Tende Provence-Beyond (Beyond the French Riviera) ® Alpes-Maritimes (06430) Population: 2,090 Altitude: 815 m Nearby: [ Breil-sur-Roya 21 km | Casterino | Fontan | Saorge | St-Dalmas | Mercantour | Roya Valley ] Photos: The village, from the south (35 k) Closeup of the clock tower and the ruins (17 k) The multi-arched bridge of Tende (28 k) Below: [ History | Dates | Commerce | Transportation | Hiking | Lodging ] Tende was a fortified town guarding an important pass into the Piemont. It's a very lovely little Italian-style medieval mountain town, with the houses grouped tightly together on the flank of the mountain. The houses are roofed in lauze, a local varient of slate, and are often dark in the shadow of the mountains. The tall "needle" ruin (at the left of our photo, left) is all that's left of the 14th-century chateau, destroyed in 1692. There are still many 19th-century forts on the heights around the town. The famous round clock tower (photo) sits above medieval houses and alpine archetecture, with narrow streets, vaulted passages and sculpted door lintels. The line of mountains along the Franco-Italian border include over 20 peaks higher than 2000 m, and most are heavily forested with larch and pine. Ten km north of town is the Col de Tende, on of hundreds of beautiful sites in the region. The Col de Tende is the source of the Tende river, at 45 km long the shortest fleuve in France. (A fleuve is a river that flow into the sea.) Near Tende is a quarry for the deep-green stone that contrasts so nicely with the very dark red stone that's so prevalent throughout the region. The green stone (schiste verte) is a type of shiste or shale, used and floor tile, outdoor steps, and doorways, for practical and ascetic reasons. Variations of the schiste verte are unique for their local region, and the stone you'll see decorating the village of Tende is unique to Tende, coming from the single quarry below the village. [Parapents hanging in the air beyond the village.] Tende, St. Dalmas and Casterino are centers for excursions into the Mercantour. Name First record, 11th century: Tende History Prehistoric: The prehistoric and bronze-age rock drawing in the Vallée des Merveilles, 12 km due west, are world famous. Medieval: In 1261, Pierre-Guillaume de Vintimille, lord of Tende, maried the sister of Jean Lascaris, the young emperor of Western Greece, and took the name Vintimille-Lascaris. In 1581 Tende was acquired by the House of Savoie. In 1860, Tende and La Brigue were excluded from the reunion with France, in spite of popular demand in a plebiscite. It wasn't until the peace treaty with Italy in 1947 that Tende was reattached to France. Today Tende, at 17,747 hectares, is the largest commune of the Alpes Maritimes. Dates, Numbers Foire: 18 June; 3rd Sat Sept Fête de la St-Eloi: 2nd Sun July, with cavlcade of mules Fête du Traou: Sun following 20 Aug Fête des Chàtaignes: 5 Oct Office de Tourisme - Tel: (33) 493 04 73 71 Commerce There's plenty of commerce for hikers and hungry travelers in Tende, and welcome terrace cafés along the main street in the center of town. Transportation Nice-Cuneo Train - A half-dozen trains a day connect Tende with Nice, Breil and other villages to the south as well as Cuneo and Torino in Italy. Spelunking There are some magnificent potholling possibilities in the region of Tende. The Piaggia Bella is one of the deepest in the world, at -850 m, and the source de Fouige, 145 m developed. Camping Hiking Maps: IGN (1:25,000) 3841 OT "Vallée de la Roya" Didier Richard (1:50,000) #9 "Mercantour" The GR 52A (Grande Randonnée) crosses north-south through Tende. To the south, the GR 52A crosses to La Brigue a couple of km east of St-Dalmas and continues through beautiful mountains and valleys to Saorge. To the north, the GR 52A goes past the Cime de Tavan (1912 m) and up to 1956 m before crossing the Col de Tende. Other hikes go into and over the mountains to the west, including the Cime du Prêtre (2142 m) and Mont Agnelino (2201 m). Hikes further west, to Mont Bego and the Vallée des Merveilles go via the Lac des Mesches or Casterino. Both these places are also accessable by road, the D91 from St-Dalmas. Lodging Listing available