Bresse

Finally, the sovereigns of Savoy (Savouè) agreed to relocate to the Alpine part of the Duchy and to give up Bresse and Bugey in exchange for Château-Dauphin in Piedmont.

Bresse is noted for the 1,200,000 chickens per year which are raised primarily outdoors by 330 stockbreeders, with a minimum of 10 square metres per bird.

The countryside is bocage (woodlands), resulting in independent individuals within the community, organized around the parish and the commune.

Social structures, then, are defined by a mixture of conservatism, attachment to ancestral values, and direct democratic participation in community life.

The "conscripts' festival" (la fête des conscrits) is a ceremony for young people, 20 years of age.

It has its roots in the period of "conscription" founded by General Jourdan in 1798, who required that every man between 20 and 25 years could be called to national service.

The people gather at a large banquet during which traditional "rigodon" music is played by two musicians, on clarinet and drum.

The banquet is entirely organized by 20-year-old people, who make it a point of honour to personally invite each guest to visit their home.