Yenne

The old city of Yenne is on the banks of the Rhone which makes up the Franco-Savoyard frontier. In the Middle Ages, a fortified wall incorporating several gates surrounded it.

Alleyways and archways and the Meline canal recall this period.

The Roman church and the remains of the priory also merit a visit.

Yenne is, above all, the birthplace of Charles Dullin, a famous theatre man.

Guided heritage visits

Pont-de-Beauvoisin

A town full of history...

After the treaty of 1355, the Franco-Savoyard frontier was fixed exactly at Guiers with two communes making up Pont de Beauvoisin.

Since the treaty, it has not only been a frontier town but also a stopover and toll point between France and Savoie. The bridge can still be seen today, a symbol of the history.

Indeed, there are also other remarkable monuments :

• the église des Carmes (The Carmelite Church) and the old convent leading to the "hanging gardens" above Guiers,
• the passage des Carmes (Carmelite path) straddling the Saint Félix fountain in which the water is said to give sight back to the blind...
• without forgetting Pont, a town for furniture...

Guided heritage visits

Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers

The old stones and little steep roads of Saint Genix are where the famous regional specialties originated from : The famous cake of Saint Genix...

At the confluence of the Rhone and Guiers, the town was enclosed by high walls for defensive purposes and further hemmed in by a wide moat. This wall can still be partially seen along the Guiers.

Otherwise, only 3 ogival shaped gates allowed entry into the town. One of them is still standing, the Faubourg gate.

At Saint-Genix, you can also admire the nice uniformity of the chip tiled roofs.

Saint-Pierre d'Entremont

Like as for Pont de Beauvoisin, Saint Pierre d'Entremont, at the heart of the Chartreuse region, was historically divided into 2 villages.

The frontier between France and Piedmont also had the Guiers river course flowing along it, with its source a few kilometres upstream, at the Cirque de Saint Même. A walking track leaves the village allowing the château (castle) to be reached.

The ruins of the château de Montbel dominate the two twinned villages with its two steeples, one in Savoie and the other in Isère.

Maison des Entremonts Tourist Office and stopover at the Parc de Chartreuse (Park)

Les Echelles

The town of Echelles is without doubt the ancient town of Labisco.

Its history goes back thousands of years and witness to its history are the two buildings classed as historical monuments, the first being the former commander’s residence, dating back to the 16^th century, which is now the town hall and secondly les Arcades of the same period.

Some quite renowned individuals, such as Stendhal, have stayed there. The moments spent at Les Echelles for this great traveller and the walks to the cave made for “great happiness…,” enduring, complete, perfect, a sacred site and one which touched his heart."

Guided heritage visits

The Sardinian route

At Saint-Christophe La Grotte, near Echelles.



A course laid and adorned with thematic signs to help you discover the site of the Sardinian route and the monuments put up by Charles Emmanuel II in the 16^th century to celebrate the renovation of this royal route that was started by the Romans.

You will also discover the picturesque remnants of the former frontier between the State of Savoie and the Kingdom of France : an old stone bridge over the Guiers Vif. This site can also be visited with the help of a guide : Guided heritage visits

The Echelles Caves and the Sardinian route belong to the great listed sites of Savoie.

www.animgrotte.com

The Legend of Mandrin

On the eve of the revolution there were organized exchanges and smuggling in the Guiers region due to the border situation. The most romantic of images is today conjured up by the near legendary figure of Louis Mandrin, a popular and famous smuggler.

According to legend, he hid his wares in the well-known Dullin and Echelles caves and managed to escape his pursuers for a year.

He was arrested at the Rochefort Château (private) in May, 1775 by the French regiments and went before the courts and executed in the same year in Valence.