ル・グラン＝セールのおすすめウォーキング＆ハイキングルート

April 1879. Ferdinand Cheval, then a 43-year-old rural postman, stumbled upon a stone so bizarre during his rounds that it sparked a dream. A true autodidact, he dedicated 33 years of his life to building a dream palace in his vegetable garden, inspired by nature, postcards, and the first illustrated magazines he distributed. For his rounds in the countryside, he traveled about 30 kilometers each day, collecting stones with the help of his trusty wheelbarrow. Alone, misunderstood, he inscribed "the work of a man" on his monument. His dream palace was completed in 1912.

I have seen it several times and it is truly a unique monument 🙂

Unique in the world, the Palais Idéal has inspired artists for over a century. Independent of any artistic movement, built without any architectural rules, the Palais Idéal was admired by the Surrealists. In 1969, it was classified as a Historic Monument by André Malraux, then Minister of Culture, as a work of naive art.

An incredible tourist magnet in Hauterives. Large parking spaces on site and €9 entry. The small castle is something special that you don't see every day. A postman built it from stones and shells that he discovered on his errands around 1870 and worked on it for over 30 years. There is even a small museum and a brochure for mobile phones in German. 👍🏰🤳

The origin of this Romanesque chapel dates back to the 11th or 12th century. It is nestled in the middle of chestnut woods (hence its name) and overlooks the fertile Valloire valley.

The Galaure is a tributary of the Rhône river. A ford has been installed to cross it at this point. When the water level is too high, it is always possible to cross using the raised metal bridge.

Nice view of the surrounding hills, on a path in the middle of meadows.

The Château de Montfalcon was built in the 14th century to protect the population from the clashes between partisans of Dauphiné and partisans of Savoy. From the initial building we still recognize the polygonal enclosure, a square Romanesque keep and half of a round tower.