Montfort
Departement of the Alpes de Haute Provence - Pop.: 400h.
At Sisteron take exit n°2 on the N85-E712 as far as Château-Arnoux and then turn right onto the N96-E712.
Even from afar, Montfort attracts the eye and arouses your interest. It is perched at a staggering height above the Durance plain, like an impregnable fortress behind its ramparts!
Once you have climbed as far as the car park that is located at the top of the village (be warned, the slope is steep even for a car!) , you will be in an ideal spot to admire the remains of a fort that the entire village no doubt take its name from.
Take your time up here and enjoy the majestic panorama of the village below - old stonework, Roman tiles and a Romanesque bell tower - and the immense plain of cultivated fields, cypress trees and the sparkling river: it is a good bet that you will fall in love with Montfort on the spot!
And you will not be disappointed when you take the stairs that lead down to the village: cool streets lined with low built dry-stone houses, a church perched on high with a beautiful Romanesque bell tower, terraces and small blossoming gardens, etc.
There reigns an incredible intimate medieval atmosphere in this village built around vertiginous stairways, which boasts a marvellous architectural heritage.
As marvellous as this sublime Provençal natural environment: fig trees, olive trees, cypress trees, lavender, laurel trees, succulents and Virginia creepers...
For Montfort, no superlative is strong enough!
What to see:
Saint-Donat church (early 11th century) on the D101, between Peyruis and Montfort, hidden in an isolated vale:a rare example of primitive Romanesque style, and the oldest church in the Provence.
Leisure activities:
Walks. Mountain-biking. Accommodation:
Holiday rentals. |
 |
|
