Eleven
villages have been classified as "Villages et cités
de caractère". They all have a remarkable architectural
heritage and less than 2,000 inhabitants. To obtain this classification,
municipalities must make constant efforts in the following areas
:
reception : restaurants serving local dishes, accommodation, tourist
information office, events
and leisure activities : creation of handicrafts, cultural events,
exhibition area, guided tours, etc., environment
: improved presentation of public areas, reduction in number of
advertising hoardings, restoration of façades, etc.
A special trail links these villages, and also offers superb views
of the most memorable landscapes in the Alpes de Haute-Provence.
ANNOT
The
small town of Annot nestles on a hillside, in the
middle of an unusual landscape dotted with blocks
of sandstone in the midst of a chestnut tree forest.
Annot on the banks of the Vaïre still has the
appearance of a medieval town.
Castellane
is the eastern gateway to the Verdon to reach the
famous Grand Canyon. It is also located on the Route
Napoléon, in an astonishing natural environment.
Overlooking the village is a massive rock outcrop,
on top of which stands Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc...
Entrevaux
is built on a promontory overhanging the Var river,
and still has a medieval look about it in a surprising
setting of terraced olive groves. It was only in the
14th century that Entrevaux moved to its present site...
With
its panoramic view of the Durance plain, Lurs lies
on a spur between sky and earth, surrounded by olive
trees. Legend has it that the village was founded
when Charlemagne gave the land to the bishops of Sisteron.
Mane
is built entirely from light-coloured stone - a Miocene
molasse - taken from nearby quarries. Overlooked by
the medieval citadel (12th - 16th centuries) it is
protected by a double wall and perched on a shady
peak...
It
was in the Vth century that the bishop of Riez summoned
the monks of Lérins to settle on his lands.
They choose a unique place ; a tuff amphitheatre flanked
by two chalk cliffs, with a raging torrent emerging
between them...
Seyne-les-Alpes
is the main town in the Blanche valley, surrounded
by verdant fertile land that the first tourists at
the end of the 19th century called "a piece of
Switzerland lost in Provence"...
In
the middle of the Forcalquier area, perched on a hill
in a setting of lavender and oaks, Simiane owes its
name to an astonishing monument : a massive polygon
shaped freestone cone, called a rotunda...
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Alpes de Haute-Provence - All rights reserved
Journey
diary
Eleven
villages have been classified as "Villages et cités
de caractère". They all have a remarkable architectural
heritage and less than 2,000 inhabitants. To obtain this classification,
municipalities must make constant efforts in the following areas
:
ANNOT 
The
small town of Annot nestles on a hillside, in the
middle of an unusual landscape dotted with blocks
of sandstone in the midst of a chestnut tree forest.
Annot on the banks of the Vaïre still has the
appearance of a medieval town. 
Castellane
is the eastern gateway to the Verdon to reach the
famous Grand Canyon. It is also located on the Route
Napoléon, in an astonishing natural environment.
Overlooking the village is a massive rock outcrop,
on top of which stands Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc...
This
former frontier settlement between France and Savoy
is characterised by its classical military architecture...
Dauphin
is a typical Provençal village, perched on
a hill overlooking the plain watered by the Laye and
Largue rivers. 
Entrevaux
is built on a promontory overhanging the Var river,
and still has a medieval look about it in a surprising
setting of terraced olive groves. It was only in the
14th century that Entrevaux moved to its present site...
With
its panoramic view of the Durance plain, Lurs lies
on a spur between sky and earth, surrounded by olive
trees. Legend has it that the village was founded
when Charlemagne gave the land to the bishops of Sisteron.
Mane
is built entirely from light-coloured stone - a Miocene
molasse - taken from nearby quarries. Overlooked by
the medieval citadel (12th - 16th centuries) it is
protected by a double wall and perched on a shady
peak...
It
was in the Vth century that the bishop of Riez summoned
the monks of Lérins to settle on his lands.
They choose a unique place ; a tuff amphitheatre flanked
by two chalk cliffs, with a raging torrent emerging
between them...
In
the heart of the Valensole plateau, at the convergence
of three valleys, Riez is the perfect example of a
Roman settlement in Haute-Provence.
Seyne-les-Alpes
is the main town in the Blanche valley, surrounded
by verdant fertile land that the first tourists at
the end of the 19th century called "a piece of
Switzerland lost in Provence"...
In
the middle of the Forcalquier area, perched on a hill
in a setting of lavender and oaks, Simiane owes its
name to an astonishing monument : a massive polygon
shaped freestone cone, called a rotunda...
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