From Praz Coutant to Les Chalets de Platé

A sanatorium was a health resort facility built in the days when antibiotics had not yet been invented and tuberculosis was rampant. In the 1920s, Plateau d'Assy, with its superb location and fresh air, was chosen as the site for many of these health resorts. The most daring architects of the day were called upon to design revolutionary facilities that made use of the warm sunshine to provide essential patient care. Their reputation was renowned the world over.

As you take the path up to the Platé refuge, you'll come across a passageway that was already in use in ancient Roman times, as a way of crossing the "Fiz walls." In fact, a fibula - a type of fastener and precursor of the modern safety pin, which was used to fasten and secure garments - has been found here. It dates back to the High Roman Empire, i.e. between AD 10 and AD 80!

A green hollow in the immense lunar landscape of the Désert de Platé, a few cabins. You've arrived at the refuge of the same name. Managed by the CAF (French Alpine Club), its caretakers offer you the welcome that only they know and know almost too well: Italian cuisine, homemade bread and jams, a naturalist's library corner and a telescope for spotting ibex. But be very careful not to overindulge yourself in all this splendour! Water and energy are in short supply here!