Page 103 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

THE RIVIER A AND THE ALPES M ARITIMES  101

kForêt de Turini
Road map F3. £ l’Escarène, Sospel.
@ Moulinet, Sospel. n La Bollène
(04 93 03 60 54).
Between the warm coast and the
chilly Alps, from the Gorges de
la Vésubie to the Vallée de la
Bévéra, lies this humid, 3,497-sq
km (1,350-sq mile) forest. Beech,
maple and sweet chestnut thrive
here, and pines grow to great
heights. At the forest’s north-
eastern edge is the 1,889-m
(6,197-ft) mountain of l’Authion,
site of heavy fighting in the
German retreat of 1945. Casualties
are recorded on a war memorial.
The neighbouring Pointe des
Trois-Communes, at 2,082 m
(6,830 ft), offers superb views Walkers above Lake Allos, Parc National du Mercantour
of the pre-Alps of Nice and
the peaks of the Mercantour remains of the castle of Lascaris’ xSaorge
national park. feudal lords, near the cemetery Road map F3. * 450. £ n La
above the town. Tende’s unusual Mairie, Avenue Docteur Joseph
lLe Parc National towers include that of the Davéo (04 93 04 51 23). ∑ saorge.fr
15th-century church of Notre-
du Mercantour Dame-de-l’Assomption. Lions Saorge is the prettiest spot in
support the pillars around the the Roya Valley. Set in a natural
Road map E2 & F2. £ Nice.
@ St Etienne de Tinée, Auron. Renaissance doorway and there amphitheatre high over the river,
n Maison du Parc, St Etienne de Tinée are green schist columns inside. its slate-roofed houses are tiered
(04 93 02 42 27). ∑ mercantour.eu The Vallée des Merveilles, between narrow alleys, in the
the most spectacular part of style of a typical stacked village
Scoured by icy glaciers and Mercantour national park, can or village empilé.
bristling with rocky summits, be visited with a guide. For Olive-wood carvings are
this sparsely populated park information, contact the tourist traditional, and carved lintels
covers 70,000 ha (270 sq miles). office at Tende or St-Dalmas. date many houses to the 15th
Among its unusual wildlife The most direct route starts century, when Saorge was a
are the chamois, the ibex from Lac des Mesches car park. stronghold. It was taken by the
and the mouflon, a sheep A two-and-a-half-hour walk French under Masséna in 1794.
which originated in leads to Lac Long and Le Churches range from the dank
Corsica. Sometimes visible Refuge des Merveilles. The 15th-century St-Sauveur with
in the mornings is the Mont Bégo area has 36,000 an Italian organ to the Baroque
marmot, a rodent which is engravings, dating from church of the Franciscan monas-
prey to golden eagles, and 2,000 BC, carved into the tery and the octagonal tower
the exotic lammergeier, rock face. They reveal a and Renaissance frescoes of La
a bearded vulture with Bronze Age culture of Madone-del-Poggio (open during
orange-red feathers and Tower at shepherds and farmers. European Heritage days only).
black wings. There are also Tende In Tende, the Musée des
many brightly coloured Merveilles is worth a visit.
butterflies and alpine flowers. Southeast of Tende, there are
fine paintings in the church at
La Brigue. Jean Canavesio’s
zTende 15th-century frescoes of
La Passion du Christ, and the
Road map F2. * 2,200. £ n 103
ave 16 Sep 1947 (04 93 04 73 71). lurid Judas pendu are in the
( Wed. ∑ tendemerveilles.com nearby Chapelle Notre-Dame-
des-Fontaines.
Sombre Tende once guarded the
mountain pass connecting Pied- E Musée des Merveilles
mont and Provence, now bypas- Ave du 16 Septembre 1947. Tel 04
sed by a tunnel. Its tall, green 93 04 32 50. Open Wed–Mon.
schist buildings appear piled on Closed public hols, 2 weeks View of Saorge from the Franciscan
top of each other. Only a wall mid-Mar & mid-Nov. 7 = monastery terrace