The mountain village of La Brigue is 700 meters above sea level in the zone of Alpes-Maritimes in the southeast of France. La Brigue is just a few kilometers from the French Italian border and the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the French Riviera and the coastal towns of Nice, Menton and Ventimiglia (Italy).
La Brigue is crossed from east to west by the Levenza stream, a tributary of the Roya, and surrounded by the mountain scenery of the Alpine foothills in the near preserved natural environment of Mercantour National Park and the Valley of Wonders.
The Brig is located in a valley about two kilometers from the main road. It houses an imposing church, several chapels, a ruined castle and a beautiful historical center that is worth visiting. From the Old Town and only a few kilometers to the east along the valley is the chapel of Notre-Dame des Fontaines. Inside there’s a small temple with remarkable frescoes, which is often called the Sistine Chapel of the Alps.
In La Brigue you’ll also find the chapels of the Assumption, Annunciation and St. Michael dating from the eighteenth century and represent the three main shrines of the people.
Photos: the dufe, bernard vermersch, Paul Appleton, Susanna Cernoti, Morten Hoff.
