Tende

Tourist Office

103, avenue du 16 septembre 1947, 06430 TENDE
téléphone : (+00 33) (0)4 83 93 98 34
E-mail : tende-tourisme@menton-riviera-merveilles.fr

The County of Tende was born of the dismemberment of the county of Ventimiglia from the tenth century. In 1261, the marriage of Guillaume-Pierre, count of Ventimiglia-Tende, with Eudossia Lascaris, sister of the Byzantine emperor Giovanni Lascaris, marked the birth of the Ventimiglia’s Lascaris dynasty. The Lascaris Counts developed and gained their autonomy thanks to the control of the Col de Tende and the collection of taxes and rights of way.

In 1575, Tende passed under the domination of the House of Savoy until 1946, with the only exception of the years of the French Revolution and the Napoleonic period. In 1692, the Ventimiglia-Lascaris castle was mined and exploded by order of the French marshal Nicolas de Catinat. It now houses the cemetery. The referendum of October 12th 1947 establishes the passage of Tende and the high valley of Roya to France.

Typical lauze roofs (local stone), wooden balconies, carved and decorated with green stone or slate, as well as narrow streets, stairs and porches, characterize the medieval village of Tende. From the seventeenth century, with the opening of the Royal Road, whose route coincides with that of the current National Road, the village even extended outside the medieval walls. This is a real bypass, along which many buildings were built. They currently hosts the City Hall, the railway station, the tourist office and the Museum of Wonders.

The ideal tour route starts from the town hall square, where you can see the chapel of Saint-Sauveur, built on a rocky spur overlooking the village. From there, take the rue de France to see the Maison Chionea, the gate of Italy and Notre-Dame de l’Assomption. This cathedral was begun by Giovanni Antonio Lascaris towards the end of the 15th century on the ruins of a pre-existing church. Continue towards the Place du Traou, the Place du Pont and Place Balarello. The route is rich in scenic views. From there we can admire chapels and remarkable panoramas. Not to be missed: the Museum of Wonders and, for those who do not fear a passage on a “via ferrata” (adventurous rock facing route), the visit of the chapel Saint-Sauveur.

The main hamlets of Tende are Vievola (last agglomeration before the col), Granile with its particular roofs, iridescent lauzes, San Dalmazzo and Castérino. They are the starting point for many excursions to discover the engravings of Mount Bego and the headquarters of a Nordic skiing center. Among the traditional festivals of the chief town, let’s mention Saint-Eloi day, the saint patron of mules and muleteers (second Sunday of July), and the feast of the Saint-Roch, the big peasant party of mid-August.

Blason de Tende

To visit

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Heritage sheet

Muleteers of Tende and Saint-Eloi feast

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Intellectual
Period
Period 1380 – 1600

For centuries, the mule-drivers of Tenda and Limone Piemonte made a living by providing transport for people and goods along the Colle di Tenda...

Departmental Museum of Wonders

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Museum
Period
Period Various, XX

The entrance to the museum is preceded by a large forecourt and columns covered with figures reproducing the emblematic figures of the rock engravings...

Chapel of the Annunciade

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Artwork, Building
Period
Period 1380 – 1600

The Annonciade chapel is located at the edge of the Rue de France (France street), at the northern entrance of the medieval village, against...

Chapelle Saint-Sauveur

Saint-Sauveur Chapel

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Building
Period
Period Before 1380

The chapel is located on a narrow rocky ridge overlooking the village

Ouvrages militaires du Vallo Alpino, à Tende et La Brigue

Military works of Vallo Alpino, in Tende and La Brigue

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Building, Converted site, Engineering works, Museum
Period
Period XX

Much of the work consists of the underground galleries connecting the entrances and fortified observation and fire stations, which are integrated into the landscape...

Vestiges de carrières de schiste vert de Tende

Tende green schist quarry remains

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Converted site
Period
Period 1380 – 1600, Various

The old quarry has cut a pelite (rocks) vein, presenting itself in the form of a rocky ridge in a meander of Roya river...

Village de Tende et vestiges de fortifications

Village of Tende and fortifications remains

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Building, Converted site
Period
Period Before 1380, Various

The medieval part of the village of Tende develops on both sides of a tributary valley of the Roya west - east, on a...

Hydroélectricité du début du XXe siècle à Tende

Hydroelectric power stations in Tende

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Building, Converted site, Engineering works
Period
Period XX

1. Mesches site: on a plateau of Casterino road, Mesches artificial lake is retained by a high dam in a forest landscape. 2. Saint-Dalmas...

Hameau de Granile et église Sainte-Anne

Hamlet of Granile and Sainte-Anne Church

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Building, Converted site
Period
Period Eighteenth, Various

The hamlet of Granile is on the south-facing slope of a ravine flowing towards the Paganin Gorges, in Roya valley. The hamlet is surrounded...

Ca et ancienne route du col de Tende (versant Roya)

Ca and old road of Tende col (Roya slope)

City
City Tende
Typology
Typology Building, Converted site, Engineering works, Road
Period
Period Eighteenth

The Roya side old road of Tende Col develops its laces on the steep southern slope of the ridge.

Touristic itineraries

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