Natural Crafts Hautes-Alpes

This trail from Ville-Vieux is designed to discover a particular environment of the Southern Alps, the dry lande at astragalus. The aim is to make it discover, but also to draw attention to the fragility of this environment, which is unbalanced by changes in mountain farming. This lawn reveals to those who bother to pay sufficient attention to it, a large number of endemic and protected plants: renard queue, épi campanula, Austrian astragalus, black nonnée, la sainfrain.

Two important ensembles of around ladies - also known as the fées cheminées - are located on the Assaillous mountain overlooking the village in the north. These stunning natural formations - several dozen on the site - come from rain erosion, which over time has widened the thick layer of clay-clay soils and moraine blocks deposited by glaciers covering mountain flanks. Century after century, the rock blocks, which protected the ground just below, and the dongas, thus gradually releasing the surrounding area, were the origin of these high columns covered by their rock. You will easily reach it within a few minutes by taking the road that is set up: from Saint Peter Square, take the Rue de l'Église to its end north of the village. You will have a magnificent view of the village and its valley.

Commonly known as "dinosaurs of Dinosaurs", this geological curiosity resulting from a sandstone bench from the South of France, is met in various areas adjacent to Rosans and surrounding areas. These balls and the layer of sandstone contain the same material. The only difference is the degree of cementation of the balls (calcareous cement, accompanied by silica which is deposited around the quartz grains to the point of welding them).

Attention, access to the first site is not indicated on the road. Go gently, and you will see on the right a small road road to follow over a hundred meters. After a steep descent, just follow the path (not take the yaw) straight straight in the woods. A discreet yellow markup on a tree will serve as a marker at the entrance to the path.

The appearance of new agricultural techniques (chemical fertilizers used for the fertilization of soils, the disappearance of fallow land for the benefit of artificial meadows, among others) towards the end of the th century has somewhat forced the increase in production, with a view to the marketing of meat, particularly that of sheep. Savournon then became a place of lamb, with a local race adapted to the mountain and considered fertile, good dairy and capable of feeding its lambs quickly. In order to improve the efficiency of performance, the producers selected at the end of the 1940 s, animals leading to the creation of a unified breed, refer to the «Alps of the South», bringing together the local races of Savournon, Sahuné and Quint. In spite of a great reputation for its flesh, which is undoubtedly influenced by land, climate and altitude, the lamb of Savournon has left a place for this race of the Alps, whose main centre now remains Sisteron. It was a centre which unfortunately prevented the arrival of foreign lambs, because there was no real label.

From Savins to Gap, 700 m after Prunières Bridge, lake side parking just before an area of information on the region. Many tourists in summer who practise naturism and sometimes come to many in the woods all around. Presence of a few trade couples.