Back to our trip in the south and another mountain village - Sopel.

Our last visit while staying in our great apartmment in Menton was to the historical town of Sopel deep in the Bévéra Valley in the southern edge of the Mercantour National Park. 

The village was a staging post on the old salt road from Nice to Turin with travelers having to pay a toll to cross over the river Bevera. 

Originally dating from the 13th century it was partly rebuilt in the 16th and 17th centuries, with only the lower part remaining from medieval age. 

In the restored paved square you will find the baroque Saint Michel cathedral - its exterior belying the opulence of its interior. 

Walking around the village Pauline spotted a house ready made for her.

Back to our trip in the south and that short stay in Italy...

I touched on our short stay in Italy in a previous post - it should have been straightforward enough through the border with a few stops en route.  

We had a few stops within Italy itself where we picked up some new passengers including a group of four men who at first seemed to be together but sat in separate seats throughout the bus.

The short trip through Italy was interesting.

Just after crossing the border back into France the bus was pulled in by the Gendarmerie and we all had to show our I.D. the group of four were treated with some suspicion and one of them who had failed to produce I.D. was removed from the bus. The other three got off the bus together in the first town after the incident.

Interestingly on the way back into France and Menton at Ventimiglia our I.D. was checked again.

More from our road trip south - that monastery and a church for Sunday

This is the 'monastery' that is one of the main draws for visitors to the mountain top village of Saorge. It was established in 1633 by a small French branch of the Franciscans known as 'Récollects', as small convent on the edge of the village. The tourist board list it as a monastery but his type of 'convent' was different in that the Franciscans did not isolate themselves but were very much a part of the local community. The current convent buildings and the  church,dedicated to Notre-Dame-des-Miracles, were finished sometime around 1662 with the help of donations from the villagers.

 

The convent has had a fairly turbulent history (which you can read about here) but today has returned to its tranquil past with the upper level serving as a retreat for writers,composers and more.

It is the lower level of the monastery that is currently open to the public. 

It would have been interesting to check out the accommodation currently offered compared to what the previous residents were used to.

Loved the view behind the altar - almost like a stage set!

The refectory, used as the monks dining room, is decorated with five 17th century frescoes which represent the three Franciscan virtues of poverty, chastity and obedience. Much of what they ate here would have come from their own gardens.

You can understand why when searching for peace (or so they thought) and tranquility, they chose this location.

 

More from our road trip south - Saorge and a short stay in Italy!

Another hilltop village we visited by bus during our sojourn in Menton eas the village of Saorge classified as one of France’s ‘Plus Beaux Villages’ (most beautiful villages). The village clings to the mountainside above the 'Haute-Roya Valley'.

The bus drops you off just outside the village and you make your way on foot to access its maze of narrow streets and vaulted passages. Before entering the streets you are met by the village's church 'Saint-Sauveur' which is ridiculously ornate for such a small village.

The tall houses narrow lanes and steps let you know you are perched on a spot that makes you wonder why anyone would choose to build here at all, never mind create this enchanting place. 

We pretty much had the village to ourselves.

 As we walked through the village heading for a look at its monastery, one of the reason we had gone there, I noticed an interesting door with a poster attached about the church organ,out of nosiness I tried the door and to our surprise we discovered a 17th century rococo chapel, 'Chapelle Saint-Claude des Pénitents', decorated with baroque stuccoes which currently acts as the villages library!

The monastery is set at the top of a long walk up at the top of the village. 

Once you arrive its position offers great views of the surrounding landscape and the village itself. I will do a separate post on the monastery itself. 

The reference to a stay in Italy is because the route our bus took actually crossed the Italian border and carried on for just over 20km before reentering France...that's also another post!