On the road

SOUTH PROVENCE-ALPES-CÔTE-D'AZUR REGION

Departments: Alpes de Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhône, Var, Vaucluse.

Population: 5.1 million

Prefecture: Marseille

Surface area: 31,400 km2

Specialities: Mediterranean cuisine, pizza, pissaladière, panisses, chichis, bouillabaisse, petits farcis (stuffed vegetables), alouette sans tête (mea trolls), pieds et paquets marseillais (lamb feet), salade niçoise, pan bagnat, gardiane de taureau (bull stew), sea urchins, fish (sea bream, sea bass, red mullet, denti, marbled, pageots, pagres, sars), wines (rosés of Provence, côtes de Provence, côtes du Rhône, Palette, Bandol...). 

 Sports clubs: Olympique Marseille, OGC Nice (football), Rugby Club Toulon. Cercle des Nageurs de Marseille (swimming).

Competitions: football world cup, Euro 2016 football, rugby world cup, rugby test matches, Tour de France cycling, Paris-Nice, GP La Marseille, Haribo Classic, Tour du Haut-Var, Tour de la Provence, beach volleyball, beach football, rugby in Toulon. Mondial à pétanque in Marseille. 

Tourist attractions: beaches and seaside resorts (Saint-Tropez, Nice, Saint-Raphaël, Fréjus, Cassis, Bandol etc...), Palais des Papes in Avignon, Arles (amphitheatre, Roman remains), Marseille (Old Port, Panier, calanques, château d'If, Mucem), Nice (Promenade des Anglais, old Nice, old port), Mont Ventoux, Cannes, ski resorts in the Hautes-Alpes and Alpes maritimes (Serre-Chevalier, Le Sauze, Orcières-Merlette, Isola 2000), Briançon (citadel), Aix-en-Provence.

Economy: 7% of French GDP, 3e region in France, 16e in Europe. Agriculture (wine, market gardening), service sector (80%), universities (Aix-Marseille, France's leading university, Nice, Toulon), ports (Marseille, La Ciotat, Nice), petrochemicals (Fos), logistics, Nice and Marseille airports, tourism.

Festivals: Cannes Festival (cinema), Avignon Festival (theatre), Chorégies d'Orange, Aix en Provence Festival (opera), Jazz à Nice, Marseille Festival (dance). Midem (Cannes), Marsatac (Marseille), Fiesta des Suds (Marseille), Plages électroniques (Cannes), Rencontres d'Arles (photography).

Website: www.maregionsud.fr

LA TRINITÉ (POP: 10,000)

Built along the River Paillon, La Trinité is an industrialised suburb of Nice, with a modern, dispersed settlement. Formerly a hamlet of the commune of Èze, from which it was separated in 1818, it was named La Trinité-Victor in honour of Victor-Emmanuel I, King of Sardinia, before becoming La Trinité in 1951. The village boasts a neo-classical church, a fountain dating back to 1654, quiet squares, a few brightly painted facades... and even the ruins of a medieval castle. Take the old Laghet road to discover the remains of a watchtower and drawbridge, both dating from the 11th century. The sanctuary of Notre-Dame de Laghet is a monastery that was built in the 17th century after miracles were performed here. Its reputation for miracles continued to grow, and it became one of the main centres of pilgrimage in eastern Provence and northern Italy. The sanctuary is even nicknamed the "little Lourdes of Nice"!

SOSPEL (POP: 3,800)

A medieval village at the gateway to the Mercantour Park, Sospel is famous for its old toll bridge. This type of bridge is one of the last in Europe and is a rare sight indeed. In addition to this historical curiosity, Sospel boasts a remarkable natural environment. Nestling on the banks of the River Bévéra, the medieval village lies just 20 km from Menton, at an altitude of around 350 metres. Ideally situated to see the enemy coming, it played a strategic role in history. Its importance grew with the creation of the Académie des Occupés Littéraires in 1702, where a number of historians, chroniclers and poets distinguished themselves. Of course, it was also a stopping-off point on the salt route. The Second World War almost devastated the town. But Sospel fought back, and even today proudly displays its rich historical heritage, with no fewer than seventeen listed buildings.  

Old bridge

Construction: 13th century.

History: certainly the symbol and the most romantic spot in the town. This fortified bridge spans the Bévéra river, which divides the town in two. It was built in the early 13th century, probably in wood, then rebuilt in stone in 1522. The two arches were apparently replaced in 1823. According to tradition, its central tower served as a toll booth between Piedmont and the Mediterranean on the famous Royal Salt Road between Nice and Turin. Its two asymmetrical arches allowed water to be channelled to the districts on the left bank. Linking the two banks of the Bévéra, its tower served as a home and housed various businesses until 1960. It was completely restored by the Beaux-Arts department in 1953 using local materials, following the damage caused in October 1944 during the fighting to liberate the valley.

Current use: the tower currently houses the Circle of Research on the Heritage and History of Sospel.   

Listed as: Historical monument since 1924.  

Co-cathedral of Saint-Michel

Construction: 17th century.

Style: Romanesque and Baroque.

History: in 1229, the population of Sospel was divided between three parishes, including that of Saint-Michel. The church has a Lombard Romanesque bell tower that survived the destruction of the Romanesque church. It comprises a high base dating from the late 12th century, pierced at the top by a narrow bay with high sides. It is topped by two storeys ending in a pyramid-shaped spire that must date from the first third of the 13th century. The church became a cathedral in 1378 when the town sided with the Pope of Avignon against the Antipope of Rome during the Great Western Schism, which lasted until 1411. During the plague epidemic of 1632, the people of Sospel vowed to rebuild the church. It was rebuilt in 1641 to the plans of Nice architect Jean-André Guiberto, who had built the cathedral of Sainte-Réparate in Nice. Construction lasted until 1672. Improvements to the second floor of the church façade and its pediment were made in 1762. This church is the largest in the Alpes-Maritimes. The church was restored in 1888 following the earthquake of 23 February 1887, which shook eastern Provence and Liguria.

Listed as: historical monument since 1951.

LA BOLLÈNE-VÉSUBIE (POP: 580)

At the foot of the road leading to the Turini pass, La Bollène-Vésubie has been a tourist destination since the end of the 19th century, thanks to its fresh air, the countless hikes that start from the village and the small winter sports resort on the slopes of the massif. The village is also notable for the Maginot Line installations in the commune, notably the Flaut defences and the Authion fortress, which were used in the fighting against Italy in June 1940. In the village, the butterfly museum, housed in the former chapel of the white penitents, exhibits a large collection of insects. In January, La Bollène is a must for the Monte Carlo Rally. 

 SAINT-MARTIN-DE-VÉSUBIE (POP: 1,410)

At the gateway to the Mercantour National Park, between the Boréon and Madone de Fenestre valleys and surrounded by 3,600 hectares of forest, this beautiful village, at an altitude of 975 m, offers a wide range of traditions and outdoor activities. Take a trip up lou Bial, a canal in the heart of the village, to discover the medieval centre and a number of mansions dating from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. There are still significant medieval traces in the heart of the village, around the church of the Madonna of Assumption. The Château site, narrow streets, arched doorways and medieval half-timbered houses. Even today, major remains of the ramparts (14th-16th centuries) surround the west side of the village, which can be accessed via the monumental Sainte-Anne gate. There are a number of historic sites to discover: Maison du Coiffeur (Hairdresser’s House), a typical medieval Alpine house; Place de la Frairie, where major assemblies were held and which today hosts numerous events; Gubernatis Palace, an aristocratic Renaissance stronghold which controlled the salt trade between Piedmont and Nice; and the parish church, a late 17th-century Baroque edifice which still has some of the architectural details of the earlier Romanesque and Gothic buildings that have now disappeared. Its main treasure is the sacred statue of the Madonna de Fenestres, carried in procession to the Sanctuary in early summer and brought back for the winter. The important religious heritage of Saint-Martin-Vésubie is completed by the chapel of the Black Penitents, a jewel of popular Alpine Baroque art, and the chapel of the Holy Cross or White Penitents, on Place du Marché. Recently restored and illuminated, the Genoese-style copper-bulb bell tower now stands as a rallying point for visitors. The village's past is on display in the old municipal museum. On 2 October 2020, during storm Alex, the Boréon torrent and the Vésubie and Tinée rivers rose 7 to 8 metres above normal levels, causing extensive material damage in Saint-Martin-Vésubie, including the collapse of the Maïssa bridge over the Boréon, and the destruction of the village's petrol station, fire station, part of the industrial estate and police station.  

Mercantour National Park

The Mercantour National Park is a protected natural area offering an incredible diversity of landscapes, flora and fauna, with more than 2,000 species of flowers. It borders the Italian Alpi Marittime Park, with which it is twinned. In the Vésubie valley, nature reigns over the crystalline massif. The highest point in the department, the Gélas overlooks lush, forested valleys that are home to some exceptional wildlife. Passing through the Gordolasque, you reach the Vallée des Merveilles (Valley of Wonders), whose impressive glacial landscape, dotted with unreal colours, will enchant mountain enthusiasts by revealing the secrets of this mysterious site through its rock engravings. The Alpi Marittime - Mercantour European Nature Park is in the process of having its territory listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The House of the National park, in the centre of St-Martin-Vésubie, offers events, exhibitions and tools for discovering the natural environment.

COL DE LA COLMIANE (1,503 M)

Col de la Colmiane, or Col Saint-Martin, links the Tinée valley to the Vésubie valley. It has already been ridden three times by Tour de France riders: in 1973, with Pedro Torres in the lead; in 1975, when Lucien Van Impe was the first to reach the summit in a stage to Pra-Loup marked by Eddy Merckx's failure and Bernard Thévenet's victory; then in 2020, it was Benoît Cosnefroy who opened the road. In 2017, Col de la Colmiane marked the finish of the penultimate stage of Paris-Nice, won by Simon Yates. The British rider took the leader's jersey before losing it by four seconds in Nice to Marc Soler. In 2021, Primoz Roglic won the stage ahead of the late Gino Mader, before also losing the Yellow Jersey after three crashes on the final stage.

 SAINT-SAUVEUR-DE-TINÉE (POP: 300)

Saint-Michel Church

Construction: 16th and 17th centuries. 

Style: Gothic and Baroque.

History: all that remains of a church built in the 16th century is the Gothic bay and the bell tower topped by a pyramid-shaped spire dated 1532. The church was rebuilt in the 17th century, probably as a result of war.

Listed as: historical monument since 1939.

Col de Couillole

Already a storied part of Tour de France history, Col de la Couillole is a mountain pass, high in the French Alps.

Climbing more than 1,100 metres over the course of 16 kilometres, this mountain road is surrounded by rocky outcrops and green meadows.

Starting in the commune of Saint--Sauveur-Sur-Tinée, the route takes in the picturesque villages of Roure and Roubion, whose colourful stone buildings stand out dramatically among the alpine flora.

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