Who are you and where do you come from?
I'm also a mountain guide for the Service Patrimoine Serre-Ponçon Guillestrois Queyras. I arrived in Embrun in 1999 to study for a BTS in Tourism and Leisure Studies, and it was here that I began to develop a passion for history and art history. I then left for a few years to pursue my studies in the field of heritage enhancement, satisfying my need for wide open spaces, encounters and adventure! Today, I live in Les Salettes de Saint-Sauveur, and have three children whom I'm delighted to see grow up in Serre-Ponçon!
If I say Serre-Ponçon, what comes to mind?
I'm thinking of the story of the Durance valley's impoundment in the 60s. Could the old-timers who ploughed this land with no great prospects for the future have imagined their grandchildren windsurfing there?
Tell us about your business?
I lead guided tours of all kinds throughout the year, to help holidaymakers and Serre-Ponçon residents alike discover the riches of our region. During tours of around 1h30, I present the must-see monuments such as Embrun Cathedral, as well as the more secret treasures scattered throughout each of our villages! I also lead "heritage walks" along the banks of the Serre-Ponçon. It's a dynamic way of combining historical discoveries and naturalist observations in a walking tour. I also sometimes organize workshops for schoolchildren and families on vacation with the Service Patrimoine Serre-Ponçon Guillestrois Queyras.
Why did you choose Serre-Ponçon as the location for your business?
Because there's no better place to combine my two passions: hiking in unspoilt countryside and heritage! In every village, hamlet and path, the evidence of the past is still very well preserved, putting us in "direct contact" with nature and our ancestors, both anonymous and famous.
What do you love most about your job?
Revealing the traces of our shared history! If you look hard enough, you'll find evidence of it on every street corner, in every feature of the landscape. I love discovering them and making them both visible and understandable!
What's your favorite site in Serre Ponçon?
In the shade of the lime trees, with a marvellous view of the Embrun mountains: the Jardin de l'Archevêché in Embrun, where we are surrounded by centuries-old buildings, the archbishop's palace, villas, the cathedral, the Tour Brune...
Your tip for an unforgettable vacation in Serre Ponçon?
Treat yourself to a boat tour, and of course with a guide! You'll never look at the lake's waters in the same way again!
Do you have a little anecdote to tell us about one of your visits or workshops?
At the risk of revealing someone's secret, I remember bumping into a little girl who had done the Sens'action "Les voûtes à l'envers" tour with me, and who kindly reassured me: "Don't worry, I haven't told anyone that there's a great treasure hidden in the cathedral!
Book your guided tour with a Serre-Ponçon Guillestrois Queyras Heritage Service guide at one of Serre-Ponçon's Tourist Information Offices.
or on Explore (our leisure booking center)
Guided tour: Notre-Dame-du-Réal Cathedral, 800 years old
Decipher the distinctive architecture and colourful language of this 13th-century building and admire the riches of an archbishopric that stretched as far as the Mediterranean.
Guided tour : Saint-Véran, life in the stars
Perched atop the Passion crosses, roosters peck at the stars in the Queyrassin sky. The highest village in Europe, Saint-Véran takes you back in time and space.
Guided tour: The Americans and their graves
Monumental tombs, private chapels and statues... These mausoleums in the Aiguilles cemetery are those of the "Americans": the Aiguillons who made their fortune far away.
Animated survey: Elementary, my dear Léone
Playtime is over. But back in the classroom, things are not going according to plan. Someone has taken advantage of the break to play a dirty trick on the teacher, Miss Léonne.
