To the Art Refuges in Haute-Provence
Duration
6 Days
Group Size
5 to 7 people
Tour Type
Itinerant Stay
Language
English, French, Chinese
What to expect
Next departures: from 23 to 28 June 2025 (confirmed departure) and from 28 September to 3 October 2025 (confirmed departure). 6 days, 5 nights. Accommodation in art refuges (bivouac) and comfortable stopover lodges. Intermediate level hike (3/5). Price: From €750. Optional: rental of a sleeping bag, silk sheet, sleeping mattress, inflatable pillow.
Set in the exceptional landscapes of Haute-Provence, this tour is an invitation to a dialogue between science, art and nature. Through a sensitive walk, we'll get as close as possible to the secret world of the ancients, and follow in the illustrious footsteps of the philosopher Pierre Gassendi. Adopting his formula "ambolu ergo sum" (I walk therefore I am), a response to the "cogito ergo sum" (I think therefore I am) of his contemporary René Descartes, we will glide from clued ridges and wooden scrubland, for a total immersion in the fascinating universe of the artists of the Gassendi Museum's mountain art collection.
Refuge d'art is an artistic device by Andy Goldsworthy, in the region of Digne-les-Bains, in Haute-Provence. Still in progress, it was initiated by Nadine Gomez, curator of the Gassendi Museum, who invited him in 1995 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Haute-Provence geological reserve. It is the world's largest collection of the artist's works. This route follows lost hiking trails in the heart of the UNESCO Geopark of Haute-Provence. It connects the Sentinelles, imposing dry stone cairns, as well as isolated buildings in the middle of nature, renovated, each of which houses a work by the artist.On our itinerary, we'll be passing through most of the Sentinelles and Refuges d'art, and sleeping in two of them. On the other three nights, we'll be staying in comfortable gîtes. We'll also be discovering the work of other artists: herman de vries, Joan Fontcuberta and Paul-Armand Gette.On foot, we'll cross landscapes of exceptional beauty, forests of beech or black pine and villages forgotten by time. We'll cross mountain passes amidst alpine meadows and hike alongside wild streams. In these seldom-visited mountains - home to wolves, chamois, eagles, vultures and so many others - we'll contemplate the geological splendors that nature has built up over millions of years. These include the monumental Vélodrome d'Esclangon, or the clues de Barles.We'll end our journey where the whole adventure began: at the Musée Gassendi in Digne, withAndy Goldsworthy'sRiver of Earth.Stay scheduled from June 23 to 28, 2025 and from September 28 to October 3, 2025.All-inclusive rate: From €750 per person (all-inclusive rate, excluding insurance)Operated by the agency Vercors escapades and under its registrationOn request, all year round (spring and autumn periods recommended).Include/Exclude
- All meals (dinners, picnics and breakfasts)
- Accommodation
- Programmed internal transfers
- The guide's service
- Visits (visit to the Gassendi Museum)
- In many accommodations, drinks (tea, coffee, wine) are included.
- Transport before the meeting on the first day (in Digne-les-Bains) and after the end of the stay (in Digne-les-Bains)
- Transportation during your stay for personal reasons
- Beverages where not included
- Personal expenses (telephone calls, etc.)
- Cancellation insurance
- Any overnight stays before and after the trip.
Day-by-day itinerary
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