Sospel
Amateurs of Baroque art should make a turn at Sospel. It is a real colourful jewel set in the heart of the Menton Valley.
Already inhabited 3 000 years before our era, the site only became a village around the year 1 000, when the population of the surrounding areas decided to settle down near the actual Pont Neuf.
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In 1258, after the division of the County of Vintimille, Sospel became an important area for the Counts of Provence. It was under their rule that the castle was built. Its tower can still be seen today. It was also at the same period that a part of the village was equipped with solid ramparts.
Thanks to the Count of Savoy, who appropriated the little town in 1388, Sospel took on a remarkable development. It soon became a trading crossroads with lots of traffic and its population soon grew to three thousand inhabitants.
The Baroque period has left many traces in the region. Under the authority of the King of Sardinia, the town acquired new churches, convents and private houses that immensely transformed the town. The "trompe-l'oeil" style is mostly concentrated in the historical centre of the town: Place Garibaldi, Place Saint Michel, the Saint Michel Cathedral, Place Pastoris, Place Saint Nicolas... the list is never ending. The best way to get to see all these marvels is to stroll through the streets that borders the Pont Vieux. Bévéra should also be visited.
The houses in "trompe-l'oeil" style on the river banks dates back to the 19th century, and is also worth a visit. For those interested in the railway, the hold of the Sospel Railway Station houses four mythical cars which have circulated on the "Venise-Simplon Orient-Express" and the "Paris-Côte d'Azur Pullman". |
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