エントラックエの峠・トップ20

Where the Salt Road Begins

Starting point for various trails, including the Alta Via del Sale...

Col de Tende is closed to the south! The fact that the southern descent to France is closed is only apparent at the top of the pass. Beforehand, on the Italian side (Limone), it always says "Pass open, Tunnel closed to bicycles." Down on the French side, there's no way through, even though the road is only 10 meters away, and the construction workers immediately threaten to call the police... I had to cycle back up the almost 700 meters of elevation gain and make a huge detour via Casterino (Salt Road).

great view

As Gian Luca wrote, it's best to drive on Thursdays, otherwise you'll just be swallowing road dust from the vehicles that drive on the gravel. https://youtu.be/zjW_mgeyPfk

I was really looking forward to going up to the Santuario della Madonna del Colletto. I had been to this area several times and had not had the opportunity to go up here. So on the trip through Piedmont in July 2022 I made sure that the planned route passed through here. We went up the western slope, the one used by the Giro d'Italia when it first went up here in 1999, on the famous stage where the Fauniera was climbed, with the spectacle of Pantani climbing and the stratospheric descent of Paolo Savoldelli. I have to admit that the climb itself is not very attractive. Once you leave the village of Festiona behind, you enter a forest and there are hardly any views over the valley. You can only focus on the road, its curves, straights (which there are) and difficult slopes. The asphalt is old, with a lot of gravel and very uneven, which obviously adds difficulty to the climb. The climb up the western side is 7.1 km, 576 metres of elevation and an average gradient of 8.1%. Therefore, it is very hard!! And there are several sections above 12%, especially in the first kilometres, where the gradient is irregular, with very hard sections and small rest areas. The views of the Valdieri valley from the Sanctuary are very beautiful, and also of all the mountains covered with forests and vegetation in the surroundings. We took advantage of the porch at the entrance to the Sanctuary to take shelter from the sun and the heat, and to stock up on food and eat some spectacular sandwiches. I remember it fondly. Below is the altimetry of the climb published by @cyclingcols, the best in these matters --> http://www.cyclingcols.com/col/Colletto

Very impressive central fort and the beautiful salt road

The Tenda hill, at an altitude of 1,871 metres, is renowned for its fortifications and the "road of 50 hairpin bends", which crosses the hill connecting the Vermenagna valley, in Italy, to the Roia valley, in France. The views here are beautiful!