Col de Montgenevre

The lowest and oldest Franco-Italian Alpine crossing, a historic Roman and Napoleonic route from Briancon into Piedmont.

The N94 climbs steadily from Briancon to the 1,854m Col de Montgenevre, the lowest crossing of the main Alpine chain and a passage used since Roman times on the Via Domitia, later rebuilt under Napoleon. It crosses through the Montgenevre ski village at the watershed then descends to Cesana Torinese in Italy. This is a broad, fast, well-engineered road with sweeping curves rather than tight hairpins, more a grand strategic highway than a technical pass, with mountain panoramas throughout. Being a primary border route it carries real traffic. Mind heavy through-traffic and lorries as a year-round border crossing, the ski-resort congestion at the summit in winter, and fast-moving traffic on the open sweepers.