WEEKENDER


ANNECY REGION


In the Haute-Savoie region of south-eastern France, Annecy and its lake tend to grab the limelight, but extending your visit to the surrounding peaks makes for an all-round Alpine getaway. Words: Rebecca Miles


Paul Cézanne thought Annecy picturesque to a fault. He’s said to have sneered when visiting in 1896, dismissing it as a landscape for travel sketchbooks. It could be why, when he painted it anyway, his work — titled Le Lac d’Annecy — portrayed a wilder scene than many might expect. Framing the view from Talloires, it captured the gentleness of the lake but a sense of mystery to the mountains behind it, too. In life as in art, the allure of this destination


lies in this contrast. Lake Annecy is found within the Annecy Mountains region, which includes the Aravis range and villages of


Le Grand-Bornand, La Clusaz and Manigod. In summer, this means the best of both Alpine worlds: mess about on the water, then head higher for hiking, biking and fresh air. Away from the trails, Annecy town is


marking 20 years as one of France’s ‘Villes et Pays d’Art et d’Histoire’, a label for destinations that promote their heritage; it has 28 historic sites to discover. Celebrate in August with the annual Fête du Lac, Europe’s largest fi rework display, or Au Bonheur des Mômes, a festival that brings theatre, dance and a mischievous spirit to Le Grand-Bonard.


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