The habitat and the activities originated from near the rivers and on the edges of the valleys. Gençay, Saint- Maurice Clouère, Brion and Saint-Secondin developed along the Clouère, Château Garnier and Sommières on the Clain, Magné on the Belle. Ferrière Airoux exploited iron-ore until the Middle Ages and controlled the ford of Rigourdaine, a place of defense in the center of the heathland plateau halfway between the Clouère and the Clain. Champagné Saint-Hilaire benefited from the small hill dominating the Clain valley and the marshy pastures of the plain.

These old establishments modelled the landscape. Although the cereal plain has gained ground the hedged farmland is still present plus many small woods with marked routes. The traditional habitat remains, the village churches with their sculptures, the parks of the castles and manors line the river edges with jewel cases of greenery in which splendid residences emerge like the Chateaux of Busseroux and Monchandy, the manor of Boissière or the home of Mousseau.

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