Twelve million pairs of gloves are manufactured annually at Grenoble, representing a value of £1,600,000. The material is given out to the workmen, both men and women, upwards of 25,000, who make it into gloves in their own houses. Certain improvements introduced by Xavier Jouvin in 1840 gave a great impulse to the glove trade and manufacture of Grenoble, but for some years both have been seriously on the decline. Excellent liqueurs, principally of cherries, are made in the department. The wines are indifferent, chiefly because the vines are not well selected.
Courrier every night at 9 to La Motte, 15 m. N., for 2 frs. Returns next day at 8. Coach daily to Barcelonnette, time 11 hrs. (see p. 341), passing Monètier, Allemont, the ancient Roman station of Mutatio on the Roman road and the Durance. 7½ m. N.E. are the ruins of N. D. de Chardavan, in a narrow valley. 1¼ m. N.E. is St. Geniès, with a saline sulphurous spring, and strata of anhydrite gypsum, black marble, anthracite, and lead ore.
the french
WALDENSIAN VALLEYS
see caption
Sassenage.
3¾ m. N. from Grenoble by the Pont du Drac is Sassenage. Omnibuses start from the Place Grenette, fare 40 c. The Sassenage et Noyarez omnibuses leave their passengers at the entrance into the town near the H. Faure, but the Sassenage-Fontaine omnibuses go up to the “Place” and stop before the inn *H. du Commerce. To the left of the inn is the house of the guide for Les Cuves, whose services are necessary to be able to cross the Furon and the torrent from the Cuves. This is a most enjoyable little trip from Grenoble, and Sassenage itself makes a very pleasant residence in May. An immense number of small vehicles are constantly running to the Pont du Drac; whence it is a very pleasant walk of a little more than 2½ m. to Sassenage. The suspension bridge over the Drac was one of the first of this kind constructed in France, but instead of being hung on chains it is supported by long narrow plates held together by strong pivots. The gigantic and lofty cliffs about Sassenage are composed of limestone strata of great thickness, much valued for building purposes. The path to the Cuves commences at the left side (approaching) of the H. du Commerce, and, having passed through a doorway, enters a kind of park and ascends by the right side of the Furon. About 1½ m. up is a great cavern, so sharply cut that it looks as if it had been made artificially, out of which rushes a copious stream of pure water. After crossing the torrent, an ascent is made of a little more than 150 ft. to an enormous vault, within which are two caves, called Les Cuves, out of each of which rushes a great volume of water, which united passes under the cavern below called the Four des Fées. After this two or three beautiful cascades, quite near, are visited, and the Furon is crossed and the return made by the left side of this most picturesque river. From the Cuves side is seen part of the ruins of the old castle of the Berangers, to which a series of steps leads up, commencing near the mills, left bank. Their modern castle, built in the 17th cent., stands within a large park adjoining the village. The large halls are furnished with antique furniture and hung with paintings, a large proportion being family and historical portraits. The bedrooms of the marquis and marchioness are hung with old tapestry. The so-called Sassenage cheese is made in the mountains around Villard and Lans, some miles to the south of Grenoble. The general quality is not so good as formerly, as more of the cream now is used for making butter.
Grenoble to Briançon.
Grenoble to Briançon by Bourg d’Oisans and the Col de Lautaret (see map p. 304). Distance, 69 m. E. Diligence daily. When there is much snow, the Col is passed on sledges. Time, 15 to 18 hrs., according to the state of the road. Fare, 16 and 14 frs. As the diligence from Briançon to Grenoble stops several hours at Bourg d’Oisans, it is a good plan to alight there for the night. This magnificent mountain-road, commenced by Napoleon I. in 1804, opened in 1842, and finished in 1868, makes a charming walking excursion; while from almost every village grand mountain tours may be made. Bourg d’Oisans, with a comfortable inn, the H. de France, makes capital quarters. There are besides very fair inns at Le Freney, H. d’Europe; La Grave, H. Juge; Le Dauphin, Inn Dode; Le Monètier, H. Alliey, and even in the Hospice itself on the top of the Pass, where beds and food may be had at most reasonable charges.
Claix. Vizille. Séchilienne.
5 m. from Grenoble by a straight road bordered with elms, between the river Drac and the railway, is the village of Claix. Inn: H. de France, with a bridge across the Drac, having a span of 85 ft. and 53 ft. above the river, built in 1611 by Lesdiguières. 5½ m. farther S. by a road between poplars is Vizille, pop. 3900. Inns: Imbert; Lion d’Or, near each other; their omnibuses await passengers at the station. A manufacturing town on the Romanche, in a valley between high mountains. 15 m. from Grenoble is Séchilienne, pop. 1300. Inn: Petit Versailles, where the horses are changed. A village of one street, magnificently situated, 1182 ft. above the sea, in the valley of the Romanche, surrounded by steep mountains towering above each other. To the S. is Mont Taillefer, 9390 ft., ascended from Séchilienne in about 6 hrs. In 1½ hr. the hamlet of La Morte is reached, whence the ascent lies through pastures and pine woods to some steep rocks. The track then, leaving on the right a small tarn, keeps along the base of the rocks to an abandoned mine, where it runs along the ridge called the Arete de Brouffier, overlooking the valley of the Combe de Valloire on the right and the Combe de Gavet on the left. The ridge leads to a small plateau, usually covered with snow; whence a second ridge leads up to the highest peak.
From Séchilienne the diligence passes through the hamlet of Riouperoux, in a narrow defile, among broken masses of rocks brought down by the terrible flood of the 14th September 1219, which desolated the plain from Oisans to Grenoble. 22 m. from Grenoble is the hamlet of Livet at the foot of the Grand Galbert, on the Romanche near its junction with the Olle. Up the Olle are the foundries of Allemont and the argentiferous lead mines of Chalanche. Here is also the Pointe de l’Infernet, 8184 ft., at the entrance to the defile leading up to the Bella Donna.
Bourg d’Oisans. Ecrins. Road to the Ecrins.
29 m. from Grenoble is Le Bourg d’Oisans, 2190 ft, pop. 3100. Inns: France; Milan; Poste. As the diligence from Briançon remains at the Bourg some hours, it is a good plan to break the journey here and start next morning. The village is situated near the Romanche, surrounded either by the vertical cliffs of mountains, upwards of 1000 ft. high, or by their steep but carefully-cultivated slopes studded with houses and hamlets. An easy excursion of 4 hrs. may be made to Lac Blanc, 6170 ft. above Le Bourg, one of the highest lakes for its dimensions in the Alps. It is nearly ½ m. long and 110 yds. wide, and commands an extensive view. From the Bourg a tract mounts nearly due N. in 3 hrs. by the villages of La Garde and Huez to the plateau of Brandes with ruins attributed to the Romans, abandoned mines and valuable deposits of anthracite worked in several places. 1 hr. farther is Lake Blanc.
Many interesting mountain excursions may be taken from this town, of
which the most important is to the Ecrin Group, by Vosc, 7½ m., St. Christophe
13 m., and La Berarde other 10½ m. Entire distance to La
Berarde from Oisans, 23½ m. A few miles above Oisans we leave
the narrow gorge of the Romanche and follow the course of the Venéon to
the hamlet of Pont Ecofier, commanding a magnificent view of the whole
valley of Oisans, confined in its mural precipices, terminated by the
distant peaks of the Bella Donna. In the extreme distance a glacier
summit rises in glorious perspective precisely in the
prolongation of the valley; while midway stands Venosc, pop. 900;
Inn: Paquet, on an elevated slope, clothed with exquisite verdure
and noble walnut woods, on the right bank of the Venéon. Exactly
opposite Venose are the green pastures leading to the Col de la Muselle,
8300 ft. As the tributary valleys do not join the principal valley at
common level, but are considerably higher, a waterfall, often of
great beauty, almost invariably accompanies the meeting of the streams.
In ascending the valley of St. Christophe the gorge soon becomes
narrower, the rounded forms characterising the intruded lias are quickly
left, and, the torrent having been passed on a substantial bridge,
a very short distance brings us to a scene of sublime desolation.
A mountain on the right hand has at some remote time crumbled into
fragments and literally filled the valley from side to side with a
colossal heap of ruins. Through and amongst these winds a narrow path
practicable for mules, whilst the river dashes from rock to rock with
excessive commotion, sometimes passing under the fragments which it was
unable to displace. One huge slab of granite, wide enough for three
carriages to pass abreast, forms a natural and ponderous bridge,
harmonising with the desolation of the scene. On the right stands the
romantic village of Enchastraye, a hamlet consisting of a few
houses perched on a projecting rock in a tributary valley above one of
the beautiful cascades.
St. Christophe.
La Berarde.
Not much farther on, the road leaves the stream and leads up the face of
a rough hill to St.
Christophe, pop. 600, which gives its name to the valley. Just
before reaching the hamlet a bridge crosses a very wild and narrow
cleft, through which foams a wild glacier stream called the Torrent du
Diable. 2 hrs. farther up the valley is the village of Les Etages,
commanding one of the finest Alpine views which the admirers of Swiss
scenery can desire, terminated by the Montagne d’Arsine, standing
immediately above the hamlet of La Berarde. It presents a series of
rocky pinnacles in manifold rows, between which the snow can scarcely
adhere; and as seen from Les Etages, especially by the morning light, is
comparable to the Aiguilles of Mont Blanc, while the valley which
stretches beyond it to the foot of Mont Pelvoux may almost rival the
scenery of the Allée Blanche. La Berarde, which is placed in the midst of this
savage landscape, consists of a few poor houses, with a small chapel
distinguished from the rest by a belfry. Cultivation ceases just at the
village; a few stunted pines are found still higher up, but there
is no wood worth mentioning in the valley above Venose. This excessive
sterility peculiarly characterises the valleys of Dauphiné. The village
of La Berarde is at a height of only 5710 ft., that of St. Christophe is
4825, and of Venose 3365, but the character of the scenery is, like that
of Switzerland, at a greater elevation. The unbroken rocky surfaces
deceive the eye to such an extent that it is difficult to realise the
enormous scale of these mountains. To ascertain their height we must
attempt to mount them, and even then the eye has some difficulty to
submit to the testimony of the limbs. The ascent of the Pointe des
Ecrins is made from La Berarde, but it is extremely dangerous. Mont
Pelvoux is not accessible from La Berarde, but is ascended from Val Louise (see p. 333, and map p. 304).
Le Freney. La Grave.
After Le Bourg d’Oisans the road ascends by the side of the Romanche flowing several hundred feet below in a deep narrow ravine, by the side of La Combe de Malaval. 8 m. from Le Bourg and 37¼ from Grenoble is Le Freney, 3085 ft., pop. 900; Inn: H. Europe, with mines up in the mountains but of difficult access. It is in these mines that the crystals and the species of quartz containing gold are found, for which the Dauphiné is so celebrated among mineralogists.
2 m. farther, among masses of rocks, is the hamlet of Le Dauphin, with a small inn. From this place, until the summit of the Col de Lautaret is passed, every gap in the mountains shows a glittering glacier or a soaring peak. About 3½ m. farther up, near the hamlet of Les Freaux, a tributary of the Romanche pours its torrent over a precipice of granite, forming a beautiful cascade. 45 m. from Grenoble and 24 m. from Briançon is
La Grave, 5000 ft.; Inn: H. Juge; pop. 1500. Built on a slope rising from the road, with, behind, almost inaccessible cliffs containing copper mines, and opposite, on the other side of the river, the great glacier which streams from the summit of the Meije, 13,080 ft. To the E. of the Meije is the Bec de l’Homme, 11,372 ft., with a smaller glacier. The ridge called La Meije runs from E.S.E. to W.N.W., and is crowned by numerous aiguilles of tolerably equal elevation. The two highest are towards the eastern and western ends of the ridge, and are rather more than a mile apart. Any attempts to ascend the highest or western aiguille must be made from the northern side. The view of this mountain from the village of La Grave can hardly be praised too highly; it is one of the very finest road views in the Alps, and one cannot speak in exaggerated terms of its jagged ridges, torrential glaciers, and tremendous precipices. The perpendicular cliff, extending from the Glacier des Etançons to the summit of the Meije, is about 3200 ft. From La Grave the road leads through a bleak region and several tunnels to Villard d’Arene, 4½ m. from La Grave and 32 from Briançon, a miserable hamlet, considerably under the high road, at the foot of the Bec de l’Homme.
Col de Lautaret. Le Casset.
51¾ m. E. from Grenoble and 17¼ m. W. from Briançon is the Hospice of the Col de Lautaret, a very fair inn on the summit of Pass, 6791 ft., where refreshments are taken and the horses changed. The two diligences pass it daily. An iron plate on the house indicates that it is 11 kilomètres (6⅘ m.) from La Grave and 13 kilomètres (8 m.) from Le Monètier. The pass commands a grand view down the gorge of Malaval and towards the lofty towering Meije or Aiguille du Midi, 13,081 ft. above the sea. From one side of the pass the Romanche descends to Grenoble, and from the other the Guisanne to Briançon. From the Hospice the road traverses several galleries, and passes by a mine of anthracite coal not far from the village of Lauzet. The discovery of this mine has been a great boon to the inhabitants of this region, where wood is so scarce and where the winter is so long and inclement. 2½ m. from Lauzet and considerably below the road is the hamlet of Le Casset, at the foot of Mt. Vallon, 10,136 ft., at the entrance to the ravine of the Torrent Tabue, descending from the great glaciers which spread themselves over the eastern slopes of Mont Pelvoux. When the snow is melted the effect of the sun upon them is splendid. 60 m. from Grenoble and 9 from Briançon is
Le Monètier. Briançon.
Le Monètier de Briançon, 4898 ft. above the sea, surrounded with barley-fields, pop. 2600, on the Guisanne, near the foot of St. Marguerite, 8328 ft., which, like Mont Vallon, belongs to the Pelvoux group. Horses changed here. Inn: Alliey; mineral bath establishment, with hot sulphurous springs. Mines of anthracite. The road then passes the villages of Les Guibertes, 4689 ft.; La Salle, with cloth and night-cap manufactories; and St. Chaffrey, 3¼ m. from Briançon and 4299 ft. above the sea. 69 m. E. from Grenoble is
Briançon, 4335 ft., pop. 6000. Inn: H. de la Paix. Temple Protestant. The Brigantium of the Romans, and now a fortified town of the first class, with eight strong fortresses, which guard this important entrance into France from Italy. The town stands on the steep sides of an eminence rising vertically from the Durance, here a roaring mountain torrent hemmed in between the cliffs of the Mont Infernet, with strong forts on all the salient points up to the very summit, 7810 ft. above the sea. At this part the Durance is spanned by a bridge of one arch, 120 ft. wide and 108 ft. above the river, erected in 1734, in the reign of Louis XV. On the right side of the river, above the town, is the Fort du Château, and opposite, on the left side of the river, are the Trois Têtes, the largest of the forts. The views from them are very extensive, especially from the fort Pointe du Jour. Carriage up to it, 30 frs. Permission to visit the forts must be procured from the commandant. The large building down the Durance seen from the bridge, in the suburb called St. Catherine, is a manufactory where the waste of silk on cocoons is carded and prepared for spinning. About 800 people are employed. The women earn 14d. per day, working from 5 in the morning to 6 P.M., 1½ hr. allowed for meals. The longitudinal streets of Briançon are narrow and steep, little better than staircases, down the centre of each of which runs a stream of water in a marble gutter, with such an impulse that all manner of garbage thrown into it quickly disappears. At the foot of Briançon is the fertile valley formed by the union of the Guisanne with the Durance, surrounded by carefully-cultivated mountains studded with villages. All the Briançon coaches start from the Place du Temple, in front of the church. “The neighbourhood of Briançon abounds in rare plants. Amongst them may be mentioned Astragalus austriacus and A. vesicarius, Oxytropus Halleri, Prunus brigantiaca, Telephium Imperati, Brassica repanda, Berardia subacaulis, Rhaponticum heleniifolium, Crepis pygmæa, Androsace septentrionalis, and Bulbocodium vernum.” —Ball’s Western Alps.
Val Louise. Grand Pelvoux.
The great excursion from Briançon is the ascent of the Pelvoux group, whose highest peak is 12,975 ft. It can only be effected, however, in favourable weather and with experienced guides. A wheel-road extends by the village of La Bessée to Val Louise, 3780 ft., whence a path ascends by the hamlets of Claux and Aléfroide. The Ville de Val Louise lies near the union of the Valley des Entraigues with the principal branch of the Val Louise, called the Aléfroide, stretching up to the foot of the monarch of the group, the Grand Pelvoux itself, which, although at no great distance, cannot be seen from the village on account of the hill which rises immediately behind. (See p. 345, and map p. 304.)
Cesanne.
Briançon to Oulx, 17 m. N.E. by diligence, 4 hrs., 7 frs., by a beautiful road winding up fir-clad mountains disclosing charming views of the valley of the Durance and of the Mont Pelvoux group. On the summit of the Pass or of Mont Genèvre, the Mons Jovis of the Romans, is the village of Genèvre (pop. 400), with the French custom-house, 6476 ft. above the sea or 2141 ft. above Briançon, and 7 m. from it and 10 m. from Oulx. An iron plate indicates that it is 11 kilomètres from Briançon, 61 from Embrun, 10 from Cesanne, and 40 or almost 25 m. from Susa (p. 291). A few yards beyond is an obelisk which marks the boundary between France and Italy, and which commemorates in French, Latin, and Italian the opening of this road in 1807 under Napoleon I., and its restoration or rather repair in 1835. 5 m. farther is Cesanne, at the confluence of the Dora with the Ripa, 4420 ft., or nearly at the same height as Briançon. Italian custom-house. Inn: Croix Blanche, where the horses are changed. A post-road leads from Cesanne to Perosa, 28 m. E. (p. 307). 5 m. from Cesanne is Oulx, 3514 ft., with a good inn, the Dell’ Alpi Cozzié, close to the station. The diligence halts at and starts from the station. (See also p. 291. From Oulx rail to Turin, p. 291.) The road between Briançon and Oulx forms a pleasant and easy walking excursion, which can be considerably shortened on the French side by following the footpath.
Grenoble to Gap by diligence, 62 m. S. The Grenoble diligence goes only the length of Corps, where the Gap passengers enter the diligence for Gap.
By diligence, 39½ m. S., 9 hrs., 9 frs., by a very beautiful road. From Grenoble the road extends nearly in a straight line between the railway and the Drac to Claix, 5 m. S. (pp. 328 and 345), and thence in another straight line between poplars to Vizille, 5½ m. farther. Coach from Vizille to La Motte les Bains. From Vizille the diligence takes nine horses, and having crossed the Romanche, ascends by the flanks of Mont Conex in 2 hrs. to the village of La Frey or Laffrey, 2000 ft. above, and 4½ m. from Vizille, and 15 from Grenoble, in a cold situation on the top of this pass, about 3000 ft. above the sea; the horses are changed, and time given to take a cup of coffee. On this plateau, immediately beyond the village, is Lake Laffrey, 3050 ft. above the sea, 2 m. long and 875 yards wide. At its S. end is the village of the Petit-Chat, whence commences the Lake Pierre-Châtel. To the right or west of the road is Mt. Peychagnard, with rich anthracite coalmines, some of the beds being from 10 to 15 yards thick. The diligence next passes through Pierre-Châtel, 20 m. from Grenoble, a considerable village, with to the E. Mont Tabor, 7829 ft.
La Mure. Corps.
23¾ m. S. from Grenoble and 38¼ m. N. from Gap is La Mure, 2860 ft., pop. 3800, the largest town on the road, with the ancient castle of Beaumont, nail manufactories, and the anthracite mines of Availlans, 3½ m. distant. Horses changed. Between La Mure and La Salle, the next village, is perhaps the grandest scenery, the road running along the edges of high cliffs or in the profound depths of the ravine of the Bonne, which it crosses by the Pont-Haut. The hamlet of La Salle is exactly half-way between Grenoble and Gap, 31 m. from each, and 8½ m. from Corps. The road, after passing the village of Quet and the gorge of La Salette, arrives at
Corps, 39½ m. from Grenoble, on a plateau 814 ft. above the confluence of the Drac with the Souloise, or 3156 ft. above the sea. Pop. 1500. Inns: *Poste; Palais; next each other. Mules for La Salette with man, 4½ frs. Vehicles, 5 frs. the seat, or 15 frs. the whole. La Salette is 5½ m. from Corps, and 2750 ft. above it, by a wheel-road. The ascent by mule takes 2½ hrs. It is better to descend on foot. The excursion to La Salette is very picturesque, and, like all the journeys among the mountains of the department of Isère, of great interest to the botanist and geologist. The inhabitants of these mountains wander in winter to distant parts selling their plants, bulbs, and seeds. From the aromatic varieties most justly famous liqueurs are distilled at the Chartreuse, La Salette, Grenoble, and elsewhere. The rocks produce nearly every kind of metal, one of the best cements, and many beautiful crystals and marbles, of which the black variety of Beaumont is the most celebrated.
La Salette. Church of Notre Dame de la Salette.
This place, formerly a dreary and desolate mountain plateau, is now visited by thousands of pilgrims, especially on the great feast-day of Notre Dame de la Salette, sanctioned by Pio IX. himself. The church, a handsome and substantial edifice, built in 1860, of unpolished marble, is 146 ft. long and 49 ft. wide, and 60 ft. high, inside measure. Eighteen columns surround the nave and choir, while attached pillars support the walls, all covered with votive offerings. The pulpit was a gift from Belgian votaries. The façade, with three doorways, has on each corner a handsome square tower. The expenses, which were very great in a region of such difficult access, and where winter lasts six months, were defrayed by spontaneous contributions. Opposite the façade are well-executed colossal figures in bronze, the gift of a Spaniard, representing the events of the story. On the south side of the choir a door opens into the large and spacious building occupied by the nuns, and on the north side another door opens into a similar building occupied by the monks. The hotel accommodation in each is exactly the same. The pension price, including wine and everything else, is 5½ frs. per day. Visitors can have a good meat breakfast for 1½ fr., dinner 2½ frs., supper 2 frs., a bowl of café au lait ½ fr., a cup of café noir 25 c. Both the monks and the nuns are very obliging. Books approved of by the bishop of Grenoble are sold in the “magasin” of the establishment, giving the history of the apparition, from which the following is extracted:— “On the 19th of September 1846, at 2.30 P.M., was seen by a girl and a boy in the place where the statue now is, a figure seated on a stone shedding tears so copiously that they caused a dried-up spring, about 2 ft. in diameter and 2½ ft. deep, a little to her left, to flow forth freely. Since then it has been fed by a pipe, and has been called the miraculous fountain. The girl’s name was Fraçoise-Melanie Calvat Mathieu, 15 years old, and the boy’s Pierre-Maximin Giraud, 11 years old, both employed as cowherds, and both so ignorant that they could neither read nor write. They understood only the patois, and had such frail memories that the girl had as yet been hardly able to remember a few lines of the catechism, while it had taken the boy three years to learn the Pater Noster and the Avé Maria. The statues of the children in the path between the railings indicate the place where they were standing when they first saw the figure. When the apparition became aware of their presence it arose, and calling them to her, said in French, shedding tears abundantly all the time, ‘If my people will not submit, I shall be obliged to let loose the arm of my son; it is so heavy and weighty that I cannot retain it any longer. You may pray and do what you like, you will never be able to recompense the labour I have taken for you. I have given you six days for work, and have reserved for myself the seventh, but they will not grant me it; it is that that makes the arm of my son so heavy. Those who drive carts cannot swear without using (inserting) the name of my son. These are the two things which make the arm of my son so burdensome.’ She continued a little longer in French till, observing the children did not understand her, she added in patois a long harangue in the same strain, a diatribe on the blasphemy of the age and the desecration of the Sabbath— ‘only some old women go to mass.’ After her speech, and having twice charged the children to make known her discourse, ‘a tout mon peuple,’ she glided up the path between the railings, followed by the children, to the eminence where the colossal statue stands with the statues of the children before it, and, having ascended 5 ft., she disappeared, looking to the S.E.” That this being was really Mary was acknowledged by Pio IX., who sanctioned the institution of a feast-day in her honour, and several plenary indulgences for pilgrimages and other acts of devotion, to Notre Dame de la Salette. On the 6th August 1867 the worship (culte) of her was publicly established in Rome. The first stone of the church, up on the mountain near the site where Mary appeared to the children, was laid by Bruillard, bishop of Grenoble, on 25th May 1852, assisted by Chatrousse, bishop of Valence, in the presence of 15,000 pilgrims. In the churches all over France and in many of those in Belgium are pictures representing N. D. de la Salette addressing the children. In the litany addressed to Mary of Salette she is appealed to as “the tower of David,” “the gate of heaven,” “the morning star,” “the refuge of sinners,” “the queen conceived without sin,” “the healer of diseases,” “thou by whose supplications the arm of the irritated Lord against us is held back,” “thou who hast said, If my people will not submit I shall be forced to let go the arm of my son,” “thou who continually beseechest thy divine son to have mercy upon us, pray for us.”
The lad, Pierre Maximin, after serving his time in the army, kept a shop at Corps, upon which was written, “Objets de Piété vendus par Maximin Giraud.” He died about the year 1880. Melanie, the girl, was sent to a nunnery at Naples. A priest is said to have affirmed that the pretended Mary was an eccentric lady called Mlle. Lamerlière, born near Saint-Marcellin, Isère.
From Corps either return to Grenoble or take the diligence to Gap, 22½ m. S. (See p. 333, and map p. 304.)
Gières. Domene. Goncelin.
PARIS
MODANE
398
78
GIÈRES. At this station
omnibuses await passengers for the baths of Uriage, 4 m. N., and
1358 ft. Hotels: Grand Hôtel; Cercle; Ancien Hôtel; Des Bains; Du
Rocher. The bathing establishment is comfortable and commodious, and is
pleasantly situated in a narrow wooded valley, about 400 ft. higher than
Grenoble. The water contains common salt, sulphates of magnesia and
soda, and carbonate of lime, and rises in a deep valley at the junction
of granite and lias, which is, however, concealed for some way by an
immense mass of detritus, through which the spring forces itself. It is
conveyed 700 yards in a subterraneous conduit to the establishment,
whence it issues with a temp. of 71° Fahr.
PARIS
MODANE
401
75
DOMENE, pop. 2000.
Inn: Hôtel du Commerce. From this village is generally made the
laborious ascent of the Pic de Belledonne, 9780 ft. above the sea-level.
Guides necessary. The first night is generally spent at the village of
Revel. Two days required.
PARIS
MODANE
412
64
GONCELIN, pop. 1600.
Station for Allevard-les Bains, 6¼ m. distant by an excellent road
through a beautiful country, in comfortable omnibuses awaiting
passengers at the station, fare 2 frs. Here also a coach awaits
passengers for Tourettes, pop. 400, in the opposite direction, upon the
right bank of the Isére.
Allevard on the Breda, 1837 ft. above the sea, pop. 4000. The three principal hotels are within the park, and the prices are from 8½ frs. to 12½ frs. per day, including everything. The Hôtel des Bains, with the casino, theatre, and mineral water establishment. At the other end of the park are the Louvre and the H. Parc. In the Place contiguous to the Temple Protestant is the H. du Rhône, 8½ to 10½ frs. In a garden of its own, Le Châlet. Near the diligence office, the France. The H. Very. Nearly a mile from Allevard at the junction of the lias with the primitive talc-slate rise the springs, temp. 61° Fahr., with a great deal of free sulphuric acid gas, especially efficacious in diseases of the throat and the respiratory organs, for the cure of which the establishment is especially adapted, the apparatus for inhalation and gargling being both complete and varied.
Allevard possesses also important ironworks, where the rich carbonate of iron ores from the neighbouring mountains are smelted.
Among the easiest of the many delightful walks around Allevard is the road that leads up the gorge of the Breda to what is called the “Fin du Monde,” 1 m. distant, where masses of rock render it impracticable to proceed farther. To reach it, walk up the left bank to a bridge at the upper ironworks. Do not cross it, but continue on the left bank and ascend the road to the right. Finger-posts indicate the rest of the way. At one part of the road travellers are requested to pay a toll of 10 sous.
The ascent of the Brame Farine, 3983 ft., takes 1¾ hr. It is an elevated point on the ridge between the valleys of the Breda and the Isère. 25 min. from Allevard is the Tour de Treuil, 10th cent., the remains of a castle belonging to the family of Crouy Chanel. From this a path ascends through a ravine planted with walnut trees to the hamlet of Crozet. Descend by sledge, 2 frs.
There are a great many other excursions into the valleys and up the mountains, either by carriage or on horseback, for which there is a tariff by the authorities of the place.
Sept Laux. Pontcharrá.
The most remarkable of these excursions, and at the same time the most difficult, is 9 m. up the valley of the Breda by the hamlet of La Ferrière, to the Sept Laux or Lakes, 7144 ft. above the sea-level, and the Glacier of Gleyzin, 9480 ft. above the sea-level. Time required to go, 14 hrs. constant walking, but to the lakes only, about half that time. This series of lakes, above 30 in all, lies in a wild gloomy ravine, shut in on all sides by low bare peaks. They are fed by springs, and are not accumulations of stagnant water derived from the melting snow. The banks are surrounded with fragments of rock, covered with snow nearly the whole year, while the highest of the lakes, Lake Blanc, is almost always frozen over. Some of them contain trout, and a sluggish frog inhabits the marshy margins.
PARIS
MODANE
418
58
PONTCHARRÁ station.
An omnibus awaits passengers for the village of Pontcharrá, pop. 2800,
Inn: Domenjon, 1¼ m. distant.
From Pontcharrá the coach proceeds 5 m. E. to the village of La
Rochette, in a beautiful valley. Near Pontcharrá, and seen distinctly
from the station, is the castle in which Bayard was born.
PARIS
MODANE
426
50
LES MARCHES, a
straggling village overlooked by a hill, on which stands the church of
Notre Dame de Myans, with a colossal statue of the Virgin. Beyond are
some small lakes and mounds formed by landslips from Mt. Granier, 6520
ft. 2½ m. from Les Marches is Montmélian, where passengers by this
route for Modane and Turin change carriages and join the direct
line. For the rest of the journey to Modane (53 miles), see from Montmélian, p. 289.
190 m. N., by Gardanne, Aix, Pertuis, St. Auban, Veynes, and Clelles. Fare—first class, 36 frs. 70 c.; second, 27 frs. 55 c. Grenoble is 394 m. S.E. from Paris by Lyons (see p. 324).
GRENOBLE
190
MARSEILLES. There are two ways from Marseilles to Aix, either by
Rognac 33 m., or by Gardanne 16¾ m. The Rognac route must be
chosen by those who desire to visit the aqueduct of Roquefavour (see p. 77).
Gardanne. Pertuis.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
11
179
GARDANNE, pop. 3500, on
the stream Jaret. Both here and at Septêmes are important coal-fields.
Southwards, towards the Bouches du Rhône, are seen the chimneys of
numerous tile, brick, and pottery works. From Gardanne a branch line
extends to Carnoules, 52 m. S.E., on the line between Marseilles
and Cannes (p. 142), on which the only towns of
interest are Brignoles and St. Maximin.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
18½
171½
AIX-en-provence (see p. 78). At Aix
change carriages for Rognac. 5 m. N. from Aix is La Calade station,
where a coach awaits passengers for St. Cannat, 5 m. N.W. (p. 80); and
Lambesc, 3½ m.
farther (p. 80). 5 m. S.W. from Lambesc is Pelissanne.
16 m. N. from Aix, or 34½ m. N. from Marseilles, is Meyrargues (see
p. 79).
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
38
152
PERTUIS, pop. 5800.
Hotels: Reynaud; Thomas; both near each other.
Their omnibuses await passengers at the station. Situated 2 m. from
the Durance, at the junction of the branch line from Avignon, 48 m.
W., passing Cavaillon, the station for Apt, and L’Isle, the station for Vaucluse
(see pp. 64 and 66). The Marseilles canal from the Durance commences
near Pertuis
(p. 77). In the centre of Pertuis is the Tour d’Aigues, which was
part of the old fortifications. From Pertuis the country becomes
picturesque. 10 m. N. is the station of Mirabeau, pop. 800, with
the castle in which Mirabeau spent his boyhood, and in which his father
was born.
60 m. N. from Marseilles, and 130 m. S. from Grenoble, is Manosque, pop. 6200 (see pp. 166 and 168). 4½ m. N. from Manosque is Volx village and station, with beds of lignite. 69½ m. N. from Marseilles is La Brillanne, pop. 400, on the Oraison. 3½ m. N. from Brillanne is the station and village of Lurs, pop. 1000, on a hill overlooking the Durance. It contains the convent of Alaun, visited by pilgrims, and a Roman road called the Chemin-Seinet.
Peyruis.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
77½
112½
PEYRUIS, pop. 1000;
Inn: Latil; curiously situated on the Durance, at the base of
cliffs of conglomerate more than 1000 ft. high, which by the action of
water have been cut up into tall pinnacles.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
80½
109½
ST. AUBAN, pop. 250,
junction with line to Digne. (For Digne, see p. 166, and maps pp. 162 and 304.)
Digne to Barcelonnette by La Javie, Seyne, Le Lauzet, and Thuiles, 53 m. E., by coach; time, 11 hrs.; fare, 10 frs. 9 m. from Digne is La Javie, famous for plums; pop. 500; H. de France, at the junction of the Bléonne with the Arigeol. 2 m. beyond is Beaujeu, pop. 400, on the Combefère, whence a narrow valley leads to the Col de Labouret, 3990 ft. Thence descend to Le Vernet, pop. 300, on the Besse, with beds of gypsum, 19 m. from Digne and 33 from Barcelonnette. Near Le Vernet is commenced the ascent of the Col de Maure, 4708 ft.; from which descend to Seyne-les-Alpes, pop. 2800, on the flanks of a mountain, and half-way between Digne and Barcelonnette. It contains a church of the 11th and 12th cents. 18 m. from Barcelonnette, and 5 from Le Lauzet, is St. Vincent, pop. 600, situated on a grassy eminence overlooking the Ubaye. From Le Lauzet to Barcelonnette, see Gap to Barcelonnette, p. 341.
Colmars. Sisteron.
Digne to Barcelonnette by Draix, St. Thomas, Colmars, and Allos, 55 m. N.E. 10½ m. from Digne and 4 from La Javie is Draix, pop. 200, on a confluent of the Bléonne. 21¼ m. beyond is Colmars, pop. 1100, at the foot of Mts. Meunier and Draye, on the Sence at its junction with the Verdon. Excellent cheese, called Thorame. Cloth and saw mills. 5 m. beyond is Allos, pop. 1400, with a small inn, 18 m. from Barcelonnette. A short way from Allos by the hamlet Champ Richard, in one of the wildest and most sequestered valleys of the Alps, is Lake Allos, 7346 ft. above the sea, 4 m. in circumference, 140 ft. deep, containing capital trout, and surrounded by cliffs in some places 590 ft. high, over which tower bleak mountains, of which the most lofty is Mt. Pela, 8600 ft. The lake discharges its surplus water through a subterranean canal 1640 ft. long, whence it issues under the name of the torrent Chadoulin. From the village of Allos proceed to Barcelonnette by La Foux, pop. 150, with an interesting church, and Mourjouan, both on the Verdon, a tributary of the Ubaye. (For Barcelonnette, see p. 341. For Cannes and Grasse to Digne, see p. 165.)
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
91
99
SISTERON, pop. 5000.
Good resting-place. Hotels: Vassail; Negre; their omnibuses await
passengers at station.
Picturesquely
situated, 1575 ft. above the sea, on both sides of the Durance at its
confluence with the Buech. At the railway end of the town are the church
of Notre Dame, 11th cent., and three towers, part of the fortifications
built by the Counts of Provence. Notre Dame has been very much altered
externally by restoration and repairs. The effect of the graceful
octagonal tower has been destroyed by the square tower adjoining. In the
interior the arches are early pointed, inclining to the stilted form.
The three apsidal terminations are semicircular. The small window at the
end of each is closed. The end of the town farthest from the railway is
picturesque. From the gateway rise perpendicular cliffs of blue
limestone, on the top of which is a fortress of the third class.
Immediately opposite, on the other side of the Durance, are similar
strata heaved up and twisted into an enormous pyramid. A little
beyond the gateway, a good road leads up by the cemetery to a place
where there is a good view of the valleys of the Durance and the Buech.
7 m. N. from Sisteron is Mison station, 2002 ft. above the
sea, on the border of the Hautes-Alpes. 5 m. farther, Laragne
station, 1883 ft. 34 m. N. from Laragne is Eyguians-Orpier station,
1979 ft.
Serres. Veynes.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
112½
77½
SERRES, pop. 1200;
Inns: *Alpes; Voyageurs; Commerce; consisting of dirty, steep,
narrow streets, on the sloping side of a calcareous cliff rising from
between the Buech and the Blême. Diligence to Nyons, 41 m. E., p. 51. 8 m. N.
from Serres is Chabestan, 2411 ft.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
121½
68½
VEYNES, 2614 ft. above the
sea, pop. 1800. Inns: At station, H. and Rest, de la Gare;
in town, H. Dousselin.
Junction with rail to Mont Dauphin-Guillestre, 51 m. N.E. This branch line extends to the passes leading to the roads which traverse the valleys of the Waldenses.
Gap. Le Lauzet.
On this branch line, 16¾ m. E. from Veynes and 34¼ m. S.W. from Mont Dauphin, is Gap, on the Luye, 2895 ft. above the sea, pop. 9300. Inns: Poste; Nord; Provence; France. This, the ancient Civitas Vappium, has a large Champ de Mars, extensive barracks, long avenues of walnut trees, and a handsome modern cathedral, built on the site of one of the 11th cent. In the Préfecture is the mausoleum of the Connetable Lesdiguières, originally one of the leaders of the Protestants. In the hamlet of Tareau, close to Gap, Guillaume Farel, a celebrated French reformer, was born in 1489. He died on the 13th Sept. 1565. The most remarkable features of his character were dauntlessness and untiring energy and zeal. He possessed a sonorous and tuneful voice, fluency of language, and passionate earnestness; yet, although seldom failing to arrest the attention of large audiences, he often, by imprudent torrents of denunciation, aroused against his doctrines unnecessary opposition.
Gap to Barcelonnette, coach daily; distance, 42 m.; fare, 8 frs.; time, 8 to 9 hrs. The road follows the Luye to its confluence with the Durance, 5 m. S. from Gap. From this point it ascends by the N. side of the Durance, passing the pretty village of Remollons, 10 m. from Gap. 3½ m. farther is the roadside station of Espinasse, where the horses are changed. 300 yds. above the confluence of the Ubaye with the Durance the road crosses the Durance by the bridge of Saulze, and ascends by the right side of the Ubaye to the village of Ubaye, 23 m. from Gap, producing large quantities of walnuts, of which oil is made. The apples of this neighbourhood were once famous. From almost every part of the road between Espinasse and Ubaye are seen the picturesque fort and extensive forest of St. Vincent. 28½ m. from Gap is Le Lauzet, pop. 1000, Inn: France, surrounded by great mountains, with narrow gorges and lofty waterfalls. In the neighbourhood is a lake abounding with trout. 3 m. higher up is the hamlet of Martinet, at the entrance to the beautiful valley of the Laverq, extending to the S. side of Mt. Siolane, on whose slopes the spire of the church of Meolans occupies a prominent position. From Martinet the road crosses to the right side of the Ubaye, whence, passing by Les Thuiles. 4½ m. from Barcelonnette, and St. Pons, 1½ m., arrives at Barcelonnette. St. Pons contains the ruins of a castle, a church said to be of the 7th cent., and a Via Crucis up a steep hill. The most curious part of the church is the S. portal, under a soffit, having pillars on each side. Above the pillars are small quaint figures of the apostles, and over the door one of J. C. On the tympanum is a fresco representing the presentation of the kings to the child Jesus. On N. side of chancel is a square tower with short spire, which seems to have served as a pattern to all the church towers in, the department of the Alps, the characteristics being that the height of the tower is proportionally great to the height of the spire.
Barcelonnette. St. Paul.
Barcelonnette, 3718 ft. above the sea, pop. 2100, Hotels: Nord; France; on the Ubaye, in the midst of meadows, surrounded by mountains clothed with walnut, larch, and fir trees. The present village was built in 1230 on ground given by Reymond Beranger, in honour of whose ancestors, the Counts of Barcelona in Spain, the newly-erected town received its name. The parish church, begun in 1230, was, on account of a conflagration, nearly rebuilt in the 16th and 17th cents. The tour de l’horloge at the corner of the “Place” is all that remains of the church of N. D. de Confort, built in 1290 and destroyed in 1789.
From Barcelonnette, besides the coaches daily to Gap and Digne, there is also one to the village of St. Paul, 4730 ft. above the sea, and 13½ m. N.E. from Barcelonnette, fare, 2½ frs.; time, 3 hrs., by the Maddalena road, the length of 2 m. above La Condamine, where it diverges 6½ m. N. up the narrow and picturesque gorge of the Ubaye. The wheel-road continues 10 m. beyond St. Paul to Maurin, 6565 ft. above the sea. From this a bridle-road enters Italy by the Col Longet, 8767 ft., and the hamlets of Chenal (Italian custom-house with a fair inn) and Château Dauphin and the river Vraita.
Jausiers.
Barcelonnette to Cuneo by the Col della Maddalena, Vinadio, Demonte, and Dalmazzo, 62 m. E., 12 hours’ walk to Vinadio; whence there is a diligence to Cuneo. Wheel-road all the way (see map, p. 304). Guide not necessary. 3¼ m. from Barcelonnette is the hamlet of Faucon. 3¾ m. more, Jausiers, pop. 1000, on the confluence of the Ubaye with the Sanières and the Verdon. Church of the 14th cent. The road, to avoid the narrow passage called the Pas de Grégoire, ascends to a considerable elevation, and then descends to the village of Condamine-Châtelard, 7 m. from Barcelonnette, under the fortress of Tournoux, with remarkable excavations and stairs. 2 m. beyond La Condamine the road divides into two. One goes northward up the valley of the Ubaye to St. Paul (see p. 341), the other goes to the Pass of La Maddalena. 7 m. beyond Chatelard, or 14¼ m. from Barcelonnette, is Larche, pop. 800, Inns: Alpes; Italie; 5570 ft., the last French village. 5 m. beyond, or 19 m. from Barcelonnette, is the culminating point of the Pass of the Maddalena or Argentière, 6548 ft. above the sea, between Mt. Mourre and the Punta della Signora, 7190 ft. The mule-path on the S.E. side now descends 850 ft. by the Lago della Maddalena, the source of the Stura, to the hamlets of Maddalena and Argentiera, 5596 ft., with an inn and Italian custom-house. Bersezio. A little distance farther, or about 7 m. from the Col and 24 from Barcelonnette, is Bersezio, with an inn situated amidst much fine wild scenery. 14 m. from Bersezio is Vinadio, with an inn. The Baths are up a steep glen, which ramifies southward from the Stura at the hamlet of Plancies, about 4 m. beyond the village of Vinadio. 8 m. from Vinadio is Demonte, near the junction of the Staura with the stream di Valcorera, descending from the pass of the Colle del Mulo, 8422 ft., leading over to the picturesque valley of the Grana, about 25 m. W. from Cuneo. 12 m. from Demonte, 5 from Cuneo, and 57 from Barcelonnette is S. Dalmazzo, whence steam tram to Cuneo. (For Cuneo, see pp. 182 and 279.)
Gap to Grenoble by Laye, Corps, and La Mure, 62 m. Diligence to Vizille, the remaining 8 m. by rail.
From Gap the diligence road extends 62 m. northwards to Grenoble, by Laye, 6½ m. N., where the Col de Bavard, 4088 ft., is traversed. On the summit is a house of refuge. 4½ m. beyond Laye is Les Barraques, Inn: H. Gentillon, near which is, at the mouth of the valley of the Drac, St. Bonnet, 3350 ft., pop. 2200, the birthplace of Lesdiguières, in a most fertile district. 23 m. from Gap is Corps (see p. 333).
La Mure. Chorges.
23¾ m. from Grenoble and 38¼ from Gap is La Mure, pop. 3800, and 2860 ft. above the sea-level. Inns: Pelloux; Commerce. A coach runs between La Mure and Grenoble by La Motte. Situated on the Jonche. There is a large trade carried on here in cattle and grain. 3½ m. distant are the anthracite mines of Availlans. 20½ m. from Grenoble is Pierre-Châtel, pop. 1200, to the E. of Mont Tabor, 7829 ft. 10 m. W. by a branch road is Motte-les-Bains. 16 m. from Grenoble is Laffrey (see p. 333).
26¾ m. from Veynes junction is Chorges, pop. 1900. Inn: H. de la Poste. This, the ancient capital of the Caturiges, occupies a marshy unhealthy situation. The parish church was originally a temple to Diana. In the “Place” is a marble pedestal with the name of Nero. In and around the town are fragments of Roman buildings. The chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Rencontre, in the valley of Chorges, is visited by pilgrims.
Savines. Embrun.
34¼ m. from Veynes is Savines, pop. 1300. Inn: H. de la Poste, on the Réallon. This is the place to alight to visit the forest and valley of the Boscodon, with splendid gorges. The road extends all the way to the valley of the Ubaye, which it enters near Martinet and Meolan. 6¼ m. beyond Savines is
Embrun, 3014 ft. above the sea, pop. 4000. Inns: Thouard; Poste; 8¾ m. S.E. from Réallon and 12½ from Pruntères. This, the Ebrodunum of the Romans and one of their important military stations, is situated on an eminence in the midst of mountains on the Durance, and the S. side of Mont St. Guillaume, 5550 ft. above the town. In a conspicuous situation stands the church of Notre Dame, said to have been founded in the time of Charlemagne. The walls, pierced with small round-headed deep-set windows with sculptured arches resting on colonnettes, are supported by flat buttresses rising to the eaves. The façade or west end consists of a flat gable with a 4-storied spired tower rising from the N. side. Above the portal is a rose window with valuable old painted glass. The N. portal is within a portico on four columns. The two outer rest on lions; the two inner, each a cluster of four slender columns, rest on the shoulders of men in a sitting posture. The apse with its two apsidal chapels and part of the adjoining wall are probably the only parts of the church which date from the time of Charlemagne. The interior is about 60 yds. long and 25 wide. On each side of the nave are four wide spanned early pointed arches resting on massive rectangular piers. Above each arch is a small roundheaded deeply-recessed window within a corniced arch resting on colonnettes. Below in the aisles are their exact counterparts, only about double the size. The roof of the nave is quadripartite, and that of the aisle semicircular. The high altar and angels are of white marble. The organ and most of the ornaments date from the time of Louis XI., who frequently visited this church to pray to Notre Dame d’Embrun, that white marble image of the Virgin and Child over the altar fronting the northern entrance. On the inside of the northern doorway (left hand) are two horseshoes, not exactly of the same size. It is said that Lesdiguières, the Protestant leader, attempting to ride into the church to the altar of the image of Notre Dame, the horse reared, and the shoes of its hind hoofs sticking to the pavement, the animal could proceed no farther.
Behind the cathedral is the archbishop’s palace, now a barrack. In the centre rises a lofty square machicolated tower called the Tour Brune. 3 m. S. the road passes the village of Les Crottes.
After Embrun the rail passes Châteauroux, 3¾ m. N.E. from Embrun, with a bridge over the ravine of the Rabious, and St. Clement, 3¾ m. farther, near the Plan-de-Phazy, a poor village with a bathing establishment supplied by four hot mineral springs.
Mont Dauphin. Guillestre. Queyras.
51 m. N.E. from Veynes is Mont Dauphin, an isolated rock of coarse reddish conglomerate rising from the junction of the Guil with the Durance to the height of 3445 ft. above the sea, or 496 ft. above the road, the railway, and the rivers. A carriage-road leads up to the summit, where to the right are large barracks with the stables on the top story. To the left is the promenade, consisting of a group of stunted elms and horse-chestnuts, and immediately above is the village, which, like the other parts of the fort, has an untidy appearance. From the ramparts are magnificent views of valleys and mountains, including Mont Pelvoux. In the village is the inn Univers, and down at the foot of the rock is the inn St. Guillaume.
2 m. from Mont Dauphin, up the Rioubel, an affluent of the Guil, is the
village of Guillestre, 3116 ft., pop. 1000, with an inn and
church of the 16th cent. The road now ascends the valley of the Guil,
passing through La Gorge de Chapelue, bounded by precipices from 700 to
800 ft. high. At the hamlet of Veyr, 9 m. from Mont Dauphin, is a
cascade. 3 m. farther up the Guil, at the upper end of the defile,
are the fort and village of Queyras, 17 m. S. from Briançon and 14 m.
N.E. from Mont Dauphin, with an inn. “In the valleys around Queyras
Protestants are numerous, especially in the Val d’Arvieux,
reached by a road branching off on the left about 1½ m. below
Château Queyras; as well as in the Commune of Molines, and its hamlets,
St. Veran, Pierre Grosse, and Fontgillarde. They have churches at
Arvieux, St. Veran, and Fousillarde, in all of which service is
performed once in three weeks by a pastor who resides alternately for a
week in each parish” (see p. 304, and
Murray, p. 216).
Aiguilles.
Abriés.
A little higher up the left or S. bank of the Guil is the
Ville-la-Vieille, with a church, 10th cent., and an inn. 18 m. from
Mont Dauphin is Aiguilles, pop. 700, with an inn, on the right
bank of the Guil. 21 m. from Mont Dauphin, and 5½ hrs. walk from
the foot of Monte Viso, is Abriés, with an inn and Romanesque church,
the highest village in the valley of the Guil. Although Abriés is a
convenient halting-place, it is a most unattractive spot as
headquarters. 4 m. S.E. from Abriés on the Guil is La Monta, with custom-house,
where France is left.
For Perosa to Mont Dauphin, see p. 307; Torre-Pèllice to Mont Dauphin, p. 306; Saluzzo to Mont Dauphin, p. 308, and map p. 304.
Mont Dauphin to Saluzzo and Mont Viso, 65 m. E. From Mont Dauphin a good road extends 21 m. E. to Abriés, the highest village in the valley of the Guil, 5 hrs. walk from the foot of Monte Viso. From Abriés a mule-path leads over the Col de la Traversette, 9680 ft., on the S. flank of Monte Meidassa, 10,185 ft., to Crissolo, 7½ m. E. from the Col. 8 m. beyond by post-road is the village of Paesana, the chief town in the valley, and 1778 ft. above the sea. 5 m. farther E., on the road to Saluzzo, is Sanfront, whence a road strikes off, about 17 m. S., to Sampeyre, 3205 ft., the principal village in the valley of the Vraita. Saluzzo is 14 m. E. by coach from Paesana and 25 m. N.E. from Sampeyre (see p. 307, and map p. 304).
Mont Pelvoux.
45¼ m. N.E. from Gap, and 9½ m. N.E. from Mont Dauphin, is La Bessée, 3420 ft. above the sea, pop. 1000. Inn: H. de la Poste. Here passengers alight for Mont Pelvoux, and proceed to the village of Val Louise, about 6½ m. W. by the Col de la Batie, 3445 ft. (see p. 333). 10½ m. N. from La Bessée is Briançon (see p. 333). “Nearly opposite La Bessée to the N.W. opens out the Val Louise, which terminates in the glaciers and peaks of the Mont Pelvoux, whose top, rising 12,973 ft. above the sea-level, is visible from the road in clear weather. The Val Louise branches into two; that on the right leads to Mt. Pelvoux. Its summit, or Pic des Arcines, is a mass of ice. By the other branch there is a difficult pass, called Col de Celar, into the Val Godemar. Within the Val Louise was a cavern called Baume des Vaudois, from a number of these people having concealed themselves within it in 1488, carrying with them their children and as much food as they could collect, relying on its inaccessible position and the snows around for their defence. When the officer despatched by Charles VIII. arrived with his soldiers in the valley, none of its inhabitants could be found; but at length tracing out their hiding-place, he commanded a quantity of wood to be set fire to at the mouth of the cave to burn or smoke them out. Some were slain in attempting to escape, others threw themselves headlong on the rocks below, others were smothered; there were afterwards found within the caverns 400 infants stifled in the arms of their dead mothers. It is believed that 3000 [French Vaudois] perished on that occasion in this valley. The cavern has fallen, and is nearly buried in the débris. The present inhabitants are all Roman Catholics, and a miserable goitred race.” —Murray, p. 218.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
126
64
ASPRES, pop. 2000, 2493 ft.
above the sea. Inn: Ferdinand. Junction with road to Livron, 68 m. W., on E. side
of Rhône (see p. 46). The road after leaving Aspres crosses the Col
de Cabres, and then proceeds westwards by the valley of the Drôme (see
p. 47).
154½ 35½ CLELLES, 2400 ft., pop. 1000. Inn: Lion d’Or. Station to alight at to make the ascent of Mont Aiguille, a limestone rock 6880 ft. high, near Chichiliane, about 7 m. distant towards Die.
163 27 MONESTIER DE CLERMONT, pop. 1000. Inns: Europe; France. Cold acidulous spring for diseases of the kidneys and stomach.
Vif. Vizille.
MARSEILLES
GRENOBLE
177
13
VIF, pop. 3000. At the foot of a
calcareous ridge, which connects Mt. Moucherotte, 7454 ft., with Mt.
Moucherolle, 7509 ft.
181 9 VIZILLE, pop. 4000. Inns: Terrat; Europe; Parc. Vizille, the Vigillia of the Romans, is an ill-built manufacturing town on the right bank of the Romanche, with a castle built by Lesdiguières, now restored and used as a manufactory (see p. 333).
185 5 PONT DE CLAIX, pop. 2500, at the foot of mountains from 5000 to 6000 ft. high (see p. 328).
190 GRENOBLE. (See p. 324.)
See fly-leaf, and Map of the Rhône and Savoy, p. 27.
LYONS
349
PARIS. For time-tables, see under Paris, Roanne à Lyon par Saint
Etienne. For the first 200 miles, between Paris and the important
junction of St. Germain-des-Fossés, see pp. 351 to 358.
PARIS
220
129
ST.
GERMAIN-DES-FOSSES. All the trains halt here.
231 118 LA PALISSE, pop. 3000, on the Bèbre. The ruined castle on the eminence overlooking the town was built in the 14th century.
235½ 113½ ARFEUILLES, pop. 3400, on the Barbenant. Fine waterfall, and castle of Montmorillon, 15th cent.
PARIS
LYONS
262
87
ROANNE, pop. 20,000.
Hotels: Centre; Commerce; *Nord. A busy, well-built,
manufacturing town, on the Loire and the canal of Digoin, possessing
many interesting Roman remains. Among the buildings the most noteworthy
are—the church of St. Etienne, built in the 15th cent.; the ruins
of the ancient feudal castle, and the college built by the Jesuit
Cotton, the confessor of Henri IV. The cotton-mills employ 1200 workmen,
and the annual value of the produce is £1,120,000. After Roanne, the
line to St. Etienne and Le Puy passes through a picturesque country
among the Cevennes and their offshoots.
PARIS
LYONS
282
67
FEURS, pop. 4000, on the
Loire. Inn: Poste. This, the ancient Forum Segusinorum, contains
several antiquities, and a church partly of the 12th century. In the
neighbourhood is a chalybeate spring, called La Fontaine des Quatre.
Many Roman remains.
PARIS
LYONS
297½
51½
SAINT GALMIER, pop.
3100, on the Coise. Hotel: Poste. Springs of mineral water of
great repute, called by the Romans Aquae Segestae. It is exported, and
not utilised on the spot (see p. 348).