“Are you wearing comfortable shoes,” asks my guide as we set off for a tour around Limoges, which is situated in the area of Limousin in central France. It isn’t that the town is sprawling but there are a lot of cobblestone lanes – which can play havoc with heels, even low ones.

We walk up the main pedestrianised shopping street flanked with boutiques and shoe shops on either side and turn into a small alleyway which takes us to a square.

Half-timber clad buildings, dating back to 15th Century, surround this little area – known as Rue de la Boucherie. During the 13th Century the Ancestral Guild of Butchers was founded here and the trade was controlled by just six families. Today, there are a few smart shops and restaurants which, of an evening, set out their tables on the cobblestones and it becomes a magnate for Limogians and tourists to get together.

Walking further on, we find ourselves in the main square, Place de la Motte. Here, there is a covered market in an impressive art deco building with a metal-beamed roof. The place is bustling with shoppers buying fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish and cheese.

Just across the road, there is a building, which at first I didn’t take a second glance, but then on a closer look, I see the windows are not real, but trompe l’oeil – a feature seen on quite a few of the buildings in the town. However, this is quite an unusual painting – it’s of a man and woman looking out of each of the painted windows.

“That’s a copy of a painting by Renoir,” says my guide. Renoir was born in Limoges and worked in the porcelain factory before becoming an artist.

Art is very much part of the town. Limoges is known for the arts of fire – enamel, porcelain and stained glass.

The porcelain industry grew up in Limoges because white, soft clay called kaolin was discovered in the surrounding area. Although the industry’s hey-day may be over, Limoges still produces 50 per cent of the porcelain for France.

One of the main porcelain factories is Bernardaud. This is a family run business dating back to 1863, and is still in production today with some of the top ceramists creating works for them.

I am given a tour of the factory by one of the staff. In a large warehouse, I see shelves upon shelves of off-white dull porcelain pots, plates and cups waiting to be glazed. The process of making fine porcelain is long, and an intricately painted vase can take up to a year to make.

The tour ends in a room displaying sparkling white dinner services with fine patterns. These dinner services are used in fine dining restaurants around the world.

There is also a seconds shop where you can buy traditional and modern pieces. If you want to go on the tour, it is best to book, telephone 05 55 10 55 91.

Carrying on with the artistic element, I visit the renowned enamelling centre Maison de l’Email. Here you can see the works of some of the best enamel artists in the country. In the light and airy gallery, there are pieces on show ranging from wall hangings and pictures to vases and jewellery. And you can try your hand at enamelling, however, book first, telephone 05 55 34 37 68.

Limoges isn’t a place where English people tend to venture, so if you want to discover a real French town – this is it.

RESTAURANTS

Limoges is not short on good restaurants - there is everything from fine dining to bistro. However because the town is not yet a haunt of the Brits, in many of the restaurants the menus are all in French, so it is a delight to eat authentically French.

Here are few restaurant to choose from:

Escapade du Gourmet (Telephone: 05 55 32 40 26) is an elegant restaurant with stained glass features and waiters wearing ankle-length aprons.

Un air de Campagne (telephone: 05 55 79 01 79) Les Petits Ventre (05 55 34 20 90), are both delightful bistro-type restaurants.

Just a half hour drive out of Limoges, there is Saint Marc a Loubaud - an old granite farmhouse, which is run by Philip an eccentric Gerald Depardieu-type character, where you can dine either outside under the trees or inside and have a room to yourself. There are three dishes on the menu - spit roasted rabbit, chicken or lamb.

HOTEL

I stayed in Royal Limousin on the Place de la Republique. (Telephone e: 05 55 34 65 30). It is comfortable with large rooms overlooking the square and fountain. A perfect base to explore the area.

FURTHER AFIELD

Designer Glove Factory Buy designer quality gloves in Saint Junien. The famous Agnell glove factory, which is just a small building, supplies Hermes, Dior, yves St Laurent. It is possible to go on a tour of the factory where the gloves are still made by hand, but the big draw is that you can buy soft leather gloves for a fraction of the price in the designer shops.

ORADOUR-SUR-GLANE

A tragedy befell this quiet village in Word War Two when on June 10, 1944, 200 SS troops of the Das Reich division masacared 642 people in the village - mainly women and children. There is now a museum which displays large black and white photographs of the Nazis invading the area. As we left the museum we walked up a hill and came to the village which has been left untouched as it was in 1944. Burnt out tumbling buildings, the church where the children and women were burnt alive, the streets and tramline are still there all that is different is the placards on the walls displaying the names of the people who used to live in the homes and their professions - a vet, dentist, doctor or butcher. It is eerily silent and as I wandered around I felt the tragedy had only just happened.

THE LAKES LAC DE VASSIVIERE

About an hour's journey out of Limoges is Lac de Vassiviere. It is the second largest man-made lake in France. It has 43 kilometres of shoreline with woodland and beaches. There are 20 hiking paths and cars are not allowed on the island - you have to travel by boat. It is great for fishing, canoeing, water-skiing and just getting away from it all.