QUEYRAS REGIONAL NATURE PARK

If the Ecrins massif marks a limit between the Northern Alps and the Southern Alps, with the Queyras the Alps tip over to the other side of the 45th parallel. Without losing their majesty, many summits are well over 3,000 meters, the mountains take on a different look under a sun that shines stronger and longer. In this "privileged" environment protected by man within a Regional Natural Park, the Queyras has become a veritable Noah's Ark, concentrating species of diverse origins, such as the fox-tailed astragalus, originally from the Caucasus, or the Fatio's vole, from the southern Italian Alps. A Noah's Ark that we would gladly land on this unlikely island that is Mount Viso. Located in Italy, but part of this cross-border massif, a magnificent pillar of rock overhanging Piedmont, this mountain is home to species unique in the world, such as the Lanza salamander, but also insects and plants that seem to have evolved in a world of their own. An exceptional biodiversity that must be discovered with the help of a guide. Under an intense blue sky, the Queyras reveals itself in all its splendour only to those who get up early, come back late, have a good physical condition and a great experience of the mountain. The differences in altitude are significant and only experienced hikers can approach all these natural wonders. Nevertheless, man can reach other summits. Like the village of Saint-Véran, "Where the cockerel pecks at the stars", which for a long time was the highest commune in Europe at an altitude of 2,040 metres. At the end of the road, Saint-Véran is a charming village where it is a pleasure to stroll among the traditional houses with their particular architecture - the stone base was used as a dwelling, the larch wood floor was used to store the crops. In addition to these typical houses, Saint-Véran is home to numerous testimonies of peasant life: wooden fountains, bread ovens and sundials. Saint-Véran, a village where man has shown over the centuries his ability to adapt to an extreme environment, has managed to preserve the riches of its past by protecting them from visitors - Saint-Véran has only been reachable by road for a century - but it willingly reveals them to all those who love the Alps. Go on an adventure to discover the Queyras.