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Breil Sur Roya France

August 8, 2021 by David Herd

Breil Sur Roya France

Breil Sur Roya France

Breil Sur Roya France is a delighfull village just north of Monte Carlo. My two friends & I were the guests of Riny Doyle in his apartment overlooking the lagoon in July 2010. Riny is an excellent chef, in the photo above we are eating wild boar pasta. His secret is to freeze the wild boar meat for 6 months before cooking. ๐Ÿ™‚

Rinny is a very generous host.

Breil Sur Roya FranceHow about this for a spread?

View from our apartmant

Breil Sur Roya FranceHow lucky were we being able to stay in a great 3br apartment with a view like this?

Jody & Deb in Rinny’s apartment

Breil Sur Roya FranceJust across the road from the  Roya river

Enjoying a beer with Riny

Breil Sur Roya FranceThis was a bar at the local railway station. There are two lines that pass through the village, one is French the other Italian, which make it very easy to vist places in both countries.

Location

Breil Sur Roya FranceSo many wonderful towns & villages in the area. Just check out THIS LINK.

A few miles south of Breil

Breil Sur Roya FranceIn october 2020 the river flooded after severe storms & devastated the whole area.

Absolutely heartbreaking. 

Breil Sur Roya devastatedTo see more of this tragic event please follow THIS LINK. 

Breil Sur Roya France, the main street

Breil Sur Roya FranceSo peacefull compared to the previous photo. 

The home of Rinny & Suzanne on the hill above the village.

Breil Sur Roya FranceThis is for your wood fired pizzas. ๐Ÿ™‚

Turn up the heat.

Breil Sur Roya France The master chef at work. ๐Ÿ™‚

A night on the town for the girls

Breil Sur Roya FranceRinny’s daughter Masha took the girls clubbing in Monte Carlo, Deb bought a round of drinks & nearly fainted when the cost was $100. ๐Ÿ™‚

Cold beer in Airole.

Breil Sur Roya France Airole is a village close to Breil.

Airole built on a mountain

Breil Sur Roya FranceLiving in each others pockets. ๐Ÿ™‚

Breil Sur Roya France Le Flavie 

Breil Sur Roya FranceTripAdvisor rating is #2 of 8 Restaurants in Breil-sur-Roya.

When in France….

Breil Sur Roya France            Breil Sur Roya France 

Eat traditional French dishes, Escargot & Creme Brulee. ๐Ÿ™‚

Jodie & Deb visit Menton.

Breil Sur Roya France About 40 minutes south of Breil.

That’s all folks

Breil Sur Roya FranceThanks for visiting my    photo blog, & many thanks to Reni & Suzanne for looking after us so well.

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Breil Sur Roya devastated

October 6, 2020 by David Herd

Breil Sur Roya devastated

Breil Sur Roya devastated

Breil Sur Roya devastated by storm Alex on October 4 2020, it destroyed dozens of houses and washed away roads in the mountainous border region north of Nice.

Riny Doyle

Riny, last night (2)

Ten years ago I spent 2 weeks in this beautiful French village as a guest of Riny Doyle & his partner Suzanne. We are dining on one of Riny’s specialties, wild boar pasta. I remember Riny saying the boar had to be frozen for 6 months before cooking. ๐Ÿ™‚

Main street in Breil

Breil Sur Roya devastated

The force of the flood water must have been incredible.

Cars submerged in mud.

Breil Sur Roya devastatedThree more bodies have been discovered on the French side of the border with Italy after severe mountain flooding ravaged parts of both countries, leaving at least 12 dead.

It will take months to clean up

Breil Sur Roya devastated Sadly the village may never fully recover, many residents will be afraid the flood waters may return in the future.

Perhaps there was no warning

Breil Sur Roya devastated

That may be the reason there were so many vehicles in the middle of the village.

Breil Sur Roya devastated

Breil Sur Roya devastatedBarely hanging on to the edge of the cliff, how frightening is that?

Another one bites the dust

Breil Sur Roya devastatedTotally heartbreaking for the residents of this beautiful village.

This home I’m sure will be demolished.

Breil Sur Roya devastatedIt’s difficult to see any other solution.

Breil Sur Roya devastated, such a sad sight

Breil Sur Roya devastated Another photo of the main street in the middle of Breil.

This is so hard to believe…

Breil Sur Roya devastated A simple reminder that we should never underestimate the awesome power of nature.

Compare the area above to 2010

IMG_6543

From a tranquil setting to a scene of devastation.

A little roadwork needed here

Breil Sur Roya devastated How frightening would this have been for anyone driving on this busy road?

Flashback to 2010 with my friend Riny Doyle.

IMG_7170

Also with me were two Australian friends, Jodie O’Neil & Deborah Holiday. Here is the message I got from Riny the day after the disaster; “no water no รฉlectricitรฉ no phone roads collapsed. A temp road-fix allowed me to go to next valley to let everyone know we are ok. Village is a disaster.”

Thanks for visiting my Breil Sur Roya devastated photo blog, my sympathy to all the residents who have suffered in this horrific event.

Lots more posts here;

Please check out my 2010 photo blog.

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La Brigue ancient French village

August 16, 2015 by David Herd

La Brigue

La Brigue ancient French village

La Brigue ancient French village

La Brigue ancient French village north of Menton was originally part of Italy, the village was annexed to France as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1947.

Donjon tower

La Brigue ancient French village

 The village is both pretty and interesting, with colourful buildings, ancient churches, arcades, vaulted passages, streets to explore, and the pleasure of a fast-flowing river thatโ€™s joined by a mountain stream in the centre. The stream is called โ€œRio Secโ€, or dry river, but was full of spring water when we were there. Many of the buildings are of natural stone and many are nicely renovated with pastel facades and green doorways and steps. The 14th-c medieval Chateau des Lascaris perched above the village is in ruins, with only some walls and a tall, round donjon tower remaining. Partial reconstruction, however, has been started, and the castle is used for medieval festival weekends. Reconstruction will be followed by archaeological digs on the site.

 Medieval stone structures

La Brigue ancient French village

 La Brigue is very attractive with steep rocky hills rising either side, also there are several important monuments.

ANCIENT STONE FOUNTAIN

La Brigue ancient French village

This fountain is dated 1741.

The water tastes so pure & cold

La Brigue ancient French village

This water is worth bottling.

Homes in La Brigue

La Brigue ancient French village

Wonderful ancient stone buildings.

La Brigue French village

La Brigue ancient French village
As you can imagine there are not too many hotels in La Brigue, Hotel Le Terminus is a good choice, excellent rates if you book through this link.

St Martin collegiate church

La Brigue ancient French village

I rarely enter a church however in La Brique I made an exception.

St Martin collegiate church

La Brigue ancient French village

A great shot of the local church.

Ancient buildings & narrow lanes

La Brigue ancient French village

One of the fascinating cobblestone lanes.

La Brigue ancient French village

La Brigue ancient French village

La Brique is a great example of a typical French mountain village.

La Brigue is on the Roya river

La Brigue ancient French village

Perched on the banks of the Sur Roya.

Looks like it will last 1000 years

La Brigue ancient French village

I’m guessing it has been there 1000 years already.

Deborah Holliday & Jodie ONiell

La Brigue ancient French village

These lovely ladies from the Gold Coast were my travelling companions. We were based at Breil Sur Roya between Saorge & Airole.

David Herd at La Brigue

La Brigue ancient French village

Thanks for joining me at my La Brigue ancient French village photo blog. Lots more photo links below.

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1g Duck

 

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Saorge beautiful French village

August 15, 2015 by David Herd

This village is spectacular

Saorge beautiful French village

Saorge beautiful French village

 Saorge beautiful French village was classed as one of the โ€œ40 most beautiful villages of France”. The main village streets traverse narrowly between the buildings at very different levels, with smaller streets and steps leading up and down between them. The view from anywhere in the village is spectacular, looking outward to snow-capped mountains in the middle distance (into May and June) and the deep gorge and rushing white-water river below.

Road to Saorge

Saorge beautiful French village

The region belonged to the old County of Nice. From 1388 to 1860 Saorge was part of Sardinia-Piedmont when it was ceded to France. In June 1793 the armies of the First French Republic and Sardinia clashed here. In the Battle of Saorgio on 24โ€“28 April 1794, the French wrested the town from the Piedmontese. The town was returned to Sardinia-Piedmont after the overthrow of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Saorge beautiful French village

Saorge beautiful French village

 Saorge is 11 km north of Breil Sur Roya where we were based. There are so many interesting French & Italian villages in this particular area, you can spend weeks exploring these fabulous part of Europe.


Bath house or wash house?

Saorge beautiful French village

Whichever one it is or was I can guarantee it is old, very old. ๐Ÿ™‚

Saorge homes

Saorge beautiful French village

The tall solid stone houses date from the 15th-17th centuries and line the narrow steep cobbled street that climb up through the village.

Narrow streets & Alleys

Saorge beautiful French village

 Exploring the village is straightforward as the village mostly follows one long street that climbs the hill through Saorge, with lots of smaller alleys climbing the hill to either side.

My travel buddies

Saorge beautiful French village

 Deborah Holliday and Jodie ONiell from the Gold Coast in Australia spent a couple of weeks with me exploring the French & Italian villages, French Riviera & the Cinque Terre. My best travel tip for this area is to base yourself in the central village of Breil Sur Roya, from here you can easily reach all the wonderful surrounding villages similar to Saorge.

Thanks for visiting my Saorge beautiful French village photo blog.

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1g Duck

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French Italian villages near Monaco.

August 3, 2013 by David Herd

Beautiful French Italian villages only 30 minutes to the Cรดte d’Azur.

French Italian villages near Monaco, one of them Saorge is a very beautiful  village perched along a narrow rock spur that juts out into the Vallรฉe de la Roya, high above the river. Saorge is classed as one of the “40 most beautiful villages of France“. The main village streets traverse narrowly between the buildings at very different levels, with smaller streets and steps leading up and down between them. The view from anywhere in the village is spectacular, looking outward to snow-capped mountains in the middle distance (into May and June) and the deep gorge and rushing white-water river below. My best travel tip for this area is to base yourself in the central village of Breil Sur Roya, from here you can easily reach all the wonderful surrounding villages similar to SaorgeSaorge is 11 km north of Breil Sur Roya where we were based. There are so many interesting French & Italian villages north of Monaco, you can spend weeks exploring this area.

Saorge, one of the beautiful French villages

French Italian villages near Monaco

One of my best trips was staying in Breil Sur Roya in the south of France, 45 minutes north of Monaco. Our landlord was Riny Doyle, who rents a cute 2 bedroom apartment in the village where we stayed, he has a 2 rooms B&B in his villa called l’Abricot. Riny  invited us on a couple of occasions to sample some local cuisine and barbecue at the “villa“, Riny & Susan are wonderful hosts, their hospitality was fantastic, I hope to visit them at Breil again sometime in the future. This is certainly one of the nicest French Italian villages near Monaco.

Riny Doyle’s home in Breil Sur Roya.

French Italian villages near Monaco

A beautiful setting foe a memorable lunch.

Lunch with Riny & Susan

French Italian villages near Monaco

Many thanks to Riny & Susan for their wonderful hospitality.

Riny’s B & B at Breil Sur Roya.

French Italian villages near Monaco

This is the great outdoor kitchen at one of Riny Doyle’s B & Bs on top of the mountain in Breil Sur Roya.

The French and Italian rail lines run through Breil so it is very easy to travel anywhere. There is a great market every Friday at Ventimiglia on the border 30 minutes drive or 20 minutes by train from Breil.  The lovely French village of Breil-sur-Roya is particularly known for trout fishing. The Roya river runs through town and is open to trout anglers from March to September. Part of the trout run is reserved for fly-fishing. Trout anglers share the river with white water rafters, another popular local sport. The streets are narrow and many of the old houses are nicely restored or truly ancient. On the main square you’ll find many buildings painted with trompe-l’oeil scenes. The heart of the town is the narrow old streets parallel to the river, lined with high buildings, and the even narrower connecting streets (ruelles) that pass as tunnels through the buildings.

Lunch with Riny

French Italian villages near Monaco

Riny was a great host, an Aussie who has lived in Europe for many years.

Looking across the lake in Breil Sur Roya

French Italian villages near Monaco

The village sits beside the lake below the mountains.

View from our apartment

French Italian villages near Monaco

The photo above is the view of Breil Sur Roya taken from the balcony of Riny Doyle’s 2 bedroom apartment.

Jodie O’Neill & Deborah Holliday

French Italian villages near Monaco

The girls are happy after their shopping spree at the Ventimiglia market.

Here is a video clip of Riny’s B & B.  

Riny's Bed & Breakfast in the South of France.
 

Airole

French Italian villages near Monaco

  One of the nicest French Italian villages 14 km south of Breil and 14 km north of Ventimiglia on the coast is Airole. A beautiful Italian medieval village with a population of 461, it has a delightful town square where the locals meet to chat, play chess & enjoy a vino or an espresso.

Cold beer in Airole.

 French Italian villages near Monaco

Enjoying a beer in the village square.

Australian blonds drinking wine in Italy

For a good room rate in this area just book through THIS LINK.

French Italian villages Roya Valley.

French Italian villages near Monaco

The Upper Roya Valley begins at the Col de Tende (1871 m) on the French-Italian border. It runs south about 35 km to Breil-sur-Roya and then another 8 km to where it crosses back into Italy. (The Lower Roya Valley flows into the Mediterranean at Ventimiglia.) The Upper Roya Valley is a region of mountains and valleys, with swift rivers, thick forests, and villages with an Italian flavor.

La Brique

French Italian villages near Monaco

The village is both pretty and interesting, with colorful buildings, ancient churches, arcades, vaulted passages, streets to explore, and the pleasure of a fast-flowing river that’s joined by a mountain stream in the center. The stream is called “Rio Sec”, or dry river, but was full of spring water when we were there. Many of the buildings are of natural stone and many are nicely renovated with pastel facades and green doorways and steps. The 14th-c medieval Chateau des Lascaris perched above the village is in ruins, with only some walls and a tall, round donjon tower remaining. Partial reconstruction, however, has been started, and the castle is used for medieval festival weekends. Reconstruction will be followed by archaeological digs on the site.

Fanghetto

French Italian villages near Monaco

  The tiny village of Fanghetto in Italy is 10 km south of Breil & has a population of 10 people, and the only reason I include it in this post is there is one delightful restaurant that only opens for 3 or 4 evenings each week for dinner. It is like eating in somebody’s home, the food is wonderful.

French Italian villages

French Italian villages near Monaco

Great food, Veal Escalopes with Mushrooms in Fanghetto, magnificent.

Sospel in the south of France.

French Italian villages near Monaco

Sospel dates back to the 5th century, when it served as an important staging post on the royal road from Nice to Turin. The old toll bridge used by travellers to cross the Bรฉvรฉra, built in the 13th century, still stands. It was bombed by the Germans during World War II to prevent contact between the French Resistance (“The Maquis”) and the Italians. Much of the town was destroyed. Renovated after World War II it now houses the tourist office. Ruins of a tower, part of a chรขteau belonging to the counts of Provence, are all that remain of the 14th century city walls. (From Wikipedia)

For an excellent room rate is Sospel or nearby just book through THIS LINK.

Deborah, Riny, Jody & David Herd.

French Italian villages near Monaco

Welcome drinks at the local railway station.

Super travel tips.

French Italian villages near Monaco

Breil Sur Roya is the perfect place to stay if you want to explore the French Italian villages in this wonderful area. So convenient to take the train or drive to the French Riviera or Cinque Terre in Italy, or you can just spend  days wandering around all the wonderful medieval French & Italian villages perched on top of the surrounding mountains. Book your hotel here for guaranteed lowest rates + you decide when to pay, now or later.

 

Accommodation. To rent a very nice two bedroom apartment in Breil Sur Roya email Otherwise you can have  B&B rooms at the Villa l’Abricot  on top of the hill with great views, email [email protected]

 
Hotel bookings. Here is a great site , book now & decide when to pay, now or when you check out.
 
The French Riviera is at your doorstep and offers all the pizzazz, style & opulence you could ask for. I suggest however you also consider the lessor know Italian Riviera, specifically the Cinque Terre. I’m surprised how many people I speak to who don’t realise this wonderful area exists, do yourself a favor and check it out. However please remember you can spend weeks exploring the many interesting French Italian villages north of Monaco.
 
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               Great hotel room rates anywhere in the world if you book
                  through these links below.  Book now & pay later.
Free Cancellation. 
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 Thatโ€™s all folks

1g Duck

 

               

La vie en rose - Louis Armstrong
                               

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