We left Geneva at 7h30 in the morning and took the Cisalpino train (which goes all the way from Geneva to Venice, Italy) till Sion, the capital city of the canton of Valais, where we arrived 1h40 minutes later. There, we visited the town, saw some great momuments, bought 2 kilos of regional mountain cheese and sat on terraces sipping on cups of coffee.
Sion is a very old place that was already inhabited during Neolithic times. It's name takes it's origin from the Latin "Sedunum" which derives from the Seduni Celtic tribes that lived in this region and were conquered by the Romans during the first century BC. The Roman Catholic diocese of Sion is the oldest in Switzerland and one of the oldest north of the Alps, so it is not exactly a surprise if Valais is such a strongly Catholic canton (as opposed to Geneva which is Protestant).
This alluring and attractive town has a population of 27'000. It is situated in the valley of the Rhône and is surrounded by mountains as well as two rocky hills jutting incongruously from a relatively the flat countryside. The crest of both hills is adorned with the medieval Castle of Tourbillon (pics 3, 4, 6 and 9) and the Basilica of Valère (pics soon to follow) which are visible from afar and offer a magnificent spectacle.
Et pour les francophones, voici des liens en français:
Sion (voir lien I & lien II)
Canton du Valais (voir lien)
Vallée du Rhône (voir lien)
Basilique/Château de Valère (voir lien)
Château de Tourbillon (voir lien)
52 comments:
What beautiful photos of the mountains and landscapes..the castles are glorious!
All the best Rosa,
Gera
Magnifiques ! Tes photos sont superbes et donnent envie d'aller y faire un tour.
Bises et bon 1er Mai chère Rosa.
C'est magnifique comme endroit. J'aimerais bien visiter un jour.
Oh my GOODNESS, Rosa I can not get over your beautiful panoramic photographs. Clear blue skies, beautiful mountain, ah ... I can just go on and on admiring this views.
XOXO,
elra
Thank you so much for sharing these wonderful pictures...I enjoyed them very much.
What a lovely part of the world! You took some very pretty photos.
Sounds like a fun time! As always, your pictures are great.
the blue skies are incredible!
c'est superbe!!! quel endroit magnifique! Bises
Wow what a gorgeous landscape! Thank you for sharing it, Rosa :-)
Beautiful pictures again, my friend!!!
I love Sion!! When I was little, we used to go on holiday to Switserland in Canton Wallis. I love Sion!!
Thanks for those memories!
Have a great weekend, Rosa!
what beautiful pictures, Rosa! I wanna fly over right now to see them for myself! breathtaking!
Beautiful landscapes and the castles are just so gorgeous!
It looks such a picturesque place and your pictures are just like post cards.
What beautiful photos! The landscapes are just incredible!
What a wonderful looking area. How lucky are you are to have such good friends.
What an interesting adventure ... such a neat place to explore ... such a beautiful day to do explores.
I love to escape on such adventurous landscapes,breathtaking mountain view:)
Tes photos sont à faire rêvées ma Belle Rosa;)
Merci du Partage et bon week-end!! xxx
Wow, what a beautiful setting. The richness of history is so intriguing to me. Stunning photos!!! Thank You for sharing!
WOW! Que c'est beau...
long time ago i've made my military services in Sion. Wonderful, and a great fondue.
Beautiful photos. Must have been a lovely trip!
Et dire que j'habite en France et que je ne connais même pas!!!...
Merci pour ce beau voyage.
Bisous.
Caro
The sky is just breathtaking. Those beautiful, vivid shades of blue are the perfect ones to daydream by. I hope you got to do a lot of that on your get-away. ;)
What a beautiful place!
Thanks for the mini-vacationo you just offered me. Sigh. Back to real life.
magnifique paysage qui laisse imaginer la belle journée..! bisous et bon weekend
Quel beau ciel bleu! C'est magnifique!
On dirait des cartes postales...
Beau week-end!
Bises
Absolutely beautiful photo's!
Country hopping sounds like so much fun!!
Une belle balade !
Bon week end !
Bises
Just gorgeous!
Canada is so new, we don't have that rich history that you have.
I would love to travel one day.
First of all, I love your train system. We took the train from Zurich and I have to admit, the countryside is as beautiful as it gets anywhere. I am enjoying your trip and your pictures! thank you for sharing! Happy weekend Rosa!
Gorgeous pictures! The mountains look very majestic.
Greetings,
Tiina
Very pleasent.........
ils savaient faire des créneaux du temps du château de tourbillon....
habité depuis le néolithique, un peu comme la dordogne chez nous..
merci de nous faire découvrir ton pays dont la géographie est très très peu enseignée en France
Que c'est divin!!!!!
Tes photos sont superbes. Magnifique cet endroit.
Bon dimanche
Hélène
Merci Rosa, de nous emmener en voyage avec toi.
Que c'est beau....
Bisou et bon dimamche!
De superbes photos qui donnent très envie d'approfondir la visite !
Merci pour cette belle découverte
Michèle
What a beautiful place! And the weather seems great too. I feel like traveling these days. I wonder where I should go...
Beautiful scenic pictures, I hope to visit Italy one day. :)
Very beautiful landscapes ! These snow caped mountains make a perfect backdrop !
Thanks for sharing Rosa.
Superbes paysages ! Ca donne envie d'y aller !
You are so lucky to be near such beautiful scenery Rosa. :-)
oh comme c'est beau tes photo sont aussi belle que le paysage !! bise sandra
I love it when you take us on these trips with you albeit virtually.
Beautiful ruins and perfect weather! I'm jealous.
very nice scenery pics!
Breathtaking photos...I must visit C-H again.
Rosa,
what amazing places. I regret not having visited Switzerland more when I lived in Venice, I only went to Lugano. I clearly missed a lot.
gorgeous! what breathtaking vistas, I love the architecture and the mountains...
Post a Comment