Page 384 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

The Vercors is one of France’s most
magnificent regional parks – a wilderness
of pine forests, mountains, waterfalls,
caves and deep, narrow gorges.

13 r
EXPERIENCE The Rhône Valley and French Alps serre-chevalier.com tourisme-paysde
Briançon
Grignan
! F6 ⌂ Drôme @ n Pl
! G5 ⌂ Hautes-Alpes £ @
du Jeu de Ballon; www.
n 1 place du Temple; www.
grignan.com
The highest town in Europe,
Situated on a rocky hill sur-
at 1,320 m (4,330 ft), Briançon
has been an important
rounded by fields of lavender,
this pleasant village owes its
stronghold since pre-Roman
fame to Madame de Sévigné,
times, guarding as it does the
road to the Col de Montgen-
who wrote many of her cele-
èvre, one of the oldest and
brated letters while staying at
the Château de Grignan.
most important passes into
Built during the 15th and
Italy. At the beginning of the
18th century, the town was
fortified with ramparts and
one of the finest Renaissance
gates, still splendidly intact,
structures in this region of
by Louis XIV’s military archi-
France. Its interior contains
Bernard in the Vercors
fine Louis XII furni ture and
tect, Vauban. If driving, park 16th centuries, the château is The village of Château
at the Champs de Mars, and Aubusson tapestries. Regional Park
enter the pedestrianized Old From the château’s terrace,
Town by way of the Porte a panoramic view extends as
de Pignerol. far as the Vivarais mountains mountain peaks, spectacular
This leads to the Grande in the Ardèche. Directly below waterfalls, caves and deep,
Rue, a steep, narrow street the terrace, the Église de St- narrow gorges.
with a stream running down Saveur was built in the 1530s, The D531 out of Grenoble
the middle and bordered by and contains the tomb of runs through Villard-de-Lans,
lovely period houses. The Madame de Sévigné, who died a good base for excur sions,
nearby Église de Notre-Dame here in 1696 at the age of 70. and continues west to the
dates from 1718, and was also dark Gorges de la Bournes.
built by Vauban with an eye Château de Grignan About 8 km (5 miles) further
to de fence. To visit Vauban’s "' # 10am–6pm daily west, the hamlet of Pont-en-
citadel, stop in at the tourist ¢ Public hols ∑ chateaux- Royans is sited on a limestone
office, where you can arrange ladrome.fr gorge, its stone houses built
a guided tour. into the rocks overlooking the
Briançon is also a major River Bourne.
centre for sport, with skiing 15 South of Pont-en-Royans
in winter, and rafting, cycling along the D76, the Route de
and para gliding in summer. The Vercors Combe-Laval snakes along a
Just to the west of town, ! F5 ⌂ Isère & Drôme sheer cliff above the roaring
the Parc National des Écrins ~ Grenoble £ Romans-sur-
is the largest of the French Isère, St-Marcellin, Gren-
national parks, offering a oble @ Pont-en-Royans, INSIDER TIP
range of lofty peaks and Romans-sur-Isère Olives of Nyons
glaciers, and a magnificent n Maison du Parc: 255 As the southern Alps
variety of Alpine flowers. chemin des Fusillés, Lans- cascade into Provence,
The Parc Naturel Régional en-Vercors 38250; www. the climate and land are
du Queyras is accessible from parc-du-vercors.fr more Mediterranean.
Briançon over the rugged The Nyons area is famed
Col de l’Izoard, a great wall To the south and west of for its Tanche olives and
of 3,000-m- (9,850-ft-) high Grenoble, the Vercors is one olive oil, with Protected
peaks that separate this wild of France’s most magnificent Designation of Origin
and beautiful national park regional parks – a wilderness (PDO/AOC) status.
from neighbouring Italy. of pine forests, jagged
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