Aix-les-Bains is a thermal spa town on Lake Bourget in the Savoie, eastern France. Swimming, sailing and golf are popular sports. Landmarks include the Roman ruin, Temple of Diana, in the town hall and the belle epoque Château de la Roche du Roi. The Abbaye d'Hautecombe, on the opposite shore of the lake, is a 12th-century royal burial site. Nearby Mont Revard has mountain bike, Alpine and cross-country ski trails.
Situated on the cultural boundary between Franco-Provençal, Occitan and Piedmontese, the area is now divided by the French-Italian border. It extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south.
Savoy emerged as the feudal County of Savoy ruled by the House of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries.[3] The original territory, also known as "ducal Savoy" or "Savoy proper", is largely co-terminous with the modern French Savoie and Haute-Savoie départements, but the historical expansion of Savoyard territories, as the Duchy of Savoy (1416–1860) included parts of what is now western Italy and southwestern Switzerland. The current border between France and Italy is due to the Plombières Agreement of 1858, which in preparation for the unification of Italy ceded western Savoy to France, while the eastern territories in Piedmont and Liguria were retained by the House of Savoy, which was to become the ruling dynasty of Italy.
