Annecy

The counts of Geneva held court at Annecy from the 10th century, and their castle still overlooks the old town. The town passed to the counts of Savoy in 1401 and became a regional capital in 1444. After the Reformation, the bishop of Geneva moved his seat here in 1535, making Annecy a centre of the Counter-Reformation; Francis de Sales, later canonised, was bishop from 1602 to 1622.

Savoy was annexed to France in 1860 under the Treaty of Turin, and Annecy became the capital of the new department of Haute-Savoie. The Palais de l'Isle, built as a modest fortified house in the 12th century, was classified as a historic monument in 1900. In 2017 Annecy merged with five neighbouring communes, more than doubling its population. The town is also known for its international animated film festival, one of the oldest in the world.

Annecy is a working prefecture town as well as a resort, with a lively student and outdoor-sports scene. Savoyard cheeses such as Reblochon, Tome des Bauges and Abondance are sold in the old-town markets and fill restaurant menus in fondues and tartiflette. On warm evenings locals gather on the lawns of the Pâquier and along the canals.