Saint-étienne-de-tinée and other villages in the mercantour park

Mercantour's geographical situation, at the borders of the mediterranean sea and the alps and its mineral components contribute to create an extremely contrasted landscapes.

Visit of the village  Thanks to its rich religious heritage, the XVIth century church of Saint-Etienne is now a listed building, with its organs by G. Agati.  The church is flanked by the Turris Major (XIIth century).  The Saint Sebastien chapel, decorated with frescos by G. Canavesio and G. Baleison, and the Trinitaires convent are also listed buildings.

Saint-dalmas-le-selvage  The northernmost village in the Alpes Maritimes, Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage is typically Alpine with its tightly knit, tall houses and shingle roofs. The XIIth century church with its Lombard Romanesque steeple is a listed building. The Sainte-Marguerite chapel, also listed, contains frescos attributed to G. Baleison.  Surrounding Bousieyas, the highest hamlet in the department (1883 m), mountain pastures are home to large herds of transhumant sheep.

Jausiers, a hardy migrant tradition  In the XIXth century, Jausiers thrived on silk production. When this declined in the face of overseas competition, it was from this village in 1821, that the Arnaud brothers left for Mexico as travelling salesmen, a traditional activity in the Ubaye valley. They were to be followed by five thousand other valley dwellers. Having made their fortunes, they returned to build some impressive villas, in particular the Magnan villa, as well as the luxurious marble mausoleums to be seen in the village cemeteries. Although it was devastated by flooding in 1957, Jausiers has nevertheless conserved its old houses, arcades and XVIIth century church of Saint Nicolas de Myrhhe, a listed building with its polychrome decor and baroque altarpiece.

Entraunes, gateway to the national park  Entraunes and its hamlet, Estenc, which sits at the source of the Var river, are located on the south facing side of the Col de la Cayolle pass (2326 m). The Route des Grandes Alpes passes through here, acknowledging the beauty of the landscape and the rich natural environment that make this the ideal "gateway" to the Mercantour National Park.  The large farmhouses farmhouses with their balconies sheltered by broad shingle roofs are typical examples of Alpine architecture. The church of Notre Dame de la Nativité, containing 5 canvasses by J.S. de Castellane, has a distinctly asymmetrical steeple. The St Sebastian chapel with its frescos by A. de Cella (1516) is a protected monument.

Isola  As elsewhere in the Tinée valley, Isola is a highly traditional village with an extensive architectural and religious heritage. A fine example of this is the Lombard Romanesque three-storey steeple of St Peter at the entrance to the village. The grain mill and bread oven are also reminders of days gone by. There is also an ancient, carefully tended chestnut grove.

Roure  Like a balcony above the Vionène and Tinée valleys, Roure is an ancient village with its purple schist barns with their schist slab roofs (XVIIth and XVIIIth centuries). The Church of Saint Laurent with a polyptych attributed to F. Bréa, and the Saint Sebastien Chapel with wall paintings by A. de Cella (1520) are both listed buildings.  Recently the Longon mountain pastures pastures have one more returned to their original vocation. A troop of four hundred ewes and their lambs spend the summer here, as do siskin cows whose milk is used to make the renowned Tome de Roure cheese.

Larche, an exceptional range of flora  Larche's location at the foot of the Col de Larche - or the Maddalena - (1948 m) provides an explanation for its good and bad fortune. Good fortune, with the exceptionally rich flora of the vallon du Lauzanier, a protected nature reserve since 1936 and part of an alpine park project. Around one hundred hectares of blue thistles stretch like a sea across the landscape. Bad fortune, due to its location in the path of retreating German troops at the end of the Second World War, The villages of the Ubayette valley were completely destroyed. The Chapel of Maison-Méane symbolises the efforts made by the entire valley to reconstruct these villages.