r_showtris 2 shows everything that is currently rendered, and in some locations things will be culled (either naturally or with the help of your hint brushes). r_showtris 1 is less useful and doesn't show anything more than what you see without it.
Yeah, Southern France uses a mixture of hints and vis_leafgroups.
Here is a simple map I set up to show hints/structural: http://www.mediafire.com/file/k0xv9b...lling.pk3/file
The bsp and map is included. Just load it as you would a single player map. Use r_showtris 2 to see what is rendered where.
Notice that the two rooms with a door and no windows does not render at all until you open the door. This is using an areaportal brush that is placed inside the door with the same width and height as the door. It has to be inside the door though (not outside it on either the front or the back). It only works if your room is completely sealed with normal structural brushes, hence why the one with the window doesn't have one (even a hint brush on the window doesn't allow it to work either). Check the .map to see how it was placed.