LOCATION AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES PER M2
Vallauris-Golfe-Juan: €5,170 (houses), €3,940 (apartments) Cannes: €5,830 (houses), €5,320 (apartments) Grasse: €4,250 (houses), €2,760 (apartments) Castellane: €1,900 (houses), (n/a apartments) Sisteron: €2,130 (houses), €1,440 (apartments) Gap: €2,810 (houses), €2,280 (apartments) Grenoble: €3,440 (houses), €2,570 (apartments)
Sisteron on the banks of the Durance is known as the ‘Gateway to Provence’
– perhaps including a freshly baked baguette and a bottle of the local wine direct from an Hautes-Alpes vineyard. A romantic repas against this backdrop could be a reality every weekend for anyone moving here! Close by is a hamlet called
Gap’s Place Jean-Marcellin is surrounded by buildings painted in pastel shades
Les Barraques, where an eagle and bronze medallion of the emperor stand directly across the street from the Halte de l’Empereur, where he once stayed. Then there’s Laffrey, where he faced the most tense moment of his journey and was almost shot dead. Troops had been sent to arrest him, but he disarmed them with a cry of: “Soldiers, I am your emperor. Don’t you recognise me?” He added: “If there is one
Napoleon spent a night at picturesque Lac de Serre-Ponçon during his journey
“It’s a really pretty town with great restaurants and very laidback feel, surrounded by stunning countryside and mountains,” he enthuses. “It’s popular with hikers,
mountain climbers and kayakers. You’re quite close to the famous Gorges du Verdon, as well as the large Lac de Castillon. Many companies offer excursions to the gorges and lakes. There is also the Musée de la Résistance in Castellane, an interesting stop- off for anyone who is interested in finding out more about the Second World War.” He also rates picturesque
Sisteron, promising that the lamb there is regarded as “the best in France”. Less than a 15-minute drive further along the route is the hilltop village Le Poët. In front of the St-Pierre church, a plaque reads: “The emperor, after having obtained the right of crossing between the narrow rocks... felt the
need to sit in the village of Poët where he was brought fruit and a glass of wine.”
MIND THE GAP From there, Gap is the most populated of the Hautes-Alpes towns and offers various employment opportunities. The spectacular scenery includes the likes of the Lac de Serre-Ponçon; Napoleon spent a night here at the Auberge Marchand, in a building that still exists today. The mountainous idyll
boasts an incredible 300 days of sunshine per year, plus close proximity to the iconic driving road Col Bayard. It offers stunning views towards the snow-capped Pic de Gleize for anyone willing to negotiate almost a dozen exhilarating hairpin bends. A route touristique can
also be followed along Col de Gleize, at the summit of which weekenders flock for picnics
54 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: November/December 2023
among you, who wants to kill your general, here I am!” Instead of firing at him, the enemy retreated with a call of “Long live the emperor!”
The Route Napoleon ends in Grenoble At the Prairie de la
Rencontre, a statue of Napoleon on horseback commemorates his triumph here. Hikers and mountain bikers will love the area, while adrenalin junkies will also enjoy Air Park, famous for its zip-lining and aerial adventures. The route then comes to its
conclusion in Grenoble, capital of the Alps, where Napoleon concluded his march to victory. There are many stops along
the way that help retrace his famous footsteps and all are worthy property-hunting locations. While Napoleon’s triumph may have been painfully short-lived, ending with him being sent to a distant island from which he’d never return, your property search is likely to end with you turning your dreams into reality, while surrounded by tributes to a mind-blowing slice of centuries-old history. ■
On the market
FIND MORE PROPERTIES ON
FRENCHENTREE.COM
€1,249,500, Sisteron: This jaw-dropping property offers a hectare of land, garden with lush olive grove, swimming pool and stunning courtyard, plus eight bedrooms (Leggett Immobilier)
€420,000, Cannes: Near La Croisette, this two-bedroom apartment in a listed building, has a sunny balcony, modernised interior and unbeatable location (Leggett Immobilier)
©SHUTTERSTOCK
© SHUTTERSTOCK
© SHUTTERSTOCK
© TIM SWANNIE
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