At 2040m, ST-VÉRAN claims to be the highest permanently inhabited village in Europe. It lies on the east side of the valley of the Aigue Blanche, backed by steep lush mountain pasture, 7km south of Ville-Vieille. Opposite, rock walls and slopes of scree rise to snowy ridges. In the valley bottom and on any treeless patch of ground, no matter how steep, you can see the remains of abandoned terraces. They were in use up until World War II, though, as with most high Alpine villages, traditional farming activity has now practically died out. Today the principal economic activity is entertaining tourists. The route up from Ville-Vieille takes you through Molines, which – like its neighbours La Rua and Fontgillarde – seems to have preserved its traditional rural character better than St-Véran, with well-kept houses and hay meadows still neatly scythed by hand.St-Veran's houses are part stone and part timber, and there are several refurbished old drinking fountains, made entirely of wood. The stone church stands prettily on the higher of the two "streets", its white tower silhouetted against the bare crags across the valley. The columns of its porch rest on crudely carved lions, one holding a man in its paws. The interior is surprisingly rich, with Baroque altars and retables. Just south of the village, past a triple cross adorned with the instruments of Christ's Passion and an inscription urging the passer-by to choose between the devout or rebellious life ("l'homme révolté qui n'est jamais content"), the GR58, waymarked and easy to follow, turns right down to the river, beside which there are some good spots for camping sauvage. The path continues up the left bank through woods of pine and larch as far as the chapel of Notre-Dame-de-Clausis. There, above the treeline, it crosses to the right bank of the stream and winds up damp grassy slopes to the Col de Chamoussière, about three-and-a-half hours from St-Véran. The ridge to the right of the col marks the frontier with Italy. In the valley below, you can see the Refuge Agnel, about an hour away, with the Pain de Sucre (3208m) behind it. From there you can continue to L'Échalp. In early July, there are glorious flowers – violets, Black Vanilla orchids, pinks and gentians – in the meadows leading up to the col. It's hard to get good-value accommodation around St-Véran. The best deal for price is the Auberge Monchu (tel 04.92.45.83.96, www.lemonchu.fr; €55–70 half-board per person; closed mid-April to mid-June & mid-Sept to Christmas), which also provides gîte d'étape facilities. There are also a few hotels, including Le Grand Tétras (tel 04.92.45.82.42, fax 04.92.45.85.98; €55–70; closed Oct–May) and the Beauregard (tel 04.92.45.86.86, fax 04.92.45.86.87; €55–70), and Les Gabelous gîte d'étape (tel 04.92.45.81.39). Alternate spellings:: France, St-Véran, St-Véran, St-Veran
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