>>1216810You should check out the Minervois area, between the departements of Aude and Hérault
Real close to some nice mountains (the Montagne Noire, the Espinouse, the Caroux, basically the whole Haut-Languedoc regional park), no proper city here it's only small town or villages, and the Minervois wines are great and protected through the AOC. Nice nature there too although it's only hills, many caves and an interesting geology. Some villages like Minerve are tourist spots since it's listed as one of France's most beautiful but there are also towns no one's ever heard of.
Also the Corbières, in the Aude département. It's a sub range of the Pyrenees, lots of great day hikes there + quick access to the Pyrenees, it's also a wine place and despite having some top tier tourism destinations like the Cathars Castles it remains globally less touristy than the rest of the region.
Insider tip: as far as my departement (Hérault) is concerned, the quieter place I can think of is the Buèges valley, pic related. Despite being close to nation-wide famous villages like Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert it is barely known even among locals and has some real nice nature, one of the wildest place here and close to other preserved ones like the Vis valley
Avoid these towns and their surroundings: Alès, Nîmes, Lodève, Bédarieux, Béziers, Narbonne, Perpignan. For living I mean. Some like Nîmes, Narbonne and Perpignan are worth visiting as a tourist but they're definitely not what you're looking for and that includes the small towns around them.
Also avoid "listed" villages, I mean towns that feature any kind of distinction like "France's most beautiful", historical monuments, "village étapes" and such. It will mean they will be beautiful and well preserved but also greatly touristic because tagged as places of interest.
