Travel Guide Rochetaillée-Sur-Saône

Nature at the gateway to the city: that's the slogan of this village-street located at an altitude of 775 meters and inhabited by some 800 "Rupisciciens". And the name fits like a glove! Just a few kilometers after leaving Saint-Étienne in the direction of Le Bessat, the fortified castle and the village it dominates emerge from a bend in the road, as if embedded in the rock. Remember to keep your eyes on the road, as your gaze is invariably drawn to this picture-postcard setting. The view from the village is well worth a stop, as are the church and, above all, the easily accessible château. Rochetaillée is also home to the Gouffre d'Enfer dam and the Roche Corbière. Descending from the village to the valley floor, in a wild and spectacular setting, you'll discover an impressive building dating from the Second Empire, made not of concrete but of stone blocks. Together with its little brother upstream (Pas du Riot, 1878), it retains the course of the Furan, a river that favored the establishment of steelworks in Saint-Etienne. Still in operation today, the reservoir contributes to Saint-Étienne's water supply. The wooded, shady setting is dominated by the majestic 110-metre-high Roche Corbière, still known to some as "La Dent du Diable".