Draped unceremoniously over the verdant hillsides of south-central Madagascar, the city of Fianarantsoa does well to showcase the nation’s lively, energetic and frenetic side. Its historic core is a mishmash of crumbling red-tiled roofs and stuccoed homes that looks as if it’s been plucked straight from the backcountry of Languedoc-Roussillon, while the rumble of farmer’s trucks, rickety buses and purring scooters echoes out incessantly from the tight-knit streets of the new town below. There are markets and hawkers galore here, touting everything from fresh Malagasy fruits to discounted clothing and squawking livestock, while the earthy eateries and bubbling bars serve coconut laokas, deep fried sweet potatoes and the usual Three Horses Beer in excess. Wine lovers and train enthusiasts may also find the city’s thriving wineries and the Fianarantsoa Cote Est to Manakara worth an adventure. There are natural wonders around too, with Fianarantsoa tour guides at hand to show visitors the lemur-peppered rocks of the Anja Reserve and the wildernesses of the UNESCO-attested Ranomafana National Park.