What could be more quintessentially French than foie gras, truffles and D’Artagnon? They all come from a region you may not have heard about before: the Midi Pyrénées. It’s actually a 1970s bureaucratic classification of eight French departments that many of travelers know well. Within its borders you’ll find some of the great river valleys of France, including the Dordogne, the Garonne and the Tarn.

The Midi Pyrénées stretches south to the Spanish border and the Pyrenees and includes the great pilgrimage site of Lourdes.Toulouse, the capital, sits in the center of the region. On its western border is Languedoc-Rousillon; to its east is Aquitaine, home to Bordeaux. Midi Pyrénées now trying to market itself as a tourism destination and it’s got plenty to offer, holding much that is emblematic of France. For example, its wines -- Cahors, Madiran, Gaillac, to name a few -- have little appeal for investors and label chasers. These are more dynamic wines that draw younger “wine adventure seekers” and natural wine enthusiasts, says Stephanie Johnson, executive wine director for New York’s City Winery.

Midi Pyrénées also is home to Armagnac, a rustic, edgy liquor that you drink like Cognac, though Armagnac has an identity all its own.A product of Gascony, in the eastern part of the Midi Pyrénées, it is a classic artisanal drink produced by small farmers. A tour of Armagnac is the perfect off-the-beaten track route for your gourmand clients. It will take them back in time to the least populated part of France. Ther’s no TGV or major airports here; you fly into Toulouse or Bordeaux and then drive an hour and a half to Gascony’s major city, Condom. The region features a landscape of rolling hills, vineyards and sunflower fields. A big hotel here is one with 20 rooms.

The Midi Pyrénées is about more than wine and Armagnac, of course. It is a veritable French breadbasket, with small operators producing foie gras, truffles and black Gascon pork. There’s a reason it has 24 Michelin-star chefs cooking within its borders.

Those chefs have to be inspired by their setting, since this is a land packed with architectural romance.There are towns like Rocamadour, a12th-century village whose brooding cliff-top castle dominates a strategic bend of the Dordogne. There are fairytale towers such as those rising above Saint-Cirq-Lapopie on the Lot River. The fortress-cathedral of Sainte-Cecile in Albi sits on the banks of the Tarn. Ringing its towers are the sun-warmed pinks and yellows of a medieval town that is a UNESCO site.

There are 14th- and 15th-century fortress towns built in the waning days of feudalism.One classic example of is Auvillar, where the Tarn meets the Garonne. Its golden buildings, tiled roofs and gardens filled with fruit trees look much as they did centuries ago.

Not surprisingly this is the birthplace of one of history’s great romantic heroes, D’Artagnan, who was born in Gascony and immortalized in the story of “The Three Musketeers.” The region has varied terrain, including not just vineyards and farms but great mountains, gorges and natural reserves, all perfect for hiking and biking. Major canals, the original arteries of commerce and transportation long before the advent of high-speed trains, jets and super highways, cross the region, among them the Canal des Deux Mers, which consists of the Canal du Midi, another UNESCO site, and the Canal de Garonne. You can still travel the old-fashioned way on these waterways.

The beauty of the Midi Pyrénées is that it offers much of what makes France such a popular destination -- castles, varied landscap and culinary riches. And it does it in a setting that lets its visitors take time to savor all that it has to offer.

Kate Rice is executive editor covering travel agents, travel technology and airlines for TravelPulse, but she does enjoy her French wine and truffles.