Savoie: Alpine Resorts and Former Italian Territory
Savoie only became French in 1860 when the House of Savoy ceded it and Nice to Napoleon III in exchange for French support for Italian unification. Chambery, the prefecture, was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy for centuries and still has an Italian feel in its old town arcades. The department's identity is now firmly tied to Alpine skiing: Val d'Isere, Courchevel, Meribel, and La Plagne are among the most famous resorts in the world.
The Vanoise National Park, France's first national park (1963), protects high Alpine territory on the Italian border. The Frejus rail tunnel connects France to Italy through the mountains. Aix-les-Bains, on Lac du Bourget (the largest natural lake entirely within France), was a fashionable spa town in the nineteenth century. The permanent population is about 445,000, but the seasonal influx for winter sports multiplies this considerably.
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Savoie only became French in 1860 when the House of Savoy ceded it and Nice to Napoleon III in exchange for French support for Italian unification. Chambery, the prefecture, was the capital of the Duchy of Savoy for centuries and still has an Italian feel in its old town arcades. The department's identity is now firmly tied to Alpine skiing: Val d'Isere, Courchevel, Meribel, and La Plagne are among the most famous resorts in the world.
The Vanoise National Park, France's first national park (1963), protects high Alpine territory on the Italian border. The Frejus rail tunnel connects France to Italy through the mountains. Aix-les-Bains, on Lac du Bourget (the largest natural lake entirely within France), was a fashionable spa town in the nineteenth century. The permanent population is about 445,000, but the seasonal influx for winter sports multiplies this considerably.
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