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Peille

Visit Peille (Provence, France)

Peille is a small village in a very scenic setting in the mountains at over 600 metres altitude. It is to the south of the Alpes-Maritimes department (Provence region), north of Monaco and north-west from Menton.

The village of Peille is in quite a remote location but is well worth the effort to visit - it is one of the most attractive villages in the region, with medieval houses huddled together on a steeply sloping hillside and surrounded by forested hills.

Exploring Peille

Park towards the north-east of the village and explore on foot.

Peille is still entered through a medieval gateway, as it has been for at least 500 years. The village itself it is a pleasure to explore the steep and narrow streets lined with medieval houses, some of which are said to date from the 12th century.

The vaulted passages in the village add further to the charm and there is an interesting 15th century fountain on Place de la Colle. Follow the Ruelle Lascaris to see the 14th century Palais des Consuls and the 17th century Palais des Lascaris at the edge of the cliff (now used as the local mediatheque).

The views from the village across the countryside are also exceptional.

There are four religious monuments of note in Peille: the village Church of Sainte Marie dates from the 13th century and has preserved its roman style belltower, the Chapel of the Misericords (now used as the village oil mill), Chapel Saint-Sebastien (now used as the town hall) and the Chapel Saint-Joseph.

Via ferrata of Peille

One particular attraction for the more adventurous (and well equipped with rock climbing equipment) is the via Ferrata in Peille. This is a route that passes through the surrounding hills and incorporates various bridges, climbs and scrambles with cables and equipment added to make the passage easier - although you still need helmet, ropes, pulleys etc they can be rented from the organisers!

I have to admit we didn't do this ourselves but someone told us it was very good - see Peille Via Ferrata for prices and details (French only).

The region around Peille

There are several other picturesque hill villages in the region - we recommend that you follow the route Gorbio - Peille - Peillon with side trips to see Sainte-Agnes (east of Gorbio) and l'Escarène (turn right on the D21 between Peille and Peillon).

Photos taken within 10 km

Address: Peille, Escarène, Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence, 6440 || GPS: latitude 43.8039, longitude 7.4028

Map of Peille & places nearby



 

Highlights close by

More suggestions: La Turbie 6km; Roquebrune-Cap-Martin 7km; Menton 8km; Eze 9km; Sospel 9km; Coaraze 11km; Beaulieu-sur-Mer 12km; Villefranche-sur-Mer 13km; Cap Ferrat 15km; Nice 16km; Breil-sur-Roya 17km;

See lots more places to visit nearby and a more detailed map at places near Peille.
See Provence and Alpes-Maritimes (the region and department for Peille) for more travel ideas...

Suggested tourist attractions to visit near Peille, France

• Sainte-Agnes - most beautiful village (5km)
• Trophy of Augustus - national monument (6km)
• Tete de Chien - site of natural beauty (8km)
• Palais Carnolès - remarkable garden (9km)
• Serre de la Madone - remarkable garden (9km)
• La citronneraie - remarkable garden (9km)
• Menton - secteur sauvegarde (9km)
• Coaraze - most beautiful village (11km)
• Jardins Ephrussi de Rothschild - remarkable garden (13km)
• Parc zoologique du Cap Ferrat - zoo or wildlife park (14km)

The French version of this page is at Peille (Francais)