Privas

Privas is the birthplace of Clément Faugier, who in the late 19th century built the enterprise that made Ardèche chestnuts — and the marron glacé and crème de marrons derived from them — famous across France. The town, France's least populated departmental prefecture, also carries a significant Protestant history and was the site of the 1629 Siege of Privas. It sits in mountain terrain in southeastern France, with a café and restaurant scene that punches above its modest size.

• Population9,545
• Nearest water from center0.3 km
• Nearest mountain from center7.0 km
• UNESCO within 50 km1