THE QUEST FOR CONTEMPLATION
In the 18th century, the very first thrill-seeking excursionists set out on foot or on the back of mules to climb the mountain. The road, later carved out to build the observatory, brought the summit closer to the plain and marked the start of tourism with the arrival of the first motor cars. Initially housed in the meteorological observatory, the visitors soon became too numerous and noisy for the scientists’ work and were received at Vendran Auberge, built in 1903. Today still, the immense views and the sunrises and sunsets continue to be moments of great emotion.