Monuments to visit Mercantour

The Crottés are the remains of the old fortified castle, where only the baseplate of one of the corner towers remains. The first castle was burned in autumn 1184 by the rebellious people of Vintimille. In the Middle Ages, its defense was reinforced by the ducs of Savoy. In 1692, during the first French period, Vauban arranged it. Returned under the domination of the House of Savoy, it resists and repels the attacks of the gallispans but falls into the hands of the French during the Revolution wars. After the Sardinian restoration, it serves as a stone quarry to the people of the country to build or expand their homes. Here, some people arranged theses crottés tomake shelters in which they stored, during the night, the clearances to dry figs and plums.

Guided tours of about thirty minutes allow you to discover this military construction whose objective was to block the intrusion of Italian tanks during the Second World War. You will learn how life was organized in the bunker with the discovery of the technical parts and the barracks. Thematic exhibitions also provide information on the historical background. The bunker is part of the Rimplas fort, which stands at an altitude of 1,000 metres on a rocky peak. The construction of the complex took 11 years.