Friburge is a small hamlet

Hamlet (place)

A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...

 in Champagny-en-Vanoise

Champagny-en-Vanoise

Champagny-en-Vanoise is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is also known for the skiing and snow-boarding slopes.-External links:*...

 in the French Alps

French Alps

The French Alps are those portions of the Alps mountain range which stand within France, located in the Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions....

.

The nearest towns are Champagny, Brides-les-Bains

Brides-les-Bains

Brides-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It was an Olympic Village for the 1992 Winter Games....

, and Moûtiers

Moûtiers en Tarentaise

Moûtiers, historically also called Tarentaise, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France....

. Friburge is historically significant as the possible birthplace of Pope

Pope

The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...

 Innocent V, and for the fact that it is commonly confused with the town of Freiburg

Freiburg

Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...

. The heavy stone-built dwellings, bafflingly described by Pevsner

Pevsner

Pevsner is a surname, and may refer to:* Antoine Pevsner , a Russian sculptor* Sir Nikolaus Pevsner , a German-born British scholar of the history of architecture;** ....

 as Tirol

German Tyrol

German Tyrol is a historical region in the Alps now divided between Austria and Italy. It includes largely ethnic German areas of historical County of Tyrol: the Austrian state of Tyrol and the province of South Tyrol but not the largely Italian-speaking province of Trentino .-History:German...

ean vernacular, are situated under a large bluff.Many of the houses have been refurbished as second residences. In the winter, the road becomes impassable, and is groomed for cross country skiing.