Chagnon

Description

Ave visitors. You have come as friends to admire the Roman aqueduct, to visit the still cool hewn-out caves, taste the fruits grown in the valley and listen to its story. You will be nailed to the spot!

Welcome to the land of apples, cherries, caves and nails. You might be surprised at the odd combination, but they are the things that feature in the history of Chagnon.
A land of arable farmers (rich earth, plenty of water and sun), who had to turn (willingly or otherwise) to forging and nails to make ends meet over the seasons and whose history dates back to Roman times.
And here we remember the Romans (so to speak), with the Gier Aqueduct (85 km long) and Hadrian's stone, a protection marker placed by the Emperor Hadrian to prevent building or planting near the Aqueduct. To preserve the quality of the water (the Ancient version of zero nitrates).
But since the Roman likes to do things directly, he chose to go through the mountain rather than round it and built his aqueduct in a tunnel. And that is what has given us these vaulted caves, hewn directly into the rock, like the Cave du Curé, where a visit is a must. Legend has it that some of the caves formed a mysterious underground network in the Middle Ages. Only the walls could tell you what went on in them.
In the meantime, it's a shame our dear Romans didn't think to install a protection stone saying "no-one must leave this land without tasting the fruits of the valley". Because it's like a having pre-taste of paradise with all this produce renowned far and wide for its quality. Go on, let yourself be tempted by an apple, it never hurt anyone (ah, I'm told a certain Adam has made a complaint).