With a history stretching back more than 2,000 years to the Gallo-Roman era, Grenoble is the largest city in the Alps, ahead of Innsbruck. The capital of the Isere department, it owes its size to the development of glove-making and hydropower in years gone by, but more recently it has become one of the most important centres of scientific research in Europe.

Rich in both history and culture, Grenoble boasts a large number of theatres, auditoriums and museums, including the Museum of Grenoble – one of France's leading museums of fine art – and the Museum of Natural History. It is also a popular tourist destination, thanks to its proximity to the mountains and several resorts for winter-sports enthusiasts. Indeed, Grenoble hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1968.

Football
While it might be tempting to assume that Grenoble lives for winter sports, football holds an important place in the local sporting landscape – thanks in particular to Grenoble Foot 38, founded in 1897 and one of the oldest clubs in France. GF38's list of trophies may be limited to a pair of second-division titles, but some exceptional talents have spent time at the club in the past, such as Youri Djorkaeff, Olivier Giroud, Gustavo Poyet and Sofiane Feghouli.