Montélimar, France

Coordinates: 44° 33′ N | 4° 45′ E
Distance from Beziers: 143 miles (230 km)
Geographic Theme: Movement

Yellow jerseys and stuffed lions are fine prizes, sure, but after completing the longest leg of the Tour de France, wouldn’t a tired cyclist rather cross the finish line for the promise of something sweeter, say a year’s supply of world-famous nougat? Well, after Stage 13 on Saturday, which ends in the medieval town of Montélimar–the nougat capital–resourceful riders should have little difficulty satisfying their sweet tooth. Due south of Lyon in the Languedoc region, Montélimar has been manufacturing this popular confection since the seventeenth century by combining almond, pistachio, lavender honey, vanilla extract, and egg white. The almond trees that yield nougat’s main ingredient actually aren’t a native species, but have taken to the dry soil and temperate climate in the foothills of the Rhône Alps.

– Ben Keene, editor of Oxford Atlas of the World.