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The open road: on the Route Napoleon heading for the Ecrins Massif in Hautes-Alpes


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One for the road


Take a trip along the famous Route Napoleon with Chloe Govan – and maybe you’ll fi nd your dream property along the way


T


he legendary route taken by French Emperor Napoleon as he fl ed from


Italian exile in 1815 has been immortalised in a 2023 fi lm. The Ridley Scott-produced historical drama carrying his name hits cinemas in November. But how about taking the topic beyond the cinema screen and searching for your perfect property along this idyllic stretch of road? A couple of centuries ago,


the route nearly cost Napoleon his life as he narrowly avoided falling down a cliff . Back then it took over a week to do the journey, but today you can drive the 200-mile route in eight hours. Starting in Golfe-Juan and


fi nishing in Grenoble, the powerfully picturesque route has people on the edge of their seats as they pass through the beautiful mountain roads of the Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de- Haute Provence, Hautes-Alpes and Isère departments.


mainland. He escaped months later in 1815 and took control of France again, although his days were now numbered. In a matter of months, he would be defeated again at the Battle of Waterloo and this time exiled to the remote Atlantic island of Saint Helena, where he lived out his fi nal days. His last stand in France,


Ready, steady, go! Golfe-Juan, the starting point of the Route Napoleon Napoleon famously


commented after traversing the route on horseback and foot: “Before I reached Grenoble, they thought me a soldier of fortune. When I got there, I became a prince.” Yet prospective property buyers needn’t even reach the end of the route before outdoing Napoleon and becoming king or queen of their very own metaphorical castle! The tale of Napoleon


Bonaparte is a compelling one that will no doubt keep the kids entertained in the car. The French military leader


52 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: November/December 2023


rose up through the ranks during the French Revolution before seizing power in 1799. Five years later, he’d crowned himself emperor, while he rapidly expanded his territory, going on to defeat the Russians, Prussians and Austrians over the years. His reign ended abruptly when all three armies combined to challenge him, spelling France’s catastrophic defeat at the Battle of Leipzig. The coalition captured Paris,


forcing Napoleon to hastily abdicate and fl ee to the isle of Elba, between his birthplace of Corsica and the Italian


leading to him momentarily regaining power, was reached along that iconic road to freedom – now known as the Route Napoleon in his honour.


ART DE VIVRE Fly into Nice, 12 miles from the starting point and rewind to March 1815. Vallauris, Golfe- Juan, where the emperor disembarked from his ship and called out: “Hail France, land of heroes!”, is set a suitable distance from the tourist crowds and the opulent yet overpriced mansions of Nice, off ering a lively town that is equally alluring but more authentic and aff ordable.


© SHUTTERSTOCK, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS


© SHUTERSTIOCK


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