Peeking through the veil of mist is Venanson, population 200, a tiny village perched on narrow rocky ridge that towers over the upper Vésubie River valley and the town of Saint-Martin-Vésubie, from where these pictures were taken. I’ll add more about the village, which dates back to the 1100s, when we make the time to visit – that may be as early as next weekend as we’ll likely seek some Alpine refuge from the heatwave that is expected to blanket more than a third of France for at least the next week. Saint-Martin-Vésubie, located about an hour-and-a-half north of Nice, is a gateway town to Mercantour National Park, and a logical and practical choice for that escape. (Some initial planning for just that prompted this search for images from previous visits along with this week’s Lens-Artists challenge), so we have the heatwave to thank for that.)

These are all variations on the same misty theme which helps add some perspective and scale to the village’s dramatic setting. It was fun to capture the rapidly changing scene between the mist’s swishes and swirls.

And below those, still taking advantage of the mist, a few more images of some nearby mountain faces, both to the left (southwest) and right (northwest) of the village.

In October 2020, flooding caused by Storm Alex devasted the area, taking 20 lives and pounding the region with more than €2.5 billion (US$2.8 billion) in damages. Saint-Martin-Vésubie was hit hardest and the area is still recovering. I posted an update from a visit in August 2024.

Photos from 30 April and 1 May 2023; post last updated on 21 June 2026.