Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Savoie region grows Europe's highest mountains and is the top floor of the French
Alps (the lower Alpes-Dauphiné lie to the south). More than just a pretty-peaked face,
stubbornSavoiemaintaineditsindependencefromFranceuntil1860,whenmountainsbe-
came targets, rather than obstacles, for travelers. Savoie's borders once stretched south
to the Riviera and far west across the Rhône River Valley. Home to skier Jean-Claude
Killy and the very first winter Olympics (1924, in Chamonix), today's Savoie is France's
mountain-sports capital, featuring 15,771-foot Mont Blanc as its centerpiece. Boasting
wood chalets overflowing with geraniums and cheese fondue in every restaurant, Savoie
feels more Swiss than French.
