In the 19th century, daring and enterprising men from Ubaye set off on a journey to the other side of the world; upon their return, enriched, they built magnificent mansions in the valley.
At the beginning of that same century, the inhabitants of this rugged Alpine valley, at the crossroads between France and Italy, ventured to distant continents in search of fortune. Long a homeland of travelling fabric merchants who roamed Europe with wool and silk, the Ubaye valley witnessed an unexpected exodus.
In 1805, Jacques Arnaud, son of spinners from Jausiers, left his native land to found Arnaudville, a village in the heart of Louisiana. Later, joined by his brothers, he settled in Mexico, where they opened a fabric shop, “El cajón de ropa de las siete puertas” (“The Seven-Door Chest”). Success was immediate. In 1830, three more young men from Jausiers joined them, and fifteen years later, they returned home, crowned with prosperity and bearing a capital of 250,000 gold francs. Thus began a massive emigration, that of the “Barcelonnettes”: nearly 5,000 young men left their valley to embark on a long journey to Mexico.
After years of hard work in distant lands, and within the close-knit "Barcelonnettes" community, some returned to their valley, fortune made, to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. As striking markers of their social success, the wealthiest among them erected splendid villas in their native land — some sixty in total, built between 1880 and 1930.
While most of these “Mexican villas” are hidden behind lush hedges and secret gardens, some stand out for their architectural flair. Among them, the Château des Magnans in Jausiers, Villa Sapinière — now the Valley Museum in Barcelonnette — and the Blue Villa, all reflect a refined and cosmopolitan art de vivre.
Every year in August, the “Latin-Mexican Festival” warms the hearts of Barcelonnette and Jausiers, celebrating the enduring ties between Mexico and the Ubaye Valley.
These elegant villas, witnesses to a glorious adventure and epic, lend an unexpected hint of seaside charm to this Alpine valley.