The commune of Présilly extends over 865 hectares, on the foothills of Mont Sion and Salève, on a balcony overlooking the Geneva basin. From the church square, the windows of the town hall, the “Madonna” above the village, one can discover a magnificent view of the plateau descending to the North towards Geneva, with its famous water jet which spouts out at a height of more than 100 meters.
On its “rising” side, the summits of Mount Salève offer an alpine landscape of forests and alpine pastures, with the villages leaning against the foothills. At its feet stands the ancient Chartreuse de Pomier, built in 1170 (with only one meter!). Next door, in an old barn of one of the Carthusian farms (the Mikerne farm), the Salève communes, grouped together in a Syndicate, have set up the Maison du Salève, a tourist and educational site for visiting and discovering the area.
On the “sunset” side and further away, on the chain of the Jura Mountains dominating the Gex area, one can spot the Reculet, the Crêt de la Neige which culminates at 1720 m, and further away still the Dôle with its antennas and its metallic bubble.
To the south, above the Chef-Lieu, Mont Sion is covered with forests and meadows. This big hill which connects the Salève to the Vuache served as a support point for the great glaciers of the Rhône and the Mont Blanc, 15,000 to 20,000 years ago. You will be able to discover part of the “parcours des Graniteurs”, which stretches over 10km on several communes, to discover granite blocks deposited by ancient glaciers.
Numerous paths and trails also run through this very varied territory, from the plateau to the various peaks, through fields and forests.
