If you think you’ve seen France because you’ve been to Paris or Nice you’ve seen some of its highlights but you’re still missing a lot of its magic. Atop France’s Southern Alps mountains, from the middle ages, hundreds of villages remain. Each one is a maze of narrow alleyways, cobblestone streets, and old-world charm. Part of the beauty of France is you can be at the beach in the morning and in snowy mountains that same afternoon. And during our recent visit to Cannes, we headed northeast to the Southern Alps. Inevitably, the windy roads on the edge of a cliff made the trip quite exciting! Even in the middle of summer, the air in the Alps is cool and crisp.

On our way, we stopped by Restaurant L’Alpage in Le Boréon. This warm and cozy chalet served up hearty homemade meals. The house specialties are Tartiflette and Camembert Au Four to name a few!

Saint-Martin-Vésubie

Located about an hour and a half northeast from Cannes lies the quaint town of Saint-Martin-Vésubie. With a population of 1,500, this picturesque village in the Southern Alps mountains makes small town America look like a metropolitan. 3,280 feet in altitude this village is home to boucheries and local artists. You can find a small farmers market featuring kitchen items made from olive trees, locally-brewed beer and Socca, a local delicacy.

Saint-Martin-Vésubie dates as far back as the 12th century. During World War II, the Alpes-Maritimes were occupied by the Italian Fourth Army and Saint-Martin-Vésubie became a safe haven for thousands of Jewish refugees. Jews were able to attain legal residency under the Italian authorities there.

One of the neatest things about this little village is the tiny river that runs down the middle. The Vésubie River is a left tributary of the Var River.

Venanson

We visited nearby commune, Venanson. With an even smaller population of 500 this village is surrounded by an amazing scenery of forest and mountains. In spite of its small size, this tiny town has 3 churches! Today this village is perched on a very narrow, high rocky ridge overlooking the upper valley but originally it was located on a lower plateau to the southwest.  The original village was completely destroyed by a fire in 1739 and the replacement village was rebuilt at its current location.

Have you been the Southern Alps? What villages do you recommend visiting? Let me know!