Discovering the workshops and savoir-faire of the Alps

Feel like a little family weekend? Take a mountain break and go back to your roots. Discover the savoir-faire of local producers and craftsmen, observe their precise movements and share the passion of these men and women as close as possible to nature.

Published on 15 April 2021

Follow the old professions in the Alpes de Haute Provence

Farmer or blacksmith?

Give your holiday in the Alps a pinch of originality and go for a discovery of mountain professions. In Barcelonnette, la Forge de l’Ubaye will introduce you to the job of blacksmith. This blacksmithing course (4 mornings) will delight all budding knife-makers. Discover the traditional tools, machines and materials of knife-making craftsmen. You will then make your own knife – blade, handle and sheath. It will cost you around € 400 to learn all the techniques and tricks of working iron.

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Get hands-on experience in the Hautes-Alpes

Everything you need to be a real consom’acteur

Make the most of your family holiday in the Alps to go back to your roots. Finding out about life behind the scenes is rather like giving a meaning to things and this is the vocation of the Ateliers Consom’acteurs in the Guillestrois-Queyras which offer an introduction to all the stages from producer to consumer.
Each session allows you to meet craftsmen. And during this privileged moment of sharing you can contribute and make your own products. For the food-lovers among you, the Ateliers Saveurs workshops should give your tastebuds a thrill. Children make chocolates while adults concoct a wine based on plants. If you are more manually-minded, the Ateliers Savoir-faire are right up your street! With sculpture, modelling, pottery or cosmetics, you can enjoy fashioning your own creations.

Precise gestures in the Mercantour

Do it yourself for the well-being of all

The focus is on DIY in the activities of the parc national du Mercantour. For example, Jenny Alfonso Relova de Gaia Luna will be there to greet you in Sospel from May to September. A large number of workshops make up this crafts workshop. Try your hand at weaving old-fashioned baskets made with plants from the garden: olive branches, ivy and hazel and even clematis! You can also learn to make your own laundry detergent or jewellery from natural elements. Unusual: phytopurification, which uses plants to replace the function of a septic tank, will no longer hold any secrets for you. And you can open the door of La Fée Capeline in Tende. Emilie has been making felted wool hats since 2008. Make headwear that is both smart and rustic using the specific age-old methods of wool felting. A completely ecological work to introduce you to the techniques of millinery. In pairs or groups of three, get your training and be bewitched by the softness of the wool.