La Porte des Aravis

The Porte des Aravis owes its origin, according to legend, to the famous Gargantua, this friendly giant of Rabelais who, in addition to his passion for good food, loved to travel.
“Now then, the illustrious and good giant Gargantua, idling, chattering, joking, babbling, smearing, babbling, churning, tossing, splashing and watching the moths fly, came to the country of Savoy, carrying his boot and the nose in the air, which is not recommended in these regions……
When he arrived at a bristling place called Aravis, still wandering around and looking in all directions except where it was good to do so, he came right into a very thick mountain with his right foot; and yet, so great was the prank and power of the good giant, he did himself no harm, but only a very large hole through the said mountain, the piece of which flew into pieces in the air, and was planted with a terrible crash and great whirlwind of dust ten leagues to the south, in a land called Beaufortain, where it crushed, as it fell, three grasshoppers and a rat.
This large piece of rock has remained there ever since, planted straight like a stake, and very inaccessible, to which the shepherds of the place now give the name of Pierre Menta”. Rabelais