The
Little St Bernard Pass (French:
Col du Petit Saint-Bernard, Italian:
Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo) is a
mountain passIn a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass is a path that allows to cross a mountain chain, it is usually a saddle point in between two areas of higher elevation. If following the lowest possible route through a range, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in the
AlpsThe Alps are 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....
on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between
SavoieSavoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps....
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and Valle d'Aosta,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
to the south of the
Mont Blanc MassifThe Mont Blanc Massif is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
, precisely on the main alpine watershed. There is also a
Great St. Bernard PassGreat St Bernard Pass is the most ancient pass through the Western Alps, with evidence of use as far back as the Bronze Age and surviving traces of a Roman road...
and a
San Bernardino PassSan Bernardino Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the Hinterrhein and the Mesolcina valleys between Thusis and Bellinzona . Located at , it is not to be confused with the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Little St. Bernard Pass...
.
Although damaged by a road that runs through it, the pass is the site of a
stone circleA stone circle is an ancient monument of standing stones. It is not always precisely circular, often forming an ellipse, or more rarely a setting of four stones laid on an arc of a circle. The size and number of stones in a 'circle' varies from example to example...
measuring 72 m (236 ft) in diameter.
The
Little St Bernard Pass (French:
Col du Petit Saint-Bernard, Italian:
Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo) is a
mountain passIn a range of hills, or especially of mountains, a pass is a path that allows to cross a mountain chain, it is usually a saddle point in between two areas of higher elevation. If following the lowest possible route through a range, a pass is locally the highest point on that route...
in the
AlpsThe Alps are 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....
on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between
SavoieSavoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps....
,
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
and Valle d'Aosta,
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
to the south of the
Mont Blanc MassifThe Mont Blanc Massif is a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. It is named after Mont Blanc, at 4,810m the highest summit of the Alps. It is located in France , Italy , and Switzerland...
, precisely on the main alpine watershed. There is also a
Great St. Bernard PassGreat St Bernard Pass is the most ancient pass through the Western Alps, with evidence of use as far back as the Bronze Age and surviving traces of a Roman road...
and a
San Bernardino PassSan Bernardino Pass is a high mountain pass in the Swiss Alps connecting the Hinterrhein and the Mesolcina valleys between Thusis and Bellinzona . Located at , it is not to be confused with the Great St. Bernard Pass and the Little St. Bernard Pass...
.
Although damaged by a road that runs through it, the pass is the site of a
stone circleA stone circle is an ancient monument of standing stones. It is not always precisely circular, often forming an ellipse, or more rarely a setting of four stones laid on an arc of a circle. The size and number of stones in a 'circle' varies from example to example...
measuring 72 m (236 ft) in diameter. A
standing stoneStanding stones, orthostats, liths or more commonly, megaliths because of their large and cumbersome size, are solitary stones set vertically in the ground and come in many different varieties. Where they appear in groups together, often in a circular, oval, or horseshoe formation, or henge. They...
once stood in the middle. It has not been precisely dated but from coin finds it has been attributed to the
Iron AgeIn archaeology, the Iron Age is the prehistoric period in any area during which cutting tools and weapons were mainly made of iron or steel. The adoption of this material coincided with other changes in society, including differing agricultural practices, religious beliefs and artistic styles.The...
, possibly being a ceremonial site of the Tarentaisian culture (c. 725 BC–450 BC). A Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter was later erected nearby along with a Roman
mansioIn the Roman Empire, a mansio was an official stopping place on a Roman road, or via, maintained by the central government for the use of officials and those on official business whilst travelling.-Background:Ox-powered carts could travel about 18 miles per day, pedestrians a...
serving travellers along the pass and it is thought that Carthaginian general Hannibal used this route.
The stone circle was partly restored in the 19th century.
Details of climb
From
Bourg-Saint-MauriceBourg-Saint-Maurice , popularly known as Bourg, is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is the last large town along the Tarentaise valley in the heart of the French Alps....
to the south-west, the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard is 26.5 km long. Over this distance, the climb is 1,348 m (4,423 ft) (an average slope of 5.1%), with the steepest sections at 8.1% at the start of the climb. The first 15.5 km (9.6 mi) to La Rossiere forms the
Montée d'HautevilleMontée d'Hauteville is a mountain climb that was used in the 2007 Tour de France. The race caravan covered the first 15.3 km of the climb from Bourg-Saint-Maurice to the Little St Bernard Pass on the N. 90 border route to Courmayeur in Italy....
climb.
From
Prè-Saint-DidierPré-Saint-Didier is a town and comune in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy, at 1,004 m above sea level.-Transportation:A terminus of a regional railway is located there; direct trains connect the town with Aosta, which is connected to the rest of the Italian network...
(in the
Aosta ValleyThe Aosta Valley is a mountainous autonomous region in north-western Italy...
region of north-western
ItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern, Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia...
), the Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo is 23.5 km (14.6 mi) long. Over this distance, the climb is 1,184 m (3,885 ft) (an average slope of 5%).
Appearances in Tour de France
The Little St Bernard Pass was first crossed by the
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totalled to...
in
1949The 1949 Tour de France was the 36th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 21, 1949. It consisted of 21 stages over 4808 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.121 km/h.-Results:Stages with a * were individual time trials.-Overall standings:...
and has been featured three times since.
In
2007The 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
, Montée d'Hauteville was climbed on stage 8 of the
Tour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race that covers approximately throughout France and bordering countries. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages. Individual times to finish each stage are totalled to...
.
The pass was featured in the 2009 Tour de France Stage 16 on 21 July from Martigny (Switzerland) to Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 160 km, which also features the the Great St Bernard Pass.
| Year |
Stage |
Category |
Leader at the summit |
2009The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco...
|
16 |
1 |
Franco Pellizotti Franco Pellizotti is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam ....
|
| 1963 The 1963 Tour de France was the 50th Tour de France, taking place June 23 to July 14, 1963. The total race distance was 21 stages over 4137 km, with riders averaging 37.092 km/h...
|
17 |
2 |
Federico BahamontesFederico Martín Bahamontes is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist.-Biography:Bahamontes was born in Santo Domingo-Caudilla , of Cuban descent. His family was devastated during the Spanish civil war and Bahamontes' father, Julian, took the family to Madrid as refugees...
|
| 1959 The 1959 Tour de France was the 46th Tour de France, taking place between June 25 and July 18, 1959. The race featured 120 riders, of which 65 finished. The Tour included 22 stages over 4,391 km, with riders averaging 35.474 km/h....
|
18 |
1 |
Michele Gismondi |
| 1949 The 1949 Tour de France was the 36th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 21, 1949. It consisted of 21 stages over 4808 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.121 km/h.-Results:Stages with a * were individual time trials.-Overall standings:...
|
17 |
2 |
Gino BartaliGino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
|
External links