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Heritage celebrations

The authentic mountain

A bit like family reunions, the heritage festivals take you into the thatched cottages of history, the past and mountain traditions. Conviviality, sharing, encounters and know-how are all part of the programme at these heritage festivals in the heart of the Varsincs villages.

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Remi Morel

Heritage

a strong history

They say you had to be born there to stay there: living in the high mountains meant a life of hard work, with the harsh climate and farm chores. But it was a life that was always marked by humanity and solidarity. A population that was cut off from the world for months at a time and had to organise itself: making bread in the communal oven, carpentry, carpentry… in the words of an old-timer: “We didn’t know how to do anything but we did everything ourselves” (Paul Rostollan).

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Villages and encounters

A curious stroll through the valley will give you an idea of what life was like in days gone by: Vars was not always the summer and winter sports resort it is today. It is above all a valley with a centuries-old history: take a look behind the scenes. On a fine summer’s day, take the time to stroll through the villages of Vars. Watches used to be sundials: look up and search the walls of the old farmhouses for these sundial markers with mottos full of meaning: time makes love pass, but love makes time pass.

There are no washing machines, but there are laundries in every village where women used to wash their clothes in room-temperature water: give it a try! The church and temple at Saint Marcellin bear witness to the sometimes turbulent religious history of the Alpine valleys, and the wooden crosses that line the villages are adorned with images of the Passion of Christ.

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Alpesphotographies.com Vars Sainte Catherine (60)

Thursday 23 July 2026

Relive the traditions that have shaped life in the mountains.

Vars Sainte Catherine ’s communal oven used to bake bread for the whole village; every household had one. Today, only this one remains and is brought back into use every summer, producing bread with a unique flavour.

It comes back into use twice a summer to bake bread according to ancestral rituals. From the kneading trough to the sale of the loaves, this tradition is rising from the ashes, offering a moment of shared enjoyment and entertainment in the heart of the village of Varsinc.

The day’s programme:

From 7am to 1pm: workshops for children: shape the dough and bake your own small loaf in the communal oven.

From 10.00 am to 1.00 pm: giant treasure hunt

At 10.30 am: a tour of the village of Sainte-Catherine

Saturday 15 August 2026

A not-to-be-missed event in the Varsinc summer, 15 August is the day when the village celebrates its patron saint: workshops, village tours, entertainment and dance shows, garage sales, pétanque competitions – it’s a popular festival par excellence, full of tradition and conviviality, with a religious procession and a ball at the end of the day, topped off with a fireworks display.

The day’s programme will be available soon. Stay tuned!

Tuesday 21 July 2026

Set around the Chabrières hut, restored in the spirit of the old mountain pastures, Vars en Fête invites you to experience an authentic insight into the daily lives of shepherds and livestock farmers. This event celebrates pastoral skills, the upkeep of the mountain pastures and the traditions that shape the mountain landscapes.

Young farmers from the Hautes-Alpes will also be running introductory workshops and hosting a convivial meal to give visitors a taste of modern alpine farming.

Access from Les Claux, via the Chabrières Telemix, followed by an easy 15-minute walk.

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