The
Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the
AlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
. They form the border between
FranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
(
Hautes-AlpesHautes-Alpes is a department in southeastern France named after the Alps mountain range.- History :Hautes-Alpes is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
and
SavoieSavoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860...
) and
ItalyItaly , 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...
(
PiedmontPiedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
). The
Maddalena PassThe Maddalena Pass is a high mountain pass between the Cottian Alps and the Maritime Alps, located on the border between Italy and France. It connects Barcelonnette in France with Cuneo in Italy...
separates them from the
Maritime AlpsThe Maritime Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between the French département Alpes-Maritimes and the Italian province of Cuneo. The Col de Tende separates them from the Ligurian Alps; the Maddalena Pass separates them from the Cottian Alps...
; the Col du
Mont CenisMont Cenis is a massif and pass in Savoie in France which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps.A road over the pass was built between 1803 and 1810 by Napoleon...
separates them from the
Graian AlpsThe Graian Alps are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
; the
Col du GalibierCol du Galibier is a mountain pass in the southern region of the French Dauphiné Alps near Grenoble. It is the ninth highest paved road in the Alps and the sixth highest mountain pass. It is often the highest point of the Tour de France....
separates them from the
Dauphiné AlpsThe Dauphiné Alps are a group of mountain ranges in southeastern France, west of the main chain of the Alps. They are separated from the Cottian Alps in the east by the Col du Galibier and the upper Durance valley; from the western Graian Alps in the north-east by the river Arc; from the lower...
. The
Fréjus Road TunnelThe Fréjus Road Tunnel is a tunnel that connects France and Italy. It runs under Col du Fréjus in the Cottian Alps between Modane in France and Bardonecchia in Italy...
and
Fréjus Rail TunnelThe Fréjus Rail Tunnel is a rail tunnel of length in the European Alps, carrying the Turin–Modane railway through Mount Cenis to an end on connection with the Culoz–Modane railway and linking Modane, France and Bardonecchia, Italy...
between
ModaneModane is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860.-Transportation:...
and
SusaSusa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...
are important transportation arteries between France (
LyonLyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
,
GrenobleGrenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
) and Italy (
TurinTurin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
).
The Cottian Alps are drained by the rivers
DuranceThe Durance is a major river in south-eastern France.Its source is in the south-western Alps, in Montgenèvre ski resort near Briançon and it flows south-west through the following départements and cities:* Hautes-Alpes: Briançon, Embrun.* Alpes-de-Haute-Provence: Sisteron, Manosque.* Vaucluse:...
and
ArcThe Arc is a 128 km long river in the Savoie département of south-eastern France. It is a left tributary of the Isère River, which it joins at Chamousset, approximately 15 km downstream from Albertville. Its source is near the border with Italy, in the Graian Alps, northeast of Bonneval-sur-Arc...
and their tributaries on the French side; by the
Dora RipariaThe Dora Riparia is an Italian river, a left-hand tributary of the Po. It is 125 km long, with a 1,231 km² drainage basin. It originates in the Cottian Alps, close to the Col de Montgenèvre in France, where it is called the Piccola Dora...
and other tributaries of the
PoThe Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...
on the Italian side.
Peaks
The chief peaks of the Cottian
AlpsThe Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....
are:
| Peak | |Elevation (m/ft) |
Monte VisoMonte Viso or Monviso , is a mountain in the Cottian Alps in Italy close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape, and because it is higher than all its neighbouring peaks by about 500 m it can be seen from some distance, from the Piedmontese plateau and the...
|
3841 |
12,609 |
| Viso di Vallante |
3672 |
12,048 |
| Aiguille de Scolette Aiguille de Scolette is a mountain of Savoie, France and of the Province of Turin, Italy. It lies in the Mont Cenis range. It has an altitude of 3506 metres above sea level....
|
3505 |
11,500 |
| Aiguille de Chambeyron |
3412 |
11,155 |
| Bric de Chambeyron |
3388 |
11,116 |
| Pic de la Font Sancte |
3387 |
11,112 |
| Rognosa d'Etiache |
3385 |
11,106 |
| Dents d'Ambin |
3382 |
11,096 |
| Punta Ferrand |
3364 |
11,037 |
| Visolotto |
3353 |
11,001 |
| Bric de Rubren |
3340 |
10,958 |
| Rochebrune |
3324 |
10,906 |
| Punta Sommeiller |
3321 |
10,896 |
| Bric Froid |
3302 |
10,833 |
| Grand Glaiza |
3286 |
10,781 |
| Rognosa di Sestriere |
3280 |
|
| Panestrel |
3253 |
10,673 |
| Roche du Grand Galibier |
3242 |
10,637 |
| Peou Roc |
3231 |
10,601 |
| Rocca Bernauda Rocca Bernauda, in French Roche Bernaude, is a mountain of the Alps of . It is the most western point of Italy after the cession of Valle Stretta with the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947....
|
3225 |
10,581 |
| Pic du Pelvat |
3218 |
10,558 |
| Pointe Haute de Mary |
3212 |
10,539 |
| Pain de Sucre |
3208 |
10,526 |
| Mont Thabor |
3180 |
10,440 |
| Pointe des Cerces |
3180 |
10,434 |
| Tete des Toillies |
3179 |
10,430 |
| Monte Granero Monte Granero is a peak in the Cottian Alps, in western Piedmont, northern Italy. It has an elevation of 3,170 m. It is located between the Val Pellice and the Valle Po, not far from the boundary with France....
|
3170 |
10,401 |
| Monte Platasse |
3149 |
|
| Rocce del Rouit |
3145 |
|
| Pic du Thabor |
3144 |
10,316 |
| Mont Chaberton |
3130 |
10,286 |
| Tete de Moyse |
3110 |
10,204 |
| Monte Meidassa Monte Meidassa is a peak in the Cottian Alps, in western Piedmont, northern Italy.Included in the comuni of Crissolo and Bobbio Pellice, not far from the boundary with France, it has an elevation of 3,105 m. It separates the Val Chisone and the Valle Po.The slightly higher Monte Granero is...
|
3105 |
10,187 |
| Pelvo d'Elva |
3064 |
10,053 |
| Rocca Bianca |
3059 |
10,307 |
| Monte Albergian |
3041 |
|
| Bric Ghinivert |
3037 |
|
| Monte Barifreddo |
3028 |
|
| Mont Politri |
3026 |
|
| Pic Caramantran |
3025 |
9925 |
| Bric Bouchet |
2998 |
9836 |
| Pointe du Fréjus |
2934 |
9626 |
| Pointe des Marcelettes |
2909 |
9545 |
| Pic du Malrif |
2906 |
9535 |
| Punta Cournour |
2868 |
9410 |
Passes
The chief
passesA 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...
of the Cottian Alps are:
| name | location | type
| elevation (m/ft)
|
|---|
Col Sommeiller | Bardonecchia Bardonecchia is an Italian town and comune located in the Province of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley....
to Bramans | snow |
2962/9718
|
Col de la Traversette | Crissolo to AbrièsAbriès is a French commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.It belongs to the Queyras Regional Park. It is located in the valley of the Guil and is appreciated for its position along long and medium distance footpaths in a rural and preserved environment...
| bridle path |
2950/9679
|
Col d'Ambin | Exilles to Bramans | snow |
2854/9364
|
Col de St Veran | Valle Varaita to the Queyras The Queyras is a valley located in the French Hautes-Alpes, of which the geographical extension is the basin of river Guil, a tributary of the Durance...
Valley | foot path |
2844/9331
|
Col du Parpaillon The Col du Parpaillon is a pass in the Cottian Alps of southern France in the Parpaillon massif. It connects La Condamine-Châtelard, the Ubaye valley in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department with Crévoux, Embrun in Hautes-Alpes. The crest of the pass rises to ....
| Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley | foot path |
2780/9121
|
Col d'Etache | Bardonecchia to Bramans | bridle path |
2787/9144
|
Col Agnel Col Agnel is a mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, west of Monte Viso between France and Italy which links the Queyras valley with Pontechianale in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont....
| Valle Varaita to the Queyras Valley | road |
2744/9003 |
Col Girardin | Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley | bridle path |
2699/8855
|
Col de Sautron | Valle Maira to BarcelonnetteBarcelonnette is a commune in the Ubaye Valley, in the southern French Alps, in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department, of which it is a subprefecture.-History:...
| bridle path |
2689/8823
|
Col de Longet | Ubaye Valley to Valle Varaita | bridle path |
2672/8767
|
Col de Mary | Ubaye Valley to Valle Maira | bridle path |
2654/8708
|
Col d'Abriès | Perosa to Abriès | bridle path |
2650/8695 |
Col de la Roue | Bardonecchia to Modane Modane is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France.It was part of the Kingdom of Sardinia until 1860.-Transportation:...
| bridle path |
2566/8419
|
Col du Fréjus Col du Fréjus is a mountain pass in the Cottian Alps on the border between France and Italy. It connects Bardonecchia in Italy to Modane in France.The road over the pass is not paved, and most traffic was rerouted by the Fréjus Road Tunnel....
| Bardonecchia to Modane | dirt road |
2542
|
Col de ClapierCol de Clapier is a high mountain pass over the mountain massif Mont Cenis in the Cottian Alps and Graian Alps between Savoy in France and Piemont in Italy. The bridle path goes from Bramans to Susa...
| Bramans to Susa Susa is a city and comune in Piedmont, Italy. It is situated on at the confluence of the Cenischia with the Dora Riparia, a tributary of the Po River, at the foot of the Cottian Alps, 51 km west of Turin.-History:...
| bridle path |
2491/8173
|
Col d'IzoardCol d'Izoard is a high mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France.It is accessible in summer via the D902 road, connecting Briançon on the north and the valley of the Guil in Queyras, which ends at Guillestre in the south. There are forbidding and barren scree slopes...
| BriançonBriançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
to the Queyras Valley | road |
2388/7835
|
Col de la Croix or Passo de la Croce | Torre Pellice Torre Pellice is a comune in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 45 km southwest of Turin. It is crossed by the Pellice river....
to AbrièsAbriès is a French commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.It belongs to the Queyras Regional Park. It is located in the valley of the Guil and is appreciated for its position along long and medium distance footpaths in a rural and preserved environment...
| bridle path |
2309/7576
|
Petit Mont Cenis | Bramans to the Mont Cenis Plateau | bridle path |
2184/7166
|
Col de Vars Col de Vars, elevation 2108 m is a high mountain pass in the Alps between the departments of Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in France.It connects the Ubaye Valley with the Queyras valley and Embrun...
| Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley | road |
2115/6939
|
Mont CenisMont Cenis is a massif and pass in Savoie in France which forms the limit between the Cottian and Graian Alps.A road over the pass was built between 1803 and 1810 by Napoleon...
| Lanslebourg to Susa | road |
2101/6893
|
Colle Sestriere Colle Sestriere, Col de Sestriere, is a mountain pass in the Cottian Alps. It is occupied by the town of Sestriere in the Province of Turin, Italy. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin.It is a famous starting and...
| Pinerolo Pinerolo is a town and comune in north-western Italy, 40 kilometres southwest of Turin on the river Chisone.-History:In the Middle Ages, the town of Pinerolo was one of the main crossroads in Italy, and was therefore one of the principal fortresses of the dukes of Savoy. Its military importance...
to Cesana Torinese | road |
2021/6631
|
Col de Larche/Maddalena Pass The Maddalena Pass is a high mountain pass between the Cottian Alps and the Maritime Alps, located on the border between Italy and France. It connects Barcelonnette in France with Cuneo in Italy...
| Ubaye Valley to the Stura Valley | road |
1991/6532
|
Col de Montgenèvre The Col de Montgenèvre is a high mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, between France and Italy.The pass takes its name from the village Montgenèvre , which lies in the vicinity...
| Briançon to Susa | road |
1854/6083
|
Col de l'Échelle Col de l'Échelle is a mountain pass in the Alps in the department of Hautes-Alpes in France. It is the lower mountain pass between France and Italy and connects Vallée de la Clarée and Vallée Étroite, commune of Névache....
| Briançon to Bardonecchia | road |
1760/5774 |