Castellane is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France located upstream of the Gorges du Verdon.  The Rock, or Notre Dame, overlooks the city from 605 feet of elevation, and at the top is the Chapel of Our Lady of The Rock. Notre Dame is French for "Our Lady" and Shopping in the village.European Summer In France refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary.  This historical site has been occupied since the High Middle Ages, accessible from the center of town behind the old Church of St. Andrew.  Walking all the way to the top takes about 25 minutes.  When we visited, we did not actually have an opportunity to make the ascent, but walking through the city of Castellane marked our true adventure in ancient French history. CastellaneEuropean Summer In France

At the base of The Rock, there is a 15th century stone bridge called the Pont du Roc.  It was built to replace an earlier wooden bridge that stood there in the 9th century.  In March 1815, Napoleon crossed this stone bridge when he returned from exile in Elba, and therefore both the bridge and Castellane are part of the famous Route Napoléon.  The Route is now a 325-kilometre section of the Route Nationale 85 that begins at Golfe-Juan, where Napoleon disembarked.  The road was inaugurated in 1932, marked along the way by statues of the French Imperial Eagle.  It leads from the French Riviera to the southern Pre-Alps. 

Pont du RocThe Pont du Roc, a study in infrared