vosges region. Each morning at dawn, the peaks of the Vosges mountains reappear through the mist. The famous Ridge Route can also be made out in the first rays of sun. On this road, created during World War I, we discover a multitude of landscapes characteristic of the region. At 1,200 metres above sea level, arnica flowers grow. The plant, well-known for its healing properties, is known locally as "Vosges gold".

An engineer turned marshal, Vauban is one of the most famous names of 17th century France. His citadels with their signature forms played a crucial role in King Louis XIV's strategy to defend France. Vauban's work owes much to his native land, the Morvan. Here, his memory is still very much alive. FRANCE 24 takes you to discover the house where Vauban was born, a museum dedicated to him and one of his castles.

In the south of France, a mythic stretch of tarmac links Nice to Menton. It’s known as the "Three Corniches". This trio of coastal roads are one of the jewels of the French Riviera and offer breathtaking views. FRANCE 24 takes you for a ride and stops off at a few cultural highlights on the way.

Rungis, located south of Paris, is the largest fresh produce market in the world, serving 18 million French consumers every day. Some 10,000 tons of food pass through it each night and 40,000 people work across the site. It's a city within a city, with separate neighbourhoods dedicated to each type of food - from fish to meat. FRANCE 24 takes you behind the scenes to meet some of the wholesalers.

Leonardo da Vinci embodies the genius of the Renaissance. In 1516, three years before his death, he crossed the Alps. Carrying his masterpieces like the Mona Lisa, he travelled on a mule and on foot from Italy to Amboise, in France's Loire Valley. We retrace part of his 2,000-kilometre-long epic journey to meet the French king.

France's northern Hauts-de-France region has an astonishing concentration of belfries, many of them listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These stone towers were built in the Middle Ages to mark the civic independence of towns from local lords. Like churches, they punctuate the daily lives of residents and tell the story of the region. FRANCE 24 takes you to discover the history of these impressive monuments.