Vars Sainte-Catherine

The south-facing hamlet is the highest of the three mountain villages. Known in the past as “la Fortune” because Sainte Catherine benefits from exceptional sunshine, the village has a very appealing location. It is said that Vars Sainte Catherine is the old granary of Vars, as it is still the village with the most arable and cultivated fields. Hay, rye, hemp, oats as well as vegetables (cabbage, potatoes…).

Le Balcon de Vars

Choosing Sainte Catherine for your holiday means treating yourself to one of the most beautiful balconies in Vars, with on one side the Crêtes de l’Eyssina, the real backdrop to the Vars destination, and on the other, the Ecrins massif rising to an altitude of over 4000m. This means you’ll be the lucky last to enjoy the setting sun thanks to a south-west exposure, just the thing for sunset lovers.

The narrow, steep lanes known as “charrières” in this mountainside village offer the chance to discover treasures that the most curious will be able to unveil: the sundials bear witness to the very strong relationship that the inhabitants had with the sun, a veritable natural clock for them, whose illustration on the walls of farmhouses was often accompanied by moralist phrases full of wisdom.

You can see the magnificent traditional larch wood balconies that run along all the facades, and the gruates (pulleys used to rack the haystacks).
The communal oven used to bake bread backs onto one of the village laundries, which is handy for getting water when baking bread. It is lit twice a year in July and August to perpetuate the tradition of bread-making at village festivals.