Colle del Monginevro is one of the most beautiful passes between Italy and France. An easy pass, full of curves and with breathtaking views.
The itinerary starts from Italy to discover, by motorbike or bicycle, these kilometers full of curves and history around the Milky Way and then reaches Briançon, in France.
| Altitude (meters above sea level) | 1.854 |
| Length | 23 Km |
| connection | Cesana Turin (Italy) - Briançon (France) |
| Number of hairpin bends | 7 |
| What to see in the surroundings | The gorges of the Durance river, Briançon |
| Typical dishes of the area | Raw ham from the upper Val Susa, Canestrelli, Marroni |
| Winter closure | No. |
| Road conditions and notes | Very good condition |
Content index
Historical notes
The Montgenèvre hill, gateway to the French Alps, formerly known as Matrona, was already frequented by the ancient Romans and is an integral part of the Via Domitia, a commercial road connecting the Po valley and the Rhone valley. According to some sources, it could also have been used by Hannibal's Carthaginian army in 218 BC to reach Italy.
Briançon
The French town, the highest in Europe, was born in a strategic position from a military point of view, close to the gorge of the Durance river. In 1692 it was the scene of a devastating fire and was rebuilt by the Marquis Vauban, a famous architect of fortifications. Its geographical position gives it over six hours of light a day for three hundred days a year and is a place of treatment for diseases of the respiratory tract.
Itinerary
We start from Cesana Torinese, in Italy along the SS24, also called the state road of Monginevro, up to Claviere, from where we enter France and the road takes the name of N94 which takes us, with its low difficulty, to the top of the step. Here we expect a tunnel built to decongest the traffic of skiers heading to the Montgenèvre facilities. Through the tunnel we descend from the French side and face an easy road with soft hairpin bends that enters and exits the forest, which takes us to Briançon where we will park to visit its characteristic historic center.
