Sisteron is the gate of Provence, a town of seven and a half thousand on the Durance river, where the valley pinches into a narrow gap, the Clue de Sisteron, between two walls of tilted limestone. The great citadel, a fortress on the rock above the town, has watched over the passage since the Middle Ages, and the present walls date largely from the sixteenth century. Napoleon passed through on 5 March 1815, on his way from the Riviera to Grenoble, and the Route Napoléon is marked by signs and eagle plaques along the road, from here to the north.
The town clings to the hillside, with narrow lanes called andrônes running between tall houses, and a Romanesque cathedral, Notre-Dame-des-Pommiers, stands at the foot of the old town. The air has a clear, dry quality, and the light is a sign that you have arrived in the south: the town claims some three hundred days of sun a year. Lamb from Sisteron has a quality label and appears on every menu, roasted with herbs, and the lavender and honey sold in the shops come from the plateaus nearby.
Fuel and food are easy here, which makes it a natural stop on the Route Napoléon. The road north from Sisteron, the N85, climbs through the Gap country and the Col Bayard, with long, open bends and distant views of the Écrins, and there are splendid sections between Sisteron and Grenoble where the road passes lakes and gorges. Traffic can be heavy on summer weekends, and lorries are common on the main sections, but the quality of the road and the scenery make it worthwhile.
Parking for bikes is possible near the foot of the citadel, and the climb up the path to the fortress takes about twenty minutes, with a good view over the Durance. The weather is bright but the wind in the valley, the mistral's cousin, can be strong, particularly in spring, so be aware of gusts. Summer is hot, and in winter the high roads may be icy. Take water and sun protection, and enjoy the smell of thyme and lavender along the way.