The sound grew louder as we trudged along the path. It was a crisp spring day and the green fields glinted occasionally with the last of the winter snow. The deeply rutted path led up to a rise, overshadowed by a graceful old tree, then dropped down again beyond sight. It was a serene country scene, the type you imagine must have been painted by an artist at one time or another.

Except for the noise, of course. It grew louder, a motorised drone; then suddenly, a tractor appeared over the rise and headed straight for us. We ducked for cover and it trundled past, the driver unconcerned. This was obviously- a walking trail with a difference.

Poland is full of surprises, especially in the south-east region known as Malopolska. This is traditional Poland, away from the growing modernity of the cities. Largely unspoilt by industrial development, it offers a glimpse of the past in an area still off the beaten tourist track. The smaller towns are often the most atmospheric, and this area has a wealth of them.

The best-known and the most developed for tourists is Kazimierz Dolny, about three hours by road from Warsaw. Set on a bank of the Vistula River with wooded hills behind, it is a delightful little town with an impressive medieval square. With less of the majestic, built-up feeling of cities such as Krakow or Warsaw, the square is a simple cobbled affair with an old covered well in the middle.

Around the edge are a collection of period buildings, some dating from the Renaissance. The most impressive are the two Houses of the Przybyla Brothers with their detailed Renaissance facades and attics. One of the patron saints shown in relief on the building is St Nicholas, better known as Santa Claus.

Kazimierz Dolny is a small town and easy to walk around, coming across interesting sights as you go. As you climb the hill from the town square to the north-east, you pass the beautiful parish church which dominates the skyline. The uphill path then brings you to the castle ruins, and then the watchtower. This remnant of the town's medieval defences can be climbed and gives a stunning view of the town, the river and the ruins of the castle at Janowiec on the other bank. The view underlines Kazimierz's eligibility for the 'fairy-tale European village' category, as it is simply delightful.

Another attraction of the town is its walking trails, which all start and end in the town square. Denoted by coloured metal patches, they take you past historic buildings and churches, through woods and miniature gorges, and right out of town past a few surprises. The yellow trail leads past the entrance of the Soviet War Memorial, worth the detour to visit.

It is a forlorn place now, forgotten and ignored by Poles recently freed from Soviet domination. Small pictures on gravestones show young men from Georgia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan; all forgotten now, and who knows how often their distant families would be able to make the trip to visit their grave sites. It is a sad place and reminds you of the tragedy that has been as much a part of Polish history as beautiful woods and Renaissance towers.

Another reminder on the walk is the Jewish Monument, just out of town on a green and pleasant hillside. Jews were once an integral part of Kazimierz's population, forming half the population. In the Second World War, though, most lost their lives in Hitler's barbaric concentration camps. It left a hole in Kazimierz's heart which has only been partly healed by the Monument. Constructed from shards of Jewish tombstones desecrated by the Nazis, it forms a wall, broken only by a jagged gap symbolising the tearing apart of Jewish life in the town. It is a sombre place and worth seeing as a reminder of the past.

Further east from Kazimierz, near the Ukrainian border, is Zamosc. Where Kazimierz has Renaissance touches, Zamosc is the epitome of Renaissance design. The entire town was designed and built as a whole in the late 16th Century and incorporated the latest ideas of the day in urban planning. Surrounded by a star-shaped ring of fortifications, it carried out trade and withstood invasion for many years as its importance flourished. The city walls enclosed a palace, church, town hall, university and numerous shops and residences.

Unfortunately, Russian occupation during the 19th Century destroyed much of the Renaissance decoration as many of the buildings were adapted for military use. A slow but thorough restoration program is now in operation, however, and has already restored the original look to much of the town. The main square is the focal point and is one of the most picturesque in Poland. It is sharply geometrical, with the Town Hall on the north side standing out with its galleries and arcades.

Next to it are a number of stunning houses that once belonged to merchants but are now part of the local museum. Their facades are highlighted by distinctive colours that stand out in the sunshine. Around the square are other fine examples from the period. With attractions like this, it's a wonder that Zamosc is not better known to tourists; perhaps its distance from the well-worn tourist track is the reason.

To the south is Lancut, a medium-sized town with one main attraction - its castle. In fact it is a palace, built in the 17th Century along the lines of a French chateau and with fortifications laid out in the shape of a five-pointed star. The star remains as a large moat around the building, but is otherwise overgrown and not much defence against the tourists who now visit.

Lancut always held a superb art collection, and even after the last owner fled with the most precious pieces in 1944 in advance of the Red Army, there was enough to form the nucleus of a new collection in public hands. Now the palace's rooms are crammed with objets d'art of all kinds in the perfect elegant setting.

You walk around the palace in an anti-clockwise direction, passing through one room after another and examining the contents. Unusually for a Polish palace, you are not required to follow a tour guide and can wander through at leisure which is much more preferable to really enjoy the exhibits.

The great surprise at Lancut, however, is the presence of a reasonably-priced hotel in an annexe of the palace. The inexpensive rooms are a temptation difficult to resist. Perhaps the Hotel Zamkowy is a hangover from the days when the Communist authorities arranged for cheap travellers' lodgings in every town, perhaps it was a snub at the aristocracy who once owned it. In the West, it would probably be a five-star luxury hotel with prices to match.

To the west again, not far from Kazimierz Dolny, is the town of Sandomierz. At first glance it has less to offer than its neighbours, but it does have a few distinctive features. Firstly, its town square is built on a slope, with the Gothic town hall and its tower perched neatly on the upper slope. In fact the whole town is perched on a hill overlooking the Vistula, which makes for some impressive views.

As with other old Polish towns, it has the remains of defensive walls, gates and castle ruins. Its unusual feature though is the Underground Tourist Route. In the 1960s and '70s, during a restoration effort, a large number of old storage cellars were linked together beneath the city to make one connected route. Now you can travel with a guided group beneath the town, starting in a side street and ending up at the Town Hall. It is an interesting and different way to see medieval Poland.

Sandomierz's cathedral is also one with a difference. On the walls of its Baroque interior is a series of twelve large paintings called The Roman Martyrs, which depict every method of torture and butchery known to man at the time. They are horrific but fascinating, and a surprising thing to find in such a place. To understand it, you have to reflect on the way the early Christian martyrs were held up as examples of people who sacrificed everything for their beliefs. The paintings are still a strange contrast with the airily gilded Baroque decoration all around them.

The final place to visit is Baranow Sandomierski, a tiny village near Sandomierz whose one attraction is its small 16th Century palace. It's not a big place but it is one of the most beautiful Renaissance palaces in Poland and is still in fine condition. It has all the elements of the Renaissance: graceful arcades, attics and towers, with fine details such as masks on the column plinths and delicate carved portals.

A small museum of three restored rooms is open to the public and can be toured. Unfortunately, the dusty sulphur museum in the cellar, once maintained by the state-owned sulphur company, has closed. A disappointment, naturally, for die-hard enthusiasts of this particular element.

These are just a sample of the towns of south-east Poland. Many more have interesting churches, museums, castle ruins and the odd surprise. As Poland becomes a more popular destination for Western tourists, this area will probably become "discovered"; but you can guarantee there will always be a quiet corner of Malopolska where you can sit back, watch horses pulling ploughs and leave the 21st Century far behind.