These first days will be dedicated to the Canton of Guillaumes, particularly to the hamlets of Barels, “An agro-pastoral treasure to discover.” They include conferences, book presentations on Saturday, and on Sunday, a visit to Barels, in the heart of the Mercantour Park (see attached program).
The Barels Hamlets, a brief history: The Barels hamlets are located in the heart of the Mercantour Park, in the municipality of Guillaumes. A site of a Ligurian oppidum, Barels is already mentioned in 1272 by the notary Clary, who came to this locality to arbitrate a border dispute. A series of crosses installed in the hamlets marked the boundaries of Provence and the lands of the County of Nice from 1388 to 1481, and then between these lands and the Kingdom of France from 1481 to 1760.
One and a half hours’ walk away from any roads, the Barels Hamlets are today a true agro-pastoral treasure, allowing us to understand our ancestors’ way of life in this high mountain area, between the laborious life and the beauty of the landscapes.
