All of you have heard of the French Riviera -- la Côte d'Azur. But behind the coastline, in the hills that back right up to the water, lie dozens of seldom-visited villages, and linked by marvelous walking trails, often the ancien paths from one village to the next. Here you'll find authentic people and an authentic welcome, and just a fraction of the tourists who vie for space along the crowded beaches below.
My job here last week was to create a self-guided walking holiday, starting at the town of La Brigue and slowly making my way down to Menton, on the Mediterranean Sea. I stayed in a local gîte for two nights in La Brigue, run by farmer Jean-Louis Molinaro, seen in the picture below.
The cozy medieval village of La Brigue is set just below the Italian border, and in fact was Italian until 1947. The town is a fusion of Franco-Italian culture: the street names, the architecture, the foods, and the language: you'll hear as much French as Italian spoken on the streets, if not the local Brigasque dialect.
The gem of the town is set 2km away: the Notre Dame des Fontaines chapel, and its eerily intact 15th century Italian frescoes, depicting a 25-step version of the Passion of Christ.
The colourful façades in La Brigue.
The walking paths around town lead up in every direction: the villages are nestled at the base of the valley and the the slopes are green and steep. The Italian border is the natural ridgeline that can be seen in the background in the photo below, and is also the watershed that divides water that falls either into the Mediterranean or the Ardiatic Seas. Via these paths, and on a very pleasant and panoramic hike, I reached Tende, the last town before the Italian border.
Where Italy meets France on the railway line...
The last French towns before the Italian border are serviced solely by an Italian train, a remnant of the region's not-so-distant Italian past. In the town of Breil-sur-Roya passengers switch to the modern and comfortable French counterpart, always a pleasure to ride (when they're on time...)
Without a doubt the most spectacular village in the valley is Saorge, perched vertiginously above a gorge, its homes narrow and many stories high (many stories by medieval standards...), taking advantage of the small space available on its rocky crag, and all facing the southern sun like a cramped field of sunflowers.
In Saorge, a seemingly chaotic, gravity-defying and lego-like architecture of homes built atop one another and separated by narrow, cobbled streets.
In Saorge...
In Saorge...
My next stop was Breil-sur-Roya, a town shaped like a crescent -- or should I say croissant -- along the Roya River. Here too you'll find a mix of all things Italian and French, with a great little off-the-beaten-path restaurant La Bonne Auberge.
From Breil sur Roya the real fun begins on the walking trails: the paths follow alongside centuries-old terrace walls and through the olive groves, halfway between valley and crest. On my last day of walking I would witness the crumbling of a section of a stone terrace wall just 50m ahead of me on the path -- a wall, several times older than myself, meeting its end before my eyes, giving me a sense of both eternal and finite at once...
In the middle of nowhere the tiny village of Piène Haute appears, just a stone's throw from the Italian border (not a figurative stone's throw but a literal one, and especially considering the village's perched position, the stone makes it to Italy without a problem).
Beyond Piène Haute, and via a path adorned with ancient specimens of olive trees, you make it to Italy, in the small village of Olivetta
In Italy the dress codes change and even the public bathroom signs are more elegant:
The menu in the village's sole restaurant could use some work, although the crazy water fish was tempting.
The walk led to the medieval town of Sospel, seen below:
Above the town of Sospel, a refreshingly shaded path through the ash forest, and in easy zigzags, leads to...
...the summit of Mont Ours. At over 1200m in altitude, I'm perched high above the Mediterranean, with an awe-inspiring panorama. In the very centre of the photo is the goal of the day's walk: the medieval village of Saint Agnès, itself perched at 800m above sea level. Only 3km from the coastline as the crow flies, Sainte Agnès is touted as the highest coastline village in Europe ("highest coastline" is a bit of an oxymoron but we'll overlook it) .
Entering Sainte Agnès' cobbled streets:
I'd been in the village at least ten times, but this would be the first time I'd spend the night. The hikers' hotel Saint Yves proved to be far more comfortable than I had imagined, its prices miraculously outdated for the Riviera, a wonderful ambiance, and two meals in their restaurant that even I couldn't finish (I'm never frightened by large portions)
A view from my room:
A stained glass maker in town:
The streets of Sainte Agnès at dusk...
From the village of Sainte Agnès, looking out towards the Bay of Menton, tomorrow's walking destination.
From Sainte Agnès most of the day is a descent save the 30 minute walk up to the perched village of Castellar. Castellar, with its quiet streets, sole bar and grocery store, is a last bastion of tranquility before reaching the Côte d'Azur.
The walk descends right atop the old part of Menton, probably the prettiest town on the Riviera:
Menton...
