Chemin du Vallon

Robert Vallon, a name whispered with reverence on Chemin du Vallon. Chemin du Vallon isn’t just a picturesque path. It’s a descent through time, connecting the bustling Croix-Rousse plateau to the serene Saône. The path winds between walls. These walls hold stories of individual homes and workshops. Grand gardens spill onto the path, offering glimpses of granite plaques, flowering trees, and the occasional lizard basking among the cinder bricks. Chemin du Vallon meanders past number 14, where a private alley branches east. It serves a cluster of houses nestled on the plateau, a hidden world within a world. Further down Chemin du Vallon, a barrier halts vehicular traffic. The slope steepens here. The walls become cloaked in lush vegetation. Picturesque entryways hint at lives lived within. Another barrier closes access to the lower houses of Chemin du Vallon. These older homes, clustered together, form a charming hamlet. Two small, multi-sided turrets peek above the walls, guardians of the past. Across from these, at number 11, modern buildings rise from a large wooded area, a testament to the ever-changing face of Lyon. The last stretch of Chemin du Vallon becomes a flat, narrow passage between garden walls, a tranquil end to a journey through time. The name, Chemin du Vallon, is purely descriptive, a path through a small valley. Yet, it carries the weight of history. Robert Vallon, interned at Montluc prison for his resistance work, lends his name to this unassuming path. His son, Alain Vallon, carried on his legacy. Alain founded the Association for the Memory of the Resistance in 1967, ensuring that stories like his father’s would not be forgotten. Chemin du Vallon, a path echoing with untold stories. A path where the whispers of the past mingle with the sounds of the present. A path where the name Vallon symbolizes both the landscape and the enduring spirit of resistance.