Sept. 4 - Jean Jacques Rousseau left Switzerland and found this sparking lakeside town. The noted 18th century writer and philosopher whose writings became an inspirations for the French Revolution found romance in this place.

After Napoleon III helped liberate Italy from Austria, the Italians rewarded the French by giving them the province of Savoy. Annecy is the capital of the Haute-Savoie region and it is one of the prettiest towns in France. In the 19th century, European nobility chose Lake Annecy as an idyllic vacation spot and built villas at the water's edge. At nine miles long, Lake Annecy may not be the largest Alpine basin but, surrounded by wooded peaks, it has an unspoiled beauty that has not succumbed to pollution, unlike lakes Como and Garda in Italy. It claims to be Europe's cleanest lake.

The preserved 12th century Palais de I'Isle (in the background), a former prison, sits in the middle of the Thiou River in Annecy's old quarter, where pastel-hue house line the canals. Outdoor cafes cluster along the Rue St. Claire. On the hilltop is Chateau d'Annecy, residence of various counts and dukes who once ruled Savoy. Dominated by a massive 12th century tower, the castle's vast cobblestone courtyard could hold on army of mounted knights. Another tower, this one form the 15th century, has some striking period ceilings and doubles as a modern art museum.

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