Barcelonnette Barcelonnette is a small town situated in the Ubaye Valley, in the mountains to the north-east of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department of France. One very notable characteristic of the local architecture in Barcelonnette is the number of grand houses referred to collectively as the 'Mexican villas' and in a variety of styles, often surrounded by extensive gardens and many along the avenue de la Liberation. These were built around 1890 - 1920 by those from the town who had made their fortunes in Mexico and then returned to establish a community here. Barcelonnette is also notable for the sundials that appear on several of the buildings. Those on the Maison Paul Reynaud and in the Rue Honorat date from the first half of the 18th century, while others are more recent. Another site not to be missed in Barcelonnette is the cemetery! The tombs are huge and splendidly constructed from local, as well as Italian, stone and marble. These huge tombs have the spectacular mountain scenery providing a fitting back-drop.
