Col de Tende ( it, Colle di Tenda; elevation 1870 m) is a high
mountain pass
A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...
in the
Alps, close to the border between
France and
Italy, although the highest section of the pass is wholly within France.
It separates the
Maritime Alps
The Maritime Alps (french: Alpes Maritimes ; it, Alpi Marittime ) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the regions of France, French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and the regions of Italy ...
from the
Ligurian Alps. It connects
Nice and
Tende in
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...
with
Cuneo in
Piedmont.
A railway tunnel inaugurated in 1898 and a
Road Tunnel inaugurated in 1882 run under the pass. The latter tunnel is 3.2 kilometre long and is among the oldest long road tunnels.
French historian
François Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848.
A conservative liberal who opposed the a ...
states that the road was first developed by Phoenicians and later maintained by Greeks and Romans.
[''A Popular History of France From The Earliest Times'', Volume I.]
See also
*
List of highest paved roads in Europe
*
List of mountain passes
*
France–Italy border
The France–Italy border is 515 km (320 mi) long. It runs from the Alps in the north, a region in which it passes over Mont Blanc, down to the Mediterranean coast in the south. Three national parks are located along the border: Vanoise National ...
*
Main chain of the Alps
References
External links
Profile on climbbybike.comAlan Heath - Col de Tende
Mountain passes of the Ligurian Alps
Mountain passes of the Alps
Landforms of Alpes-Maritimes
Mountain passes of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Mountain passes of Piedmont
Province of Cuneo
France–Italy border crossings
Transport in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
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