Visit to the Vallauria silver mine

Helmet on, and you’re ready to enter the largest mine in the Southern Alps. Gradually, a maze of underground galleries opens up, inviting you to descend 200 meters into the bowels of the Earth. Round, smooth and blackened by soot, the ceilings tell the story of those medieval miners who, to crack the rock, heated it by fire to over 600 degrees.

Your guide takes you on a guided tour of rock galleries and vast vaulted chambers. Under the light, the walls take on a thousand and one colors. The reddish ochre of iron, the black of soot, the transparency of quartz, the white of zinc… You’ll understand the daily life of these shadowy workers and feel the incomparable atmosphere of the place.

Stage 2

A walk in the forest or along the water’s edge

After the depths, you’ll be delighted to return to the surface. On either side of the gîte, the vallon de la Minière promises easy walks, ideal for children. Let’s set off for a bucolic hour-and-a-half loop with no change in altitude, through the forest and along the water’s edge. Val d’Enfer, Torrent de l’Enfer, Pas du Diable… strange names for a Garden of Eden! The gentle ascent takes you first above the gîte, then the path winds through the valley to Lac de la Minière. The smallest and one of the most charming in the Mercantour. You couldn’t ask for a better place for a picnic or a siesta.

If you feel like it and your calves want more, you can reach the Vallée des Merveilles via the vallon de la Minière. West of Mont Bego, perched at an altitude of over 2000 m, the Vallée des Merveilles reveals its austere beauty at the foot of imposing peaks. Who hasn’t heard of its emblematic rock engravings? If you’re in the mood for adventure, why not spend the night at the gîte and set off the next day? This is an accessible but challenging full-day hike.