100 favorite sites”, the most beautiful of the mountain range captured in a book

In their book “Majestic Pyrenees: 100 favorite sites”, Patrice Teisseire-Dufour and Arnaud Späni invite us to discover wild beauty through a personal and thoughtful selection. By combining adventure stories and striking photographs, this book becomes a real gateway to the hidden treasures of this emblematic region.

The creation of the book “Majestic Pyrenees: 100 favorite sites” was not a simple compilation exercise, but rather a journey shared between two enthusiasts. Patrice Teisseire-Dufour, journalist for Pyrénées magazine, recalls the lively discussions with his co-author, Arnaud Späni, to choose the sites. We asked him to tell us about the adventure of this work where the landscapes are enchanting and the promises of magical hikes.

France 3: What criteria did you use to select the 100 favorite sites in the Pyrenees presented in your book?
Patrice Teisseire-Dufour : We wrote our list in mind, as if we were going to take our friends to our favorite places. Choosing 100 sites from the Basque Country to Catalonia, over a length of 430 km, among all these regions, with their diverse landscapes, was a real dilemma. Whether it’s nature or heritage, it’s too much and little at the same time.

How did you collaborate with your co-author to create this work on the Pyrenees?
As I write in the preface, this work is the result of a selection made with my photographer friend Arnaud Späni. And this was sometimes, behind the scenes, the subject of negotiations so that a particular site was present in the summary or in a photo. What I remember from this work with Arnaud are the many memories shared in the field. A night spent in a shepherd's grassy hut in a high valley of Couserans, the discovery of abandoned villages in the Fueva valley, a walk in the almost dry lake of Mediano towards the abandoned village, and sunrises and sunsets in unsuspected and wild belvederes.

Among the 100 sites presented, which one struck you the most personally and why?
Among the mythical peaks, waterfalls, lakes, caves, authentic villages, castles and abbeys… it's hard to choose, but I'll say the canyons of Añisclo and Ordesa, in Aragon. Two neighboring places, grandiose and wild, which delight our eyes and which we never tire of. No need to go to the other side of the world to get a change of scenery. I invite you to walk along these canyons from above or explore the interior along their river.

What challenges did you encounter while exploring and documenting these Pyrenean sites?
Going to report in such places sometimes means being hit by a storm, being pushed around by windstorms or disoriented in the fog. It’s also about chance encounters. For example, in the Fueva valley, to change valleys, I took a track that I didn't know. We then found ourselves fording a river where fortunately there was very little water. Suddenly, we saw a flock of sheep arriving led by a shepherd. The moment was magical. Another time, while climbing above Anisclo, I found myself face to face with chamois who remained petrified, observing me for 30 long seconds before fleeing. And upon returning from these adventures, it is a pleasure to delve into specialized works to verify information and learn more about a particular place.

How does your book differ from other tourist guides to the Pyrenees?
These 100 sites are a book of contemplation, an invitation to discover this universe in greater depth. It is a majestic gateway to walk in the heart of beauty, to connect with the elements, on each level of the mountain, thanks to practical indications for exploring the Pyrenees alone or with family, for a getaway or a longer stay. This is the beautiful complementary book to Mondes Pyrénées, published by Privat Editions, at the end of 2022, with places that we were unable to talk about the first time.