Le Lauzet-Ubaye

Towns and Villages - by Provence Beyond

Villages > Le Lauzet-Ubaye      

Nearby:  | Barcelonnette 21 km | Boscodon Abbey 32 km | Digne-les-Bains 65 km | Embrun 33 km | Guillestre 54 km | Jarjayes 45 km | Mont-Dauphin 51 km | 5 km | Seyne-les-Alpes 24 km |

Below: | History | Dates | Hiking | Lodging Hotels |

The narrow streets between the houses have a medieval feel, but the roofs, balconies and wide ramps leading to the upper-floor barns is Alpine style [photo-3, photo-4]. There's a big stone church in the center of the village, with a nice fountain in the center square [photo-5]. Village commerce consists of a few shops and café-restaurants.

A tiny road goes down to the "new" bridge over the gorge, just beside the arched stone Roman bridge [photo-1, photo-2]. Another path, probably the old Roman road, loops around the rocks to bring you back to the village.

History

The commune of Le Lauzet-Ubaye combined the villages of Ubaye and Lauzet, but Ubaye was flooded in 1960 when the Serre-Ponçon dam was completed and the lake was created.

Gallo-Roman: A Roman presence here is attested to by the beautiful single-arch Roman bridge across a deep gorge of the Ubay river [photo-2].

Medieval: The Counts of Provence ruled this area until the 14th century, then the Dukes of Savoy until 1713.

Dates

Every Thur - Marché
1st Thur Apr - Foire
Every May - Foire
2nd Mon May - Foire

Hiking

Maps:

Didier Richard (1/50,000) #1 "Alpes de Provence"

There are loop hikes in the mountains on both sides of the Ubaye river, with a connecting trail passing through the village and across the gorge on the "new" bridge.

The mountains to the south are the most forested, with peaks at about 1500-1800 m. The northern slopes are forested up to around 1700-1800 m, but the peaks go up to 2500-2800 m.

Lodging - Hotels