# Col de Montgenèvre - Wikipedia # source: wiki/en_montgenevre.html fetched 2026-09-14 (Wikipedia: used only as a finding aid for references, not as evidence) Mountain pass in France This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Col de Montgenèvre" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Col de Montgenèvre The obelisk celebrating Napoleon Bonaparte was erected in September 1804, two months before the First Consul had himself promoted and crowned as emperor. Col de Montgenèvre Location within Alps Elevation1,860 m (6,100 ft) Traversed byRoute nationale 94 (France) Location LocationHautes-Alpes, France RangeCottian Alps Coordinates44°55′51″N 6°43′24″E / 44.93083°N 6.72333°E / 44.93083; 6.72333[[Geographic coordinate system|Coordinates]]: {{#parsoid\u0000fragment:5}}[https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Col_de_Montgen%C3%A8vre¶ms=44_55_51_N_6_43_24_E_type:pass_region:FR_scale:50000 44°55′51″N 6°43′24″E / 44.93083°N 6.72333°E / 44.93083; 6.72333][[Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas]]"}}'/> The Col de Montgenèvre (Italian: Passo del Monginevro; elevation 1860 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Cottian Alps, in France 2 kilometres away from Italy. Description [edit] The pass takes its name from the village Montgenèvre (Hautes-Alpes), which lies in the vicinity. It links Briançon in the upper Durance valley with the Susa Valley and its communes of Cesana Torinese and Susa in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont. The Col de Montgenèvre is an important road connection, and is kept open in winter. Its importance has always lain in the fact that it is the lowest of the principal crossings of the main range of the Alps between France and Italy. History [edit] It was known to the Romans before 118 BC, when Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus started construction of the Via Domitia road, which terminated at the pass.[1] Roman General Pompey used it on his campaign to Spain in 77 BC and claimed to have opened up a more favorable route. It was later used by Julius Caesar in travelling to Gaul and then became the main route for travel between Roman Italy and southern Gaul or Spain. The Col de Montgenèvre is considered a possible route for Hannibal's famous passage through the Alps on his journey from the Rhône river valley to Italy.[2] Through this pass, Charles VIII of France led his army in September 1494 on his way to capture the Kingdom of Naples, which would spark 65 years of intermittent warfare up and down the Italian Peninsula, later known as the Italian Wars.[3] The strategic importance of the pass, the lowest over this part of the Alps, caused several forts to be built, such as Briançon and Fort Janus. Tour de France [edit] The Col de Montgenèvre has appeared on the Tour de France 10 times.:[4] Tour de France Stage Finish [edit] Year Stage Start of stage Distance (km) Category Stage winner Leader in general classification 1976 10 Le Bourg-d'Oisans 166 1  Joop Zoetemelk (NED)  Lucien Van Impe (BEL) Other Appearances in the Tour de France [edit] Year Stage Category Start Finish Leader at the Summit 1949 17 3 Briançon Aosta  Gino Bartali (ITA) 1952 11 3 Le Bourg-d'Oisans Sestrières  Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1956 17 2 Turin Gap  Valentin Huot (FRA) 1966 17 2 Briançon Turin  Julio Jiménez (ESP) 1992 14 2 Sestrières Alpe d'Huez  Richard Virenque (FRA) 1996 9 2 Le Monêtier-les-Bains Sestrières  Richard Virenque (FRA) 1996 10 1 Turin Gap  Bjarne Riis (DEN) 1999 9 2 Le Grand-Bornand Sestrières  Richard Virenque (FRA) 2011 17 2 Gap Pinerolo  Sylvain Chavanel (FRA) 2024 4 2 Pinerolo Valloire  Stephen Williams (GBR) Vuelta a España [edit] The Col de Montgenèvre featured on Stage 4 of the 2025 Vuelta a España.[5] Year Stage Category Start Finish Leader at the Summit 2025 4 2 Susa Voiron  Louis Vervaeke (BEL) See also [edit] Cottii Regnum List of highest paved roads in Europe List of mountain passes References [edit] ↑ Cicero, pro Font. 8 ↑ Hannibal's War: A Military History of the Second Punic War, p. 182, John Francis Lazenby University of Oklahoma Press, 1998 ↑ Francesco Guicciardini, Storia d'Italia, Book 1 chapter 9. ↑ "Montgenèvre dans le Tour de France". www.ledicodutour.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-07-25. ↑ "Stage 4 Profile 80th Vuelta a España". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 26 August 2025. External links [edit] Col de Montgenèvre on Google Maps (Tour de France classic climbs)[link removed] Authority control databases VIAF Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Col_de_Montgenèvre&oldid=1372197319"