High in the southernmost reaches of the French Alps, lies the small slot-like canyon of the Vallée des Merveilles – the Valley of Marvels. The name came about from the many thunderstorms ranging through this uppermost section of the Maritime Alps which contain the last of the alpine peaks in France reaching up to 3,000 meters in elevation heading south through the range towards the Mediterranean Sea. Those same ‘marvels’ led men centuries ago to create marvels of a totally different sort, literally thousands of pictographs allowing us a small peek into life during the Bronze Age.
The Alps feature some of the most magical mountain scenery to be found. Over the years, I have hiked and climbed in every Alpine country. People always ask questions like “Where is your most favorite – country, hike, mountain …?” In the Alps, I simply cannot answer that question. Just when you think you have centered on one particular area, you get other surprises which rock the boat. Here, in the Maritime Alps of the far southeast of France, is a perfect example.
MARITIME ALPS
The Maritime Alps begin from the Col de Larche where the Val d’Ubayette from the French side meets up with the Stura Valley from the Italian side. From the south side of the Col de Larche, the international Mercantour National Park heads south, sweeping along or near the Franco-Italian border for well over 100 kilometers. The park is one of eleven national parks France maintains today. Within the French areas of the park, much of the park’s area was once part of the royal hunting grounds of the Savoy family, from whom the Kings of Sardinia and later Italy hailed from. Before 1860, much of the park’s mountains used to be part of the County of Nice, handed over to France in 1860 in reward for French help in evicting the Hapsburgs from Lombardy – a major first step in uniting Italy – the Risorgimiento.
Being an international park, there is also a large chunk of protected land lying north of the border within Italy. The royal hunting reserve ended abruptly with the Italian defeat in World War 2. Within France, the Mercantour National Park was created in 1979. Then, in 1987, the park was combined with Italy’s Parco Naturale Alpi Marittime (then a regional park) into today’s international affair. There is a 33-kilometer region – located in the highest peaks in the Maritime Alps – where a common border is shared by the park. Cima Argentera stands as the tallest alpine peak in the park rising to 3,290 meters a few kilometers north within Italy. Several other peaks along the border also top the 3,000-meter mark.
wHAT IS IN A NAME?
While not as well-known as other regions of the French Alps further north, the Mercantour region of the Maritimes stands out with a wildness not often found in the Alps. The word “Mercantour” supposedly dates to the Latin “Marcamtor”. This name became chosen when the area of ancient Liguria formed as a province of Rome around 60 BC. “Marcamtor” literally means “the sea, the way, the mountain” but translates to “near the sea path through the Mountain. The provincial name changed over time to Mercantour. Grand Randonnée 52 – GR 52 – represents an exquisite chance for an alpine walk of 214 kilometers (133 miles) with an elevation gain along the way of 12,571 meters (41,834 feet).
VALLÉE DES MERVEILLES
Just past the midway point of GR 52 when walking west (or north) to east (south) is the Valley of Marvels located in the eastern end of the highest Mercantour peaks. On the west side of Mount Bégo, the trail winds directly through the magical little valley. Mount Bégo tops out at 2,872 meters (9,423 feet). The name derives from the ancient word be and go, words meaning “sacred mountain” and “cow or earth goddess”.
Mount Bégo featured as one of the mountains held sacred by ancient Ligurian peoples. It stands along with the valleys coming off the mountain – Fontanalbe to the east-northeast and Merveilles to the west as an open-air museum giving glimpses into the life and beliefs of those living here 5,000 years ago. The museum exists in the form of over 60,000 petroglyphs – some write over 100,000 – carved onto 4,200 rocks. On this sacred mountain, prehistoric people came to pay homage to the forces of nature, water and storms in particular.
Due to its location at high altitude and closeness to the Mediterranean Sea, the summit was and is a place of intense storm activity. The storms led to the name Valley of Marvels. Strong deposits of iron, uranium and other minerals of strong electrical attractiveness ensured the numerous lightning strikes taking place here during summer storms. Fear and adoration led the locals to place the many engravings carved onto the glacially polished rocks. Atop Mount Bégo, the pre-historics could touch both the sun and the sky. The rocks used to make the engravings were polished by retreating glaciers sometime between 13,500 and 6,100 BC.
PETROGLYPHS
The oldest petroglyphs date from 1,800 to 1,500 BC. Throughout the site, engravings appear voluntarily made in specific areas where a superficial red layer is present. The rock surfaces demonstrate a chromatic contrast with a thin reddish-orange outer layer and underlying greenish substrate. This technique of engraving through a colored superficial layer potentially selected because it offered high visibility as well as good durability on such substrates exposed to weathering. The chromatic contrast here at Mont Bégo is similar to other rock engravings found throughout the world. They remain among the first marks left in the history of mankind whether in Europe, North America, central Asia, south Africa.
Carved onto the polished slabs, the presence of the petroglyphs known long before men actually began to study the many images. The petroglyphs were created by pecking, incising or carving the rock surfaces with a harder material such as quartz. Difficulty of access saved the glyphs for posterity even with awareness of their existence. In the Middle Ages, the area was considered demonic, a cursed place on the outskirts of hell. In Pierre de Montfort’s 1460 travelogue he notes, “It was an infernal place with figures of the devil and thousand demons everywhere cut in the rocks … But for a little, my soul would have failed me.”
Study of the Glyphs
In the late 1860s and the 1870s, scientists began to study the petroglyphs and attribute them, correctly, to the prehistoric era. Two of the scientists were English botanists. Clarence Bicknell settled in nearby Val Casterino so he could continue his botanical studies alongside a study of the petroglyphs. He discovered over 7,000 before his death in 1918.
Carlo Conti, a sculptor and archaeologist, spent time cataloguing the various petroglyph findings during the 1930s – Mount Bégo and much of the surrounding area was still Italian at the time. Henry de Lumley and teams, he has led since 1967, have further gathered inventories of the various engravings analyzing them in attempts to further understand the beliefs of men living here in the Copper and Early Broze Ages.
Mount Bégo is not the only mountain with such engravings. Conti and others compared the findings here to other similar petroglyphs found in the Val Camonica of northeastern Piedmont. Peripheral to the Vallée des Merveilles to the north in Italy, the area around Cima del Tor by the Lago del Vej del Bouc – 2054-meter elevation – also shares the same rock characteristics and rock engravings. In total, the Mount Bégo area comprises an area of 14 square kilometers. Tens of thousands of rock engravings scatter about among the rocks dating to Copper-Early Bronze, Roman and more recent eras.
Typology – cattle
Of the petroglyphs, scientists have formed five main categories into which the engravings fall into: corniforms, weapons/tools, anthropomorphic figures, geometric figures and non-representative figures. Corniforms represent cattle with a geometric form – square, triangle, rectangle or a simple line from which two horns arise. They make up 46% of the petroglyphs found – 79% of all of the representative engravings. Most of the cattle appear unyoked, but many do show harnesses.
Weapons and tools consist mainly of halberds – blades appearing at the end of a long handle. The dagger engravings give one clue as to the age of the petroglyphs. This is done by comparing the glyph to actual daggers which have been found. Weapons and tools make up 4% of the total – 7.2% of representative petroglyphs.
tpology – man
Figures of men fall into the rarest category making up only 0.2% of the total – 0.5 of representative engravings. The figures are very schematic – two legs, two arms, head without features. The “men” are usually involved in some activity like arms raised or dragging or holding some object. There are a few figures which are much more dramatic like le Christ.
There are three subtypes into which the geometric figures fall. First, are simple rayed figures like the sun or a cross. Next, there are closed figures – squares, circles – and finally, the reticulated – checkered – figures, possibly representing fields. Geometrics make up 7% of the total petroglyphs – 12.5% of representative engravings.
The non-representative engravings make up 42.8% of the petroglyphs. Here, the engraving purpose remains unknown.
Petroglyphs were pecked or incised in flat and smooth surfaces – again using the reddish flat stones with contrasting chromatic substrates to make the glyphs stand out. Carvings were started by digging out small ‘cupules’ to a depth of between 0.5 to 5 millimeters.
What do they mean?
Therein lies an intriguing question. Henry de Lumley represents one main voice popularizing the Bégo God theory giving the engravings a religious connotation. Two other theories exist, with one theorizing the engravings define pasturelands and helped to guide herds. Another theory has the petroglyphs used to mark male rites of passage.
About half of the rock engravings represent bovines – a rectangular midsection with horns extending on either side. Hundreds of daggers, halberds and geometric forms are popular with possible divisions into sections. Harnesses engraved demonstrate bovine domesticity. Four rocks seem to measure solar time while another two appear used as seasonal solar sundials. The sites, even with the difficulty of access, have received humans since the late Copper (Chalcolithic) period though as earlier mentioned, some of the engravings do date to later time periods. That said, by far most engravings fall into the prehistoric time frame.
The petroglyphs are of course not the oldest evidence of man in Europe or even France. The rock paintings found in the Pyrenees go much further back in time. In France, the rock paintings inside the Chauvet Cave in the Ardeche region go back 30,000 years. Still, the Mont Bégo site represents an exceptional though valuable archaeological heritage. Protected since 1987, the conservation state of the petroglyphs receives regular monitoring to prevent acts of negligence or vandalism. Erosion is always an enemy in the open-air alpine environment. Several of the most fascinating petroglyphs have moved to the museum in Tende with plaster replicas taking their places in the mountains.
THE PARK
In the mid-19th century, the Maritime Alps lay within the realm of the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia. King Vittorio Emmanuele II saw himself as the “King Hunter”. Concerning himself with a decrease in the numbers of chamois and the extinction of ibex in this area, he created a “Royal Hunting Reserve” here in 1859. His timing was perfect for a year later, Piedmont-Sardinia traded away the County of Nice (and Haute Savoie) to France in return for military help in pushing the Austrians out of Lombardy.
At the request of the king, the French Emperor Napoleon III allowed the House of Savoy to retain the reserve along with the communes of Tende and La Brigue in the Roya Valley along with mountain areas north of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, Valdebore and Isola. His son, Vittorio Emmanuele III began a reintroduction program of ibex to the Maritime Alps. World War II set back the numbers on the Argentera-Mercantour massif to about 300 chamois and less than 50 ibexes. That number suffered more in the postwar years when the area became unprotected after annexation by France in 1947. Hunting preserves were started after the war, but it was not until 1979 that the national park was created in France. In 2013, both twinned Maritime Alp parks became added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites lists of both Italy and France.
THE MUSEUM
The Museum of Wonders dates to 1987 when a decision to open a museum in Tende dedicated to the petroglyphs of Mount Bégo went forward. Tende remained part of Italy into 1947. The town remains a perfect spot for investigations into the Vallée des Merveilles. The General Council of the Department of Alpes-Maritimes bought and renovated an old building in 1989. Completed in 1996, the museum integrates into the city’s architecture sitting on the north end of the town. Twelve columns in front represent the twelve countries of the EU in 1996 – a few more today. Renovated in 2019, there are two permanent galleries and two rooms for temporary exhibits totaling 900 square meters.
A first stop here would enable you to make more sense of the petroglyphs of the Vallée des Merveilles and Fontanable. Reasonable physical fitness is also a must for walking to the sites themselves. Here, you can do the visit virtually. Original petroglyphs include the Chief of the Tribe taken from the Vallée des Merveilles in 1988 to protect it – a plaster cast replaces it in the Vallée des Merveilles.
getting to tende
Half of the fun is getting to Tende. The Roya Valley was an important path from the Piedmont plains to the Mediterranean. As such, both rail and road tunnels pierce the Col de Tende just north of the town. The road tunnel became closed by storms and landslides. Complications added delays to the reopening of the road tunnel though finally the road tunnel supposedly will re-open this year in 2025. From Nice, take the train. There is a lot of history and magnificent scenery to witness along the way. Heck, from Ventimiglia in Italy, take the train. The Roya Valley is a magnificent line whether you start from France or Italy.
VISITING THE SITES IN THE VALLÉE DES MERVEILLES
To visit the sites of the rock engravings in the Vallée des Merveilles, you have to walk. You have several options, but each one requires a modicum of fitness. Most visitors will hike in from the Lac des Mesches. Lac des Mesches sits as the lowest of a series of reservoirs at the confluence of the Casterino and Miniére valleys. Intake tubes run from the Lac des Miniéres about a half kilometer upstream to the small hydroelectric plant just above the west end of Lac des Mesches. There is lots of parking around the plant on the road leading to Casterino from Saint-Dalmas-de-Tende, itself just south of Tende in the Roya Valley.
Silver mine
From above the electric plant, a 4WD road leads off to the Refuge des Merveilles, but there is also a trail heading off the same road about midway along the south shore of the lake. Both trails merge at the little hamlet of La Minière de Vallauria where there is a possibility of staying at a Gîte-Refuge. The hamlet housed mine workers at the little silver mine which produced silver, lead and zinc. Carbon dating shows the mine operated since the 11th century.
war at the mine
During World War 2, the mine served as a barracks for Italian soldiers. After the war, the mine became abandoned but today serves as an interpretation center for the International Center for Artisanal Techniques. About 20 kilometers of tunnels exist which have been investigated. Minig tours are available covering about 900 meters. There is also an interpretation trail along which you can better understand the site and buildings. All in all, quite a beginning to the Vallée des Merveilles.
Walking up the Vallon de Miniéres above the little reservoir next to the mines, you start on the 4WD trail – open only for vehicles servicing the refuge above – or take a trail option which is a bit shorter and steeper. Both option merge again in a little over a half kilometer as you near the timberline. Another half kilometer and you reach the Refuge des Merveilles on the south shore of Le Lac Long Supérieur. There are several lakes – three dammed – up here in the upper Miniéres basin. From the refuge – very busy, so if you want accommodations, reserve ahead of time. This is one of the best places to visit, the Vallée des Merveilles from.
Two Options
There are two options to visit the petroglyphs. You can simply walk along the paths – GR 52 – seeing several exhibits along the way pointing out some of the more obvious petroglyphs. Or you can venture out one of two daily tours – 0800 and 1330. The tours are in French, so some prior knowledge of the sites is probably wise if you do not speak French. In the special restricted area covering the Vallée des Merveilles, Mont Bégo and the Fontanalbe basin do not allow off-trail walking. No dogs are allowed in the national park.
If you have trekking poles, they need to have rubber protection for the tips within the restricted area. We opted to hike ourselves along the trail. Making our way up to the Lac des Merveilles and back to the refuge is a good afternoon jaunt. You get to see some awesome mountain scenery and several of the rock petroglyphs along the way, including Le Christ. The Roche de l‘Autel – Rock of the Altar – stands just off the east side of the trail at the north end of the little Lac des Merveilles. The rock has the highest concentration of engravings found – 893 figures counted.
Climbing to the source of the Marvels
From the refuge you can also climb Mont Bégo. You walk across the dam and after a traverse, begin many short switchbacks on the user-trail, taking you up over 700 meters on the 3 kilometers to the summit. Remember to watch for weather here, merveilles translates into wonders, but it is not the petroglyphs the name refers to, but the thunderstorms. Count on scrambling a bit on the last parts of the climb. Figure on 2 hours for the climb. There is no water on the route. Parts of the route actually falls within the no off-trail zone, but I saw plenty of people doing the climb after getting advice from the refuge care keepers.
Casterino – Fontanalba
If you drive further than the Las de Mesches you will reach the hamlet of Casterino. From here paths lead up to the Refuge Fontanalba. The Fontanalba basin on the east side of Mont Bégo has lots of petroglyphs too. Tours go out from this refuge twice a day, like from the Refuge des Merivielles – both at 0800 and 1330. There are several trail options beyond the refuges visiting lakes amidst spectacular alpine scenery.
THE VALLEY OF WONDERS AND MARVELS
Prehistoric history combined with majestic mountain scenery makes the Vallée des Merveilles truly wonderous. There are also many bunkers especially on the ridge running east from Mont Bégo above the Vallon de Miniéres (and several more above the east side of the Vallon des Casterino) which served as Italian defenses both in the late 19th century and in the lead up to World War 2. Despite the wildness of the terrain, this is the Alps, so you will not be alone for long normally. But it is a far cry from the crowds of Mont Blanc or Interlaken. You meet most people at the refuges which can be an interesting experience in itself.
Camping can be done in sites just above the Refuge des Merivielles, though normally, to put up a tent in Mercantour Park, the tent can only be up from 1900 to 0900. The tent is also supposed to be at least an hour’s walk from road access or park boundaries. No camping at all is allowed in the Vallée des Merveilles.