Breil sur Roya: visit to a mountain village

Near the border of Italy there is a whole set of towns that used to encompass the ancient salt route.  The journey was once done on mule back but now there is a modern train that serves a hand-full of interesting medieval villages like Peille,  Berghe , Sospel and Tende and starts off from the main station Nice.

  They call it the train de Merveilles (Marvels).  You will  pass from one village to the next and during the high season you will have a commentary in French and in English to enlighten you.   A bonus is the marvelous clean air at the foot of the Alpes  and a feeling of leaving the big city behind.

Event tent across from town center

Along the route is the village of Brea sur Roya, where a friend of mine lives on and off during the year. It takes about an hour on the train to get there from Nice.  It is a sleepy but well preserved town on both sides of the Roya River.   Here during the fishing season, you can pull fresh trout from the river or go kayaking and canyoning and as of now, you will see no signs, plastic, barriers or indications of the spot where these activities take place.

The Roya looking from the village side of Breil

On my trip along the stream on a morning walk to the abandoned church (11th century beginnings)  Jeanne and I helped ourselves to  grapes, wild figs and berries....a real pleasure.  But I noticed that even the fullest part of the stream had no sides to the wooden foot-bridge, no railings.

Morning walk along the stream

Corner of abandoned church

Friend,Jeanne emerges from the walk

   If you don't have the sense you were born with and fall off into the water, too bad" ; you get the Darwin award.  Yes,  perhaps I'm being cynical but we Americans have been given the idea back home that someone else is responsible if we walk near the wild sea in a storm and get swept away or walk out too far on a mountain precipice and fall.

  One of the pleasures of nature here in France, and in Breil , there is seldom this over protection of people,  and less commercialization of the landscape and therefore many vistas are  left unspoiled.  There is an initiative to join this area of France to Nice, and I'm afraid this would be the beginning of commercial exploitation of this area.  I don't know the other side of the story but I hope it stays pristine.

Olive trees still cultivated since ancient times

Nearby town of Saorge, a perched village

Rooftops

Looking down on the village

Myself, I couldn't live in a village. ...too small, too isolated for my taste.  But I sure do love the privilege of a visit now and again.   Thanks, Jeanne