Col du Petit Cucheron

The baroque chapel in La Minière dates back to the seventeenth century (1661). It is dedicated to Saint Barbe,( patron saint of miners)who is represented in the wall painting, to Saint Lucie (patron saint of stone sculptors) and to Saint Bernard de Menthon (patron saint of mountain people)It was restored in 1883, then in 1985. In the painting the same scene was reproduced. Its wrought iron grid, bearing the date of 1668 and the name of the artist –G Bonnet-, is remarkable. A similar one exists in Chambéry in the Croix d’Or street, on the mansion of the Castagnery family who owned the mines in St Georges. Another one also exists in the choir of the old church in Annecy

Auberge des Hurtières, a pleasant panoramic stage on the Col du Cucheron road, at the crossroads of the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys. Relay motorcycle, step night for bikers: dinner and overnight at the hostel.