Rhône-Alpes Travel Guide

Contents
1. Introduction 2. History 3. Cuisine 4. Places to Visit

Mont Aiguille, Vercors Plateau.

Introduction

Rhône-Alpes is France's second largest and second wealthiest (in GDP per capita) region after the Île-de-France. Almost exactly the size of Denmark and slightly more populous (6.2 million against 5.5 million inhabitants), Rhône-Alpes is the 6th largest economy of any European region.

Its capital, Lyon, is only second to Paris in size and is often acclaimed as the gastronomic capital of France (at least outside Paris), which also makes it one of the best places to eat in the world. In Roman times, Lyon (Lugdunum) was the capital of Gallia Lugdunensis, a province stretching from Brittany to the Alps.

Rhône-Alpes is composed of the former Duchy of Savoy (annexed to France in 1860), of the historical province of Lyonnais, of the southern part of Burgundy and the northern half of Dauphiné. The sparsely populated, laid-back Alpine region contrasts sharply with the hustle-bustle of the Rhône Valley.

The traditional Franco-Provençal and Vivaro-Alpine languages have virtually disappeared since King Francis I tried to impose Parisian French as the only official language of the kingdom. Most of the 50,000 Franco-Provençal speakers left in the region today are in Savoy (Savoie and Haute-Savoie departments), which did not become French until the late 19th century.

Famous people from Rhône-Alpes include (chronologically): the writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the celebrity chef Paul Bocuse, the ECB president Jean-Claude Trichet, and the composer Jean Michel Jarre.

History

The history of the Rhône-Alpes region spans over 30,000 years, beginning with the earliest human settlements around the Chauvet caves in modern-day Ardèche, where prehistoric inhabitants created some of history's finest examples of cave art. Celtic tribes gradually populated the region from the 6th century BCE, establishing cities along the banks of the Rhône and Saône rivers. The area witnessed Hannibal's famous Alpine crossing in 218 BCE during his campaign against Rome, though this could not prevent the subsequent Roman conquest led by Julius Caesar. Under Roman rule, which lasted until 476 CE, the region flourished as part of the provinces of Lugdunensis and Gallia. Lyon, originally founded by the Gauls, became a major city in the Roman Empire and a crucial trading hub connecting northern and southern Europe. The Romans constructed an extensive network of roads and aqueducts to bring mountain water to the cities, leaving architectural remains that continue to be discovered today, including three Roman barges unearthed in Lyon as recently as 2003.

During the medieval period, the region became part of the Merovingian and Carolingian kingdoms before evolving into royal French territory under the Capetians. The Middle Ages saw the strengthening of royal authority over the Rhône Valley, whilst the Counts of Savoie governed the higher Alps and the Dauphins ruled the Dauphiné area. In 1268, a significant but short-lived union occurred when a dauphin married the daughter of a Count of Savoie, temporarily uniting the two domains. The last dauphin sold his territories to the French King in 1349, after which the title of "Dauphin" was reserved for the heir to the French crown. The 15th century brought further territorial consolidation when Savoie united with the Italian province of Piedmont to form the Dukedom of Savoie, whilst Lyon was granted a monopoly for silk production and trade throughout France. King Louis XI inherited Savoie in 1481, initiating a complex period during which the area alternated between French, Savoyard, and even Spanish rule for eight years. The 16th-century Wars of Religion proved particularly devastating for the Dauphiné and Vivarais areas, with entire towns destroyed in the religious conflicts.

The region's modern history began turbulently when Lyon resisted Revolutionary forces in the 1790s, facing severe reprisals as a result. Savoie was returned to the French crown in 1748, became the property of King Victor-Emmanuel I of Sardinia in 1815, and finally joined France definitively in 1860 following an overwhelming plebiscite vote. During World War II, Lyon emerged as a crucial centre for the French Resistance, where Jean Moulin unified the movement and organised the secret Forces Françaises de L'Intérieur that operated throughout southern France. The Dauphiné's Vercors Mountains became a major Resistance stronghold and witnessed fierce battles near Thorens-Glières. Following the war, the region developed into France's second most important economic area after Paris, with the Lyon-Saint-Étienne-Grenoble triangle forming a powerhouse of industrial and commercial activity. The historic Rhône-Alpes region, comprising eight départements, existed as an administrative entity until 2016, when it merged with Auvergne to create the new region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Cuisine

Culinary specialities from the Rhône Valley include quenelles (a mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat), grattons (pork grilled in fat), caillette au épinard (spinach quail), gras double (tripe cooked with onions), barboton (lamb stew with potatoes and carrots), salade lyonnaise (lettuce with bacon, croutons and a poached egg), soupe à l'oignon, poulet au vinaigre, civet de porc, tête de veau sauce verte,, and poulet de Bresse aux morilles (Bresse chicken with morels).

Culinary specialities from the Alps include gratin dauphinois, Savoy cheese fondue, ramequin (a sort of cheese fondue), raclette, tartiflette (potatoes cooked in reblochon cheese, lardons and onions), polenta, œufs à la Monteynard (rice mixed in soft-boiled eggs and cheese), and matafan (a salty crêpe with potatoes).

The better known cheeses of the region are Abondance, Beaufort, Bleu de Bresse, Bleu de Gex, Bleu de Termignon, Bleu du Vercors, Cervelle de canut, Fourme de Montbrison, Picodon de Crest, Reblochon, Saint-Marcellin, Sarasson, Vacherin, and various kinds of Tomme.

Desserts include bugnes lyonnaises (angel wings), coussins de Lyon (sweets made of chocolate and marzipan), marrons glacés, matefins (thick apple pancake), nougat, poire à la beaujolaise, pommes caramélisées, tarte à la Cuerde, tarte aux citrons meringuées, tarte aux pralines, tarte bressane, tarte au sucre, and tarte flambée.

Rhône-Alpes has four wine-growing regions: the Beaujolais in the north, the Côteaux du Lyonnais around Lyon, the Côtes du Rhône in the south, and Savoy in the east. The town of Voiron, in Isère, makes the green and yellow chartreuse liqueur. The Evian and Badoit mineral waters come respectively from the Haute-Savoie and Loire departments.