Page 185 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Provence & The Côte d'Azur

ALPES-DE-HA UTE-PROVENCE  183

Napoleon in Provence
In his bid to regain power after his exile on Elba,
Napoleon knew his only chance of success was
to win over Sisteron. On 1 March, 1815, he secretly
sailed from the island of Elba, landing at Golfe-Juan
with 1,026 soldiers.
He hastily started his journey to Paris via
Grenoble, making his first stop at Grasse,
where the people shut their doors against
him. Abandoning carriages, cannon and horses,
Napoleon and his troops scrambled along mule-
tracks and across difficult terrain, surmounting
summits of more than 3,000 ft (1,000 m). At Digne,
he lunched at the Hôtel du Petit Paris before
spending the night at Malijai Château where he
waited for news of the royalist stronghold of Sisteron.
He was in luck. The arsenal was empty and he
entered the town on 5 March – a plaque on rue
du Jeu-de-Paume honours the event. The people The dramatic Napoleon Crossing the Alps, painted by Jacques
were, at last, beginning to warm to him. Louis David in 1800

the Italian border and straddles of them closed by snow until
the Alpes Maritimes region in June. Among them are the Col
the south. It is a haven for birds, de Cayolle (2,327 m/7,717 ft) on
wildlife and fauna, with two the D2202 to the east, and the
major archaeological sites. hair-raising Col d’Allos (2,250 m/
7,380 ft) on the D908 to the
E Musée de la Vallée west. South of Mont Pelat, in
10 ave de la Libération. Tel 04 92 81 the heart of the Parc National
27 15. Open Wed–Sat pm (Jul & Aug: du Mercantour, is the beautiful
daily). Closed mid-Nov–mid-Dec, 1 50-ha (124-acre) Lac d’Allos.
Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec. & 8 in summer. It is the largest natural lake
in Europe at this altitude. The
setting is idyllic, ringed by
4Mont Pelat snowy mountains, its crystal-
£ Thorame-Verdon. @ Colmars, clear waters swimming with
Allos. n Pl de la Coopérative, Allos trout and char. Another record-
(04 92 83 02 81). ∑ valdallos.com breaker is Cime de la Bonette,
One of the distinctive residential villas on the D64 northeast of Mont
in Barcelonnette This is the loftiest peak in Pelat, at 2,862 m (9,390 ft) the
the Provençal Alps, rising to highest pass in Europe. It has
of Provence in 1112. The town’s a height of 3,050 m (10,017 ft) what is perhaps the most
Alpine setting gives it a Swiss and all around are mountains magnificent view in all this
flavour; it also has Mexican spice. and breathtaking passes, some abundant mountain scenery.
The Arnaud brothers, whose
business in Barcelonnette was
failing, emigrated to Mexico and
made their fortune. Others followed,
and on their return in the early
20th century, they built grand
villas which encircle the town.
Housed in one of the villas is
the Musée de la Vallée, where
the Mexican connection is
explained through illustrations
and costumes. There are four
other branches of this museum
in the Ubaye valley, at St-Paul,
Jauziers, Pontis and Le Lauzet.
In summer there is an infor-
mation point here for the Parc
National du Mercantour (see
p101). The park stretches along Cime de la Bonette, the highest mountain pass in Europe