The National 7 was the road that led to holidays, paid leave and sunny destinations. But, also the road of traffic-jams, running out of fuel and motorists with big demands. The truck-stops, roadside cafés, hotel-restaurants and service-stations, filled tummies and oil-tanks. Whilst many of these facilities have disappeared, some have become legendary “houses”, home to Michelin-starred chefs: the Pyramide in Vienne, the Pic family in Valence and the Troisgros empire in Roanne… Chefs from father to son for four generations, the Troisgros family have opened their kitchens and archives to us. Not far from them, a number of inns have also survived, cultivating nostalgia and taking advantage of a new and increasingly popular travel trend: “slow-tourism”.