Alternatives to Tuscany, Italy: Where is better value and less crowded

Celebrating my mother's 80th birthday in August 2018, considering a villa in Tuscany for two-three weeks. Could we find better value and less crowds elsewhere? Looking for an interesting area with great food and wine. J. Metcalfe, Avoca, NSW

Tuscany in August is going to be packed, and hot. Same goes for Provence, the Cote d'Azur and most of the other desirable bits of southern Europe at this time of year.

One area of Italy less favoured by tourists is Umbria, yet it has a deep and rich culture, wonderful churches, a rich treasury of artworks and history stretching back to pre-Roman times and wines and culinary traditions you won't find anywhere else in Italy.

I'd be looking for a villa somewhere in the triangle formed by Spello, Bevanga and Montefalco.

Another option is France's Auvergne.

Tucked into the folds of the Massif Central west of Lyon, this is a quilt of peaks, valleys, wild rivers, medieval abbeys and small and perfectly formed villages.

It also has a distinctive regional cuisine, with potatoes cooked in goose fat, "pumped" apple pie, lamb dishes and farmhouse cheeses among its repertoire.

As a base it would be hard to beat Le-Puy-en-Velay, a 12th-century World Heritage town and a traditional starting point for the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela.

Try Sawdays (sawdays.co.uk/) for accommodation.

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