| Cottian Alps | |
|---|---|
| French:Alpes Cottiennes;Italian:Alpi Cozie | |
 Aerial view of the Cottian Alps | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Monte Viso |
| Elevation | 3,841 m (12,602 ft) |
| Coordinates | 44°40′18″N7°15′13″E / 44.67167°N 7.25361°E /44.67167; 7.25361 |
| Geography | |
 Location | |
| Countries |
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| Provinces and regions | |
| Range coordinates | 44°45′N7°0′E / 44.750°N 7.000°E /44.750; 7.000 |
| Parent range | Alps |
| Borders on | |
| Geology | |
| Orogeny | Alpine orogeny |
TheCottian Alps (/ˈkɒtiənˈælps/;French:Alpes Cottiennes[alpkɔtjɛn];Italian:Alpi Cozie[ˈalpiˈkɔttsje]) are a mountain range in the southwestern part of theAlps. They form the border betweenFrance (Hautes-Alpes andSavoie) andItaly (Piedmont). TheFréjus Road Tunnel andFréjus Rail Tunnel betweenModane andSusa are important transportation arteries between France (Lyon,Grenoble) and Italy (Turin).
The nameCottian comes fromMarcus Julius Cottius, a king of the tribes inhabiting that mountainous region in the 1st century BC. Under his fatherDonnus, these tribes had previously opposed but later made peace withJulius Caesar. Cottius was succeeded by his son Gaius Julius Donnus II (reigned 3 BC-4 AD), and his grandson Marcus Julius Cottius II (reigned 5-63 AD), who was granted the title of king by the emperorClaudius. On his death,Nero annexed his kingdom as theprovince ofAlpes Cottiae.[1]
For a long part of theMiddle Ages the Cottian Alps were divided between theDuchy of Savoy, which controlled their northern part and the easternmost slopes, and theDauphiné, which at the time was independent fromFrance. TheDauphins also held, in addition to the southwestern slopes of the range (Briançon andQueyras, now on the French side), the upper part of some of the valleys that weretributaries of thePo River (Valle di Susa,Chisone valley,Varaita Valley). The Alpine territory of Dauphiné, known asEscartons, used to have a limited autonomy and elected its ownparliament.[2] This semi-autonomous status lasted also after the annexation of the Dauphiné toFrance (1349), and was only abolished in 1713 due to theTreaty of Utrecht, which assigned to theHouse of Savoy all the mountainous area on the eastern side of the Cottian Alps.[3]
After the treaty annexing Nice and Savoy to France, signed in Turin in March 1860 (Treaty of Turin), the north-western slopes of the range became part of the French republic.[4]
Two eastern valleys of the Cottian Alps (Pellice andGermanasca) have been for centuries a kind of sanctuary for theWaldensians, aChristian movement that was persecuted asheretical from the 12th century onwards by the catholic church.[5]
Administratively the range is divided between theItalian province ofCuneo and theMetropolitan City of Turin (the eastern slopes), and theFrench departments ofSavoie,Hautes-Alpes, andAlpes-de-Haute-Provence (the western slopes).
The Cottian Alps are drained by the riversDurance andArc and their tributaries on the French side; and by theDora Riparia and other tributaries of thePo on the Italian side.
The borders of the Cottian Alps are (clockwise):
The chief peaks of the CottianAlps are:
| name | metres | feet | name | metres | feet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monte Viso | 3841 | 12,609 | Aiguille de Chambeyron | 3412 | 11,155 |
| Aiguille de Scolette | 3506 | 11,500 | Pics de la Font Sancte | 3387 | 11,112 |
| Brec de Chambeyron | 3388 | 11,116 | Dents d'Ambin | 3382 | 11,096 |
| Rognosa d'Etiache | 3385 | 11,106 | Visolotto | 3353 | 11,001 |
| Punta Ferrand | 3364 | 11,037 | Punta Sommeiller | 3333 | 10,935 |
| Bric de Rubren | 3340 | 10,958 | Bric Froid | 3302 | 10,833 |
| Pic de Rochebrune | 3320 | 10,891 | Rognosa di Sestriere | 3280 | 10,761 |
| Punta Merciantaira | 3293 | 10,804 | Roche du Grand Galibier | 3242 | 10,637 |
| Panestrel | 3253 | 10,673 | Rocca Bernauda | 3225 | 10,581 |
| Peou Roc | 3231 | 10,601 | Pointe Haute de Mary | 3212 | 10,539 |
| Grand Galibier | 3228 | 10,590 | Pic du Thabor | 3207 | 10,522 |
| Pic du Pelvat | 3218 | 10,558 | Mont Thabor | 3180 | 10,440 |
| Pain de Sucre | 3208 | 10,526 | Tete des Toillies | 3179 | 10,430 |
| Pointe des Cerces | 3180 | 10,434 | Monte Platasse | 3149 | 10,331 |
| Monte Granero | 3170 | 10,401 | Tête de Moïse | 3110 | 10,204 |
| Monte Sautron | 3166 | 10,387 | |||
| Rocce del Rouit | 3145 | 10,318 | Punta Bagnà | 3129 | 10,266 |
| Mont Chaberton | 3130 | 10,286 | Pelvo d'Elva | 3064 | 10,053 |
| Monte Meidassa | 3105 | 10,187 | Rocca Bianca | 3059 | 10,307 |
| Monte Ferra | 3094 | 10,151 | Bric Ghinivert | 3037 | 9,963 |
| Grand Queyron | 3060 | 10,040 | Monte Politri | 3026 | 9,928 |
| Monte Albergian | 3041 | 9,977 | Viso Mozzo | 3019 | 9,905 |
| Monte Barifreddo | 3028 | 9,933 | Pointe du Fréjus | 2934 | 9,626 |
| Pic Caramantran | 3025 | 9,925 | Pic du Malrif | 2906 | 9,535 |
| Bric Bouchet | 2998 | 9,836 | Cima Ciantiplagna | 2849 | 9,347 |
| Monte Orsiera | 2890 | 9,479 | Mont Froid | 2822 | 9,410 |
| Punta Cornour | 2868 | 9,259 | Monte Friolànd | 2738 | 8,981 |
| Pointe de Bellecombe | 2775 | 9,104 | Monte Gimont | 2646 | 8,681 |
| L'Aiguille Rouge | 2545 | 8,350 | Gran Truc | 2366 | 7,762 |
| Pic de Morgon | 2324 | 7,625 | Monte Birrone | 2131 | 6,991 |
| Monte Ricordone | 1764 | 5,787 | Monte Freidour | 1445 | 4,741 |
The chiefpasses of the Cottian Alps are:
| name | location | type (as of 1911[update]) | elevation (m/ft) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Col Sommeiller | Bardonecchia toBramans | snow | 2993/9820 |
| Col de la Traversette | Crissolo toAbriès | bridle path | 2950/9679 |
| Col d'Ambin | Exilles to Bramans | snow | 2899/9511 |
| Col de Saint-Véran | Valle Varaita to theQueyras Valley | footpath | 2844/9331 |
| Col du Parpaillon | Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley | footpath | 2780/9121 |
| Col d'Étache | Bardonecchia toBramans | bridle path | 2799/9183 |
| Col Agnel | 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 toBarcelonnette | 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 du Fréjus | Bardonecchia toModane | dirt road | 2542/8340 |
| Colle della Rho /Col de la Roue | Bardonecchia to Modane | dirt road/briddle path | 2541/8338 |
| Col de Clapier | Bramans toSusa | bridle path | 2477/8127 |
| Col de la Vallée Étroite | Bardonecchia to Modane | footpath | 2434/7985 |
| Col d'Izoard | Briançon to the Queyras Valley | road | 2388/7835 |
| Col de la Croix /Colle della Croce | Torre Pellice toAbriès | bridle path | 2299/7541 |
| Petit Mont Cenis | Bramans to the Mont Cenis Plateau | bridle path | 2184/7166 |
| Col de Vars | Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley | road | 2115/6939 |
| Mont Cenis | Lanslebourg to Susa | road | 2085/6840 |
| Colle Sestriere | Pinerolo to Cesana Torinese | road | 2021/6631 |
| Col de Larche /Maddalena Pass | Ubaye Valley to the Stura Valley | road | 1991/6532 |
| Col de Montgenèvre | Briançon to Susa | road | 1854/6083 |
| Col de l'Échelle | Briançon to Bardonecchia | road | 1760/5774 |
| Sections (as perSOIUSA) |
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| Other ranges | ||||||
| Massifs | ||||||
| Western Alps |
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| Eastern Alps |
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| International | |
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| Geographic | |
