SAMOENS (dpa) – When the mobile distillery passes through the villages of the Giffre Valley in southeastern France the roads are impassable.
Customers hurry out of the farmhouses with barrels full of soaked pears and apples. It takes the travelling distillery, built in 1934, just an hour to conjure a wonderfully clear brew from the mush while a strongly alcoholised steam rises from the machine.
The mobile distillery is a traditional feature of the nine hamlets scattered over the slopes of the Giffre glacier valley. The unique valley basin with giant mountains nearly 3,000 metres above sea level and dozens of waterfalls, is a dream destination for hikers and climbers. The Sixt-Fer a-Cheval nature reserve is also a paradise for eagles, buzzards, chamois and ibexes.
The largest town in the region is Samoens with 2,500 inhabitants. The market town in the Haute-Savoie departement, Rhone-Alpes region, is the only French ski resort which is a protected monument.
The foundation stone of its cultural significance was laid 350 years ago by the village stonemasons. In the mid-17th century the Samoens guild of stonemasons were so well-known for their expert working of the local limestone that the guild was appointed to the most important construction sites in Europe.
Unlike most of the inhabitants of the district, the respected guild travelled the world. Their influence is still visible in the market town today on the lintels and windowsills.
It is partly due to their achievements that Samoens today has earned the subtitle of “land of art and history.” A stone’s throw from the old 16th century market hall and the village church is the pride of the “Septimontains”: a splendid linden tree planted in the year 1438, with a trunk nearly 10 metres thick. It dominates the market square.
On a mountain slope on the upper part of the town is “La Jaysinia”, the Alpine garden headed by Michel Farille, a botanical attraction on 3.5 hectares. Farille is responsible for around 8,000 species of plant from mountain regions all over the world. The garden also offers a superb view over the town and valley.
Meanwhile, Joseph Brasier cultivates another local attraction in his speciality shop “Le Grenier Savoyard”. With a scrutinising look, he carefully cuts into the enormous smoked ham which is one of the specialities of the region.
“This jambon should be exactly right after two years,” said Brasier, spearing a piece of it expectantly. The local Savoyen cuisine, strongly reliant on cheese and white wine, is more influenced by the Swiss Valais Alps than French haute cuisine.
After a substantial meal “a la savoyarde” you can go take a helicopter ride for a bird’s eye view of the Montblanc region, the glacier lake, Megeve and Chamonix. The flight low over the green-blue crevasses and the Grand Massif valleys gives you the chance to map out your location.
