Photo : Marc Mongenet / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
La casse déserte
The Casse Déserte is an unusual landscape on the south side of the Col d'Izoard, in the commune of Arvieux, in the Queyras. Ochre-coloured rocky pinnacles, the cargneules, stand in a mineral setting that many compare to the Moon. They were born from the combination of Triassic dolomitic limestones and gypsum: sulphate-laden waters dissolved the dolomite, creating cavities and a ruin-like relief. The site is protected by a ministerial order of 1 June 1937.
From the pass, the road descends through this setting, then through the Combe du Queyras defile, to the green Guil valley, its flowered slopes and its forests of larches and Swiss stone pines. The wood of these trees is worked by local craftsmen, notably at Arvieux, Abriès or Saint-Véran, to make objects and toys. Higher up, the Guil climbs towards Monte Viso, near the Col d'Agnel through which Bayard is said to have passed with his troops.
