Florence AT photographer

During the summer of 2017, I undertook a journey along the Route Nationale 20, from the Porte d'Orléans in Paris to Bourg-Madame, on the border between France and Spain. The aim of this trip was to document this road, which was once the main holiday route before the construction of the A20 motorway.

 

During this journey, I discovered areas that had once been bustling with activity but were now plunged into utter desolation. The inhabitants had vanished, leaving behind the lives they had once built. Memories of happier times, of lively gas stations and bustling roadside restaurants, seemed frozen in time, replaced by a melancholic and silent atmosphere. The streets, once alive with travelers, were now deserted, the businesses long since closed. The signs indicating former tourist attractions were covered in dust and cobwebs, testaments to the oblivion that had befallen this legendary route.

 

Throughout my journey, I met a few rare souls who had remained, attached to these places despite the abandonment that surrounded them. Their stories evoked a bygone era, when the RN 20 was the much-anticipated holiday route, but which had gradually been supplanted by the modern motorway.

This journey raises awareness of the impact of progress on our landscapes and our lives, and serves as a reminder that even the most iconic roads can fall into oblivion when new paths open up.