St Vallier-de-Thiey
Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ®
Alpes-Maritimes (06460)
Population: 1536
Altitude: 724 m
Nearby:
[ Route Napoléon | Grotte de Baume Obscure | Plateau de Caussols ]
Below: [ History | Caves | Hiking | Lodging ]
St Vallier is a very pleasant small town just 12 km from Grasse, and the first stop along the Route Napoléon going into the Beyond of the Riviera. It's set on a high plateau, overlooked by the high hills. St Vallier began as a Roman stronghold, and contains a Romanesque church dating back to the early 12th century.
St Vallier is a great picnic stop, especially for families with kids. A very large, open park of green grass has space for a multitude of families to play ball and throw frisbees, and it's surrounded by large horse chestnut trees for picnics in the shade. A playground and tennis courts are located in the far-right corner of the open park.
For travelers, there are plenty of shops here, hotels and several gas stations.
One garage handles sports cars, and I've often seen MGs, Morgans and such.
They also sell a very nice looking Lotus Super Seven replica.
Name
First record, 1061: Ecclesia Sancti Valerii
History
Prehistoric: Numerous outstanding prehistoric sites here.
12 aligned dolmens (some are now gone) at La Fay; dolmens d'Arboin (destroyed), Détoutaï, La Parra, Pomeiret and Verdolines.
Remains of six prehistoric camps, with the one at Castellaras de la Malle in the form of an elliptic.
Barrow mounds: tomb at Mal-àGrau; "tholes" at la Colle and 5 "tholes" at Ste-Anne; tumulus at Caillassou.
At the Grotte Lombard: silex blades, pottery and bone awls.
Sites
The Ponadieu natural rock bridge (pont naturel) requires a hike out to the west of the village. The "pont" is actually a big tunnel where the Siagne flows through the rock. The river is cool and clean there, and some of the pools are big enough for splashing about in the summer. On the face of the rock "bridge", high above the river, are large, shallow caves. The trail up past the caves has some great views from the top, were we once saw goats "grazing" on the vertical rock cliffs opposite.
A walk out the dirt road to the west, towards the Grotte de Baume Obscure, will take you past hundreds of rock walls out in the woods. Many of the rock walls are in parallel lines, only about four meters apart. Others are in large rectangles, with the walls very thick. They have a feeling of real age about them, fitting with the ancient dolmens and tumuli in the region.
Caves
The Grotte de Baume Obscure, only 3 km from St Vallier, is open to visitors all year, and has a tour that will take you 1200 metres into the earth. The caves are west of St Vallier, out a small dirt road (10 minute drive or 45 minute walk). At a constant 12 degrees C (54 F), it's a refreshing idea for the middle of the summer; woolen ponchos can be rented for 10 F. Entrance to the caves is 50 F adults, 25 F for kids (5-12).
Spelunking
Several caves for pot-holing (by experienced, qualified people) are located near St. Cézaire-sur-Siagne, 11 km South on the D5.
- Hiking
- Maps:
- IGN "bleue" (1:25,000) 3643 ouest "Grasse"
- IGN "bleue" (1:25,000) 3543 est "Fayence" (west of St Vallier)
- Didier Richard (1:50,000) #26 "Pays d'Azur"
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The GR 4 (Grande Randonnée) passes about 2 km east of St Vallier, crossing the Plateau de Caussols north-south. The GR 51 (Balcony of the Cote d'Azur) passes about 2 km south of St Vallier.
To the north, there are a number of loop hikes possible, and loops can be made out to the east, connecting with the GR 4.
To the south, there are a couple of good loop hikes, with the junction of the trails with the GR 51 at the Croix de Cabris. A loop hike can also be made out to the southeast, using parts of the GR 4 and GR 51.
There's a lot of good hiking to the west, in the forested hills and ravines of the Siagne. Access from St Vallier is out the dirt road to the Grotte de Baume Obscure, or out the paved road just to the north. A loop hike out to the Siagne, passing the Grotte des Deux Goules and visiting the Ponadieu natural rock bridge can take 5-6 hours, but shorter loops can be done as well.
