Barcelonnette

Barcelonnette lies in the Ubaye valley, among Alpine routes towards Provence, Dauphiné and Piedmont. Its regular plan dates from its medieval foundation under the counts of Provence, and walls once protected the town. Between 1388 and 1713 the valley changed sovereign repeatedly as rival powers contested its strategic passages, while retaining local customs. The Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 finally joined Barcelonnette and its valley to France.