(Largentière, France)

Largentière is very old. That much I knew from driving by it on the main local road. But that was really the extent of my expertise before hiking to it. I decided to figure it out as I went along.

Largentière got its name from the local silver mines that operated in the 10th to 15th centuries (before then, it was called Ségualières). But, as the mines have been closed for more than 500 years, I didn’t really see any obvious evidence of this silver heritage.

Three things struck me about Largentière. Firstly, its surroundings are very, very green (see photo at the very top of this post, which was taken from the bridge leading into the town).

Secondly, the streets were very twisty and narrow – giving an almost claustrophobic feeling, despite all the greenery found outside the town walls.

Thirdly, nobody was there! It was like being in a ghost town. Perhaps this is just how small towns appear on early Tuesday evenings. But there were still a number of restaurants, and tourism is in fact the main industry. I guess Largentière attracts mainly day trippers, and most of those people are long gone by 7:00 p.m.

I wandered the narrow streets, taking photos roughly every minute, and somehow managed not to encounter anybody besides some shopkeepers locking their doors.

Considering the small size of Largentière (less than 1500 people), I was surprised to see a massive court house (Tribunal) overlooking the town. It looked tremendously important, and at first glance I was certain that it dated back to Roman times. Alas, it was built in the 19th century. It was well weathered despite its relatively young age.

There is still much more to come from France!