Colle delle Finestre
Encyclopedia
Colle delle Finestre is a mountain pass
in the Cottian Alps
, in the Italian reigion of Piemonte, Italy
, linking Susa Valley
and Val Chisone
. The road was built around 1700 to gain access to the fortresses in the zone, mainly the Forte di Fenestrelle
.
The road serves as tourist attraction although the last 8 kilometres of the road from Susa are not asphalted. From Susa the mountain pass
is 18,6 kilometres long at an average of 9,1% (height gain: 1694 m), the maximum gradient being 12%.
crossed Colle delle Finestre, Danilo Di Luca being the first one on the top. The stage, finishing in Sestriere
, was won by Venezuelan José Rujano
.
It was also featured in the 20th stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia and was won solo by Vasili KIRYIENKA of the Movistar team.
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in the Cottian Alps
Cottian Alps
The Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy...
, in the Italian reigion of Piemonte, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, linking Susa Valley
Susa Valley
The Susa Valley is a valley in the Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the south. It is the longest valley in Italy. It extends over in an east-west direction from the French border to the outskirts of Turin. The valley takes its...
and Val Chisone
Val Chisone
The Val Chisone is one of the Occitan valleys of western Piedmont, situated in the Cottian Alps of north-west Italy.-Geography:Traditionally, the valley's entrances are considered the towns of Pinerolo and Sestriere...
. The road was built around 1700 to gain access to the fortresses in the zone, mainly the Forte di Fenestrelle
Fenestrelle Fort
The Fenestrelle Fort is a fortress overlooking Fenestrelle, Piedmont, northern Italy. It is the biggest alpine fortification in Europe, having a surface area of 1,300,000 m². Built between 1728 to 1850, it guards the access to Turin via the Chisone valley, and stands at altitudes between...
.
The road serves as tourist attraction although the last 8 kilometres of the road from Susa are not asphalted. From Susa the mountain pass
Mountain pass
A mountain pass is a route through a mountain range or over a ridge. If following the lowest possible route, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
is 18,6 kilometres long at an average of 9,1% (height gain: 1694 m), the maximum gradient being 12%.
Giro d'Italia
Stage 19 of 2005 Giro d'Italia2005 Giro d'Italia
The 2005 Giro d'Italia, the 88th running of the race, was held from 7 May to 29 May 2005, consisting of 21 stages for a total of 3,417 km, ridden at an average speed of 37,375 km/h...
crossed Colle delle Finestre, Danilo Di Luca being the first one on the top. The stage, finishing in Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
, was won by Venezuelan José Rujano
José Rujano
José Humberto Rujano Guillen is a Venezuelan professional road bicycle racer who is currently riding for UCI Professional Continental team ....
.
It was also featured in the 20th stage of the 2011 Giro d'Italia and was won solo by Vasili KIRYIENKA of the Movistar team.
See also
- List of highest paved roads in Europe
- List of mountain passes