Along the River Isère between woodland and picturesque villages

10 points of interest

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  History

  Pont des Raves bridge (white water centre)

  In the olden days, turnips used to be grown in the village of La Ravoire, and in 1850 there was such a bumper harvest that, to make a bit of money, one villager decided to go to the Bourg-Saint-Maurice market to sell his produce. A wooden footbridge over the River Isère had to be crossed, but this was so rickety that it collapsed under the weight of the heavy load. Thankfully the villager wasn't injured, but all of his cargo was lost, and the French word for turnips, raves, stuck.

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  Architecture

  Saint-Martin de Tours Church

  Rebuilt between 1681 and 1694, the church in Hauteville-Gondon, dedicated to St Martin of Tours, is decorated with colourful 17th century altarpieces. The high altar may be the handiwork of Valsesian sculptor Joseph-Marie Martel. The last restoration phase (which lasted more than 5 years) particularly saw the original colours being restored to one of the altarpieces, the painted décor of a draped cloth crowning the Rosary altarpiece (listed as a Historical Monument) refreshed, the 19th century painted décor of all of the vaulting restored and its original décor enhanced, including the strikingly colourful motifs in raised stucco on the keystones. Previously completely hidden from view, their restoration bestows special status on this church, since they are not found in any of the other Baroque churches in Savoie.
  Guided tours and opening times: enquiries at the tourist offices of Bourg-Saint-Maurice / Les Arcs.

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  History

  Hauteville-Gondon village

  Located downstream of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, on the left bank of the River Isère, Hauteville-Gondon was an independent municipality until 1964. Its name perhaps comes from the Latin expression alta villa (meaning high estate), since the main town was built on a promontory particularly to protect itself if the Isère broke its banks.
  The name Gondon, meanwhile, comes from a village, and was added to Hauteville at some unknown stage.

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  History

  Village of La Chal

  The village's name is believed to come from the Latin term calmis, which means meadow or pasture. With its local farmland, the village of La Chal is a striking example of how mountain hamlets long used to be organised. It is built upon a very small, sloping plot of land, giving precedence to farmland where multiple crops are grown alongside grazing livestock. The houses are almost all adjoining and built one above the other up steeply rising lanes.

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  Small heritage

  St Grat's Chapel

  Built in the mid 17th century, the chapel is dedicated to St Gratus, Bishop of Aosta, who is the patron saint of harvests. It does not have an altarpiece, but boasts a central painting featuring several patron saints. The chapel is often closed, but you can still glimpse the interior through two small windows.

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  Know-how

  Maison de la pomme

  Find out all about the know-how that has been cultivated here around apples: from grafting to cider, in keeping with tradition, to perpetuate old orchards and varieties.
  Free: enquiries in the tourist offices of Bourg-Saint-Maurice / Les Arcs.

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  Know-how

  A footpath worth getting your teeth into!

  Between Grand Gondon and Landry, head out along the Sentier des vergers (orchards' trail), specifically between the Saint-Pantaléon and La Ballastière orchards. Fruit trees have been grown in Tarentaise for centuries, and the "meadow-orchard" tradition enabled a unique combination between fruit and livestock grazing. Apples and pears were grown near hamlets where the individual plots, with four or five trees in each, grouped together to form the patchwork "meadow-orchard" landscape where grass and fruit were nurtured side by side. The fruit was harvested in early October, before the cowherds and cows came back down from the highland pastures and montagnettes, small seasonal settlements. Once the cows were back, they could graze without the risk of choking on a fallen fruit. This system was also a natural way of fertilising the soil. The orchards were thus all planted in the open field with fairly high branches so as to allow the herds to roam around freely.

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  Know-how

  La Ballastière repository orchard

  A new type of orchard well worth exploring and experiencing on a tour of this scenic complex, located on a hillock overlooking the River Isère. Easy 600m walk with explanatory panels (30 mins) telling you about the different stages in an orchard's life cycle. Picnic tables available.
  With the help of the association "les croqueurs de pommes de Tarentaise Beaufortain", the municipality of Bourg-Saint-Maurice established this orchard to help safeguard a number of old fruit tree varieties in our region.

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  History

  St Nicolas' Church

  The first records found of the parish of Macot date from 1096.
  Its church underwent major repair work in 1475 and 1511. It was even completely rebuilt in 1676 by the same master builders who built Aime's church (labour and materials cost 2,700 florin coins).
  Like other churches dating back to this time in Tarentaise, it comprises three naves and bays as well as a chancel with a rectangular chevet. The bell tower lost its top during the French Revolution in 1794, but was rebuilt in keeping with the original architecture: bulbous roof topped with two successive lanterns, each crowned with an onion-shaped dome.

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  Small heritage

  St Sébastien's Chapel

  This chapel dates back to 1628. It is believed to have been built thanks to the generosity of the village's prominent figures. It is often called "Chapelle de la Salette" after the statue of the Virgin of La Salette inside (donated by a village local). Notre-Dame de La Salette is how Catholics refer to the Virgin Mary when she apparently appeared before two children on 19 September 1846 above the village of La Salette-Fallavaux, near Corps, in the Isère département (just south of here).
  St Sebastian, meanwhile, was called on to heal leprosy and plague, an outbreak of which ravaged the municipality. The great plague epidemic hit many households here, such that by 1348 there were only seven cottages left in Sangot that asked to join Macot. Since then, Macot and Sangot have formed the same municipality.