The town of Briançon in the Alps is the highest town in France (1200 meters) and the second highest town in Europe (after Davos in Switzerland).The billboard located at the entry of the town says that it is sunny 300 days a year. And it doesn’t lie.
Briançon is not so far from Italy (15km from the Italian border) and a lot of Italians go there or live there. Most of them speak French and those who don’t speak French can easily speak Italian with the inhabitants who learn this language at school, while students of the rest of the country learn English.
The inhabitants of Briançon also enjoy the proximity of Italy. They often go there to buy alcohol and cigarettes because they are cheaper. Moreover, they had special prices for the Olympic Games which took place in Torino last year. This amity between Italians and the inhabitants of Briançon is recent: the old part of Briançon was actually fortified by Vauban in order to prevent invasions from Italy.
In summer, you can go hiking around. The landscape is beautiful and you can, if you are lucky, cross a marmot or a chamois on your way. When I was a child, I used to play on the small spaces of snow which hadn’t yet melted. Now, because of global warming, it is rare to find snow in summer.
In winter, you can go skiing, whether you are a beginner or experienced. You can also enjoy the terraces of the cafés on the ski runs because they are always sunny.
Finally, if you are addicted to skiing as I am, you can ski by night on some opened ski runs and enjoy the view of the city. 
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