Colle del Garezzo, a journey on the legendary Via del Sale road

Extreme high mountain road climbing up to Colle del Garezzo, a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.795m (5,889ft) above the sea level, located in the mountainous and hilly province of Imperia, in the Liguria region of Italy. 

Colle del Garezzo

The road is asphalted at first but then gravelled and it is somewhat bad around the pass height. The speed limit is 20km/h and this pass is included in the Via del Sale road. The main road in the Colle del Garezzo is officially closed from November 1st to March 31st every year.
The Via del Sale is a Ligurian track built in the Middle Ages to transport salt from Ventimiglia to Limone Piemonte and from there to Turin. As a result, the road has been enlarged and many sections were magnified and transformed into military roads to connect the numerous forts located along the border between Italy and France. Today, it is a wonderful dirt road, which runs along the ridges of the Maritime Alps on the border between Italy to France, in a wild landscape and stunning views of the sea and the mountains. Colle del Garezzo links Arroscia valley with Argentina valley. The climb measures 19.5 kms at 7%, with the last 7 kms on sterrato. The descent is perhaps harder, but it's all tarmac. It's 18 kms at 7.2%, with a few really steep kms.

The road traversing the pass was originally built with military function and was used during the Second World War. The pass is traversed by a long unlit tunnel of 70 meters. It is important to pay attention throughout the drive, because the road is largely unpaved. The track, called Strada Provinciale 2, is extremely dangerous for cars and must be traveled with extreme caution on any vehicle (best to avoid transit through common cars).