Vallouise France Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur France

Two or three times a year, mountain refuges use the mechanical power of the helicopter to climb altitudes of food and materials of all kinds. In a few minutes of flight the helicopter routes which will accommodate tourists, mountaineers and mountain climbers in shelters perched in the mountains, real guardians of the peaks. A short video shows you aerial ballet in action.

A hike over the artificial lake of Serre Ponçon to enjoy a panoramic view of Embrun, the turquoise waters of the lake, Savines Lake, Gap and hillsides, the Orres ski resort but also the Grand Morgon almost at hand. The summit hosts a massive stone chapel that seems to have been built to cope with the swiftest windstorms.

Emmanuel Saint Fuscien (Doctor in Contemporary History and Lecturer at EHESS) devotes an interesting book to Freinet, under the title "A teatcher at war". Célestin Freinet, whose theses, in a few words, consist in putting the student at the center of learning, lived in Vallouise a few years at the end of the Second World War. His wife Elise Lagier Bruno being from the beautiful high alpine valley. He previously lived in the south of France, campaigned in the communist movement of the Alpes Maritimes and participated in the two world wars of the 20 th century.

The French Riviera has attracted the world for over a century. A holiday resort for the European nobility, then the bourgeoisie and finally the largest number, it is a magnificent space, inevitably, heavily occupied by human constructions in its coastal zone. Aerial photos often allow a better understanding of what is happening between Cannes and Menton via Nice and Monaco...

Everything was probably said about the Provencal village of Saint Tropez, a former fishing village, nestled in a bay whose waters are protected by the Mistral fervours. The village, like Janus, has two faces, one summer crowded, teeming and the other more serene the rest of the year, except school holidays. We offer you an exploration of virtual visits from the citadel, as well as some images here and there made out of season.

Some images from our archives of the impressive forest fire at Vigneaux in the valley of Vallouise in 2003. 2003 was a year of hot weather throughout France but also the theater of many fires in the Paca region. A recent walk under the very airhead Tête d'Amont (Montbrison massif), also visible from the Oreac plateau (see photo HD) gave us the idea to bring out old photos of relief in action, including Canadairs CL 415.

A beautiful loop starting from the Melezet (1692m) to the mirror lake (2215m) and then to Lake Sainte Anne (2407m) will offer you varied and wild landscapes alternating under woods and alpine pastures. It is possible to bivouac at the first lake taking care to protect from the cold and the... mosquitoes in the late summer.

We invite you to take a look at a 1732 million pixel (1.7 GB) megapixel HD panoramic picture representing the Vallouise valley and the Ecrins massif from the Oreac plateau above Puy Saint Vincent.

A nice hiking idea in the Vallouise valley is to leave the hamlet of Puy Aillaud (1580 meters above sea level), to reach the summit of Blanche (2953 meters above sea level) and its superb panorama towards the Pelvoux.

Here is finally my (the?) First HD picture representing Corsica in all its length, especially the northern end of Cape Corsica. This photo, realized at the end of the night (at the dawn of a beautiful day in December) after a (small?) Night walk in the snow comes from an assemblage of 9 images...

A few days a year it is possible to see the Corsica from the Côte d'Azur (Nice, Eze, Monaco, Menton, Grasse, Gourdon, Vence, about 180 kilometers). This phenomenon, rare at dawn, is exceptional the day.

Here are some pictures of the Gréolières les Neiges ski resort. It is the nearest ski resort to the sea and coastal areas (Nice, Cannes, Antibes etc...) of the Alpes-Maritimes department.

Here are some pictures of the Isola 2000 ski resort . This resort is located about 1h15 by car from Nice. It is probablyone of the best snow-covered resort in the Alpes-Maritimes.

The ski resort of Auron is part of the Mercantour ski resort with Isola resort. There are also common packages for both stations. Auron is located in the town of Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée (department of Alpes-Maritimes). An hour and a half of road allows you to reach the ski resort from Nice.

Nice is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Sweet in winter and lively in summer but always very cosmopolitan. The city has always attracted many artists, notably inspiring painters for its beautiful lights... especially the days after the rain.

Despite this terrible attack of July 14, 2016, Nice remains a festive city especially with its carnival which takes place in February each year for two weeks.

During the Nice Carnival, the neighboring city of Villefranche sur Mer organizes its own parade in an original way : the Combat Naval Fleuri created at the beginning of the XXth century is the equivalent of the Battle of Flowers in Nice.

The ski resort of Valberg is composed of several hills distributed in the communes of Péone, Guillaumes and Beuil. Just go from one to the other to browse the station.

After the Corsica from de continent here is a picture of the continent from Corsica!

Lake Puy Aillaud (2534 meters) is accessible in about 2 to 4 hours, depending on your pace, from the hamlet (1600 m) of the same name. This lake rounded measuring about 60 meters in diameter.