2-From typical villages to the mountain pasture of Plan Lombardie

In addition to its panoramic views over the Belleville Valley and Mont Blanc, this “promontory” village contains a chapel of Romanesque origin whose bell tower walls bear the coats-of-arms of the archbishops of Tarentaise. The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Lorraine, Saint Anne and Saint Brigitte, and a Cross of Lorraine is engraved above the bell tower’s geminated windows.

This dense forest serves the Valley’s inhabitants in several ways: it protects their houses from avalanches and prevents landslides, and its wood provides them with fuel for heating in winter. Its name means that it is extensive and mostly peopled with beeches, which are usually referred to as “fayards” in Savoie. “Frasse” is a word derived from “fay” which means “beech”.

This village is a “montagnette”: an isolated group of houses once inhabited for only a part of the year (in spring and autumn) by herdsmen making their way between the high mountain pastures in the summer and the village of St-Jean de Belleville in the winter. The hamlet’s name derives from a local word that originally referred to the mountain streams that tumble down the slopes. “Nant” refers to a stream that can cause major damage during spring floods or following a violent summer storm. The hamlet’s chapel is dedicated to Saint St-Claude. It dates back earlier than 1633, the year in which the Bishop of Tarentaise paid it a pastoral visit.

This montagnette, which is crossed by a little mountain stream, is the best preserved village on the itinerary. Its highly typical rural architecture is a fine example of the art of building on a slope! In days gone by, the hamlet’s name was spelled “Saussaz “ but pronounced “Sauce” as, in Savoie, the “az” suffix is not pronounced but indicates that a name is accentuated. It may originally have meant a source of fresh water or a place where fresh water was to be found. Such localities are often situated high up the mountainside. The hamlet’s chapel is dedicated to Saint Barthelemy and was built before 1633. According to the archives, it was built by the inhabitants, who provided it with capital of 100 Savoie florins in 1662. It was renovated in the 2000s.

This peak wasn't originally named “Cheval”. It came from the patois word “Lanche”, the equivalent of the word “Combe” (Coomb). Its slopes were dark, almost black in colour The patois name was eventually Frenchified to become the “Cheval Noir”. The Cheval Noir’s peak connects 2 municipalities (Saint-Jean-de-Belleville and Saint François Longchamp) The statue of the horse was recast in 2012 by Jean-Yves Sylvestre; he used stainless steel, a material that does not deteriorate with time.

Enjoying an ideal location, this mountain hut provides outstanding panoramic views over the La Platière stream at the foot of the majestic Cheval Noir. Rising to 2,832 metres, the Cheval Noir’s summit provides a magnificent view of the Madeleine Pass and the Grand Pic de la Lauzière. In the summer, the site becomes an extensive area of pastureland shared between several farmers. In the Middle Ages, the word “ Lombard” was used to refer to mountain pastures used by herdsmen from Lombardy who kept their livestock on them. In those days, the Savoyards tended to call anywhere beyond the Alps “Lombardy”.