Dare to drive the road to Mont Saccarel

Mont Saccarel is an international high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.178m (7,145ft) above the sea level, located on the French-Italian border between Liguria, Piemonte and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur.

The summit of Mont Saccarel, since 1947, is a point of the administrative border between the provinces of Imperia and Cuneo and the state border between Italy and France (Department of Alpes-Maritimes). Its summit is the highest point of Liguria. On a sub-peak of the mountain, at an elevation of 2,164m above sea level, stands a huge bronze statue of Jesus Christ built in 1901, which is part of a group of sculptures placed in the early years of the twentieth century on the highest mountains in every Italian region.

Nestled in the Ligurian Alps, the winding road to the summit is steep and narrow. Starting from Monesi (Province of Imperia), the road is 9.0 km (5.59miles). Over this distance the elevation gain is 799 meters. The average gradient is 5.79%.

The road to Mont Saccarel is mostly unpaved. The summit can be reached by 4x4 car and motorcycle. Around the summit are ruins of numerous artillery batteries used during the 1900’s. The road is usually impassable during the winter months. Risk of rock slides.