First, we had to reach our destination. From Valence, some 70 kilometers away, the winding roads along the Roanne valley in southeastern France had taken us to the aptly named Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert (4.5 inhabitants per square kilometer). It had been a while since we'd seen another person, but the best was yet to come.
To find something even more desolate than this charming medieval village in Drôme Provençale, you have to continue to the end of the narrow departmental road that finishes at Rochefourchat. There's an old church with a small cemetery; two stone houses, one of which is the town hall; and a telephone booth with no handset. Further up the mountain, scattered over two hamlets, are three other buildings. It only takes a few minutes to see the center of the village. And if you want to meet a local resident, it's best to make an appointment.
Perched at an altitude of 844 meters, framed by the rugged foothills of the Alps, this verdant end of the world holds the record for France's most sparsely populated commune. There's one single inhabitant, according to the latest figures, in a communal territory of 12 square kilometers: Josette (who didn't want to give her surname).
With short graying hair and looking sporty in a thin fleece, the only resident of Rochefourchat fell in love with this isolated spot a decade ago, so much so that she bought an old building there with her ex-husband. But since 2017, the former administrative employee, who worked in Valence for a long time, has transformed her vacation home into her main residence.
Every day, the 65-year-old retiree enjoys the magnificent scenery that surrounds her retreat, located in one of the commune's two outlying hamlets. "I've always loved peace and quiet, and ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of a house in the woods," said the grandmother of four grandchildren, aged 5 to 18.
Bicycle rides, walks and trips to Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert are all she needs for her solitary happiness. "Here, we make do with little and are happy with little," she summed up philosophically. A satellite dish for telephone and internet reception, a mountain spring for cold water, and solar panels for heating and hot water ensure comfort and a peaceful life "without boredom or blues."
She is also Rochefourchat's first deputy mayor – the tiny village is a real village, with its own mayor and town council. The commune's magistrate, Jean-Baptiste de Martigny, who is in his third term of office, is a business lawyer in Paris. "My father, who was looking for peace and space, bought an old farmhouse here almost 20 years ago," explained de Martigny. "Over the years, I became attached to the place and have been staying here regularly since 2006." In 2008, the lawyer, now in his 40s, was elected with 100% of the vote by the eight people on the electoral roll, without any campaigning or opposition. With the exception of Josette, none of them live year-round in Rochefourchat.
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