Cottian Alps

Cottian Alps
French: Alpes Cottiennes; Italian: Alpi Cozie
Monte Viso in the Cottian Alps, seen from the Rocciamelone
Highest point
Peak	Monte Viso
Elevation	3,841 m (12,602 ft)
Coordinates	44°40′18″N 7°15′13″E / 44.67167°N 7.25361°E
Geography
Countries	Italy and France
States/Provinces	Piedmont, Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Range coordinates	44°45′N 7°00′E / 44.75°N 7°ECoordinates: 44°45′N 7°00′E / 44.75°N 7°E
Parent range	Alps
Borders on	List Graian Alps Dauphiné Alps Provence Alps and Prealps Maritime Alps Po plain
Geology
Orogeny	Alpine orogeny

The Cottian Alps (/ˈkɒtiən ˈælps/; French: Alpes Cottiennes [alp kɔtjɛn]; Italian: Alpi Cozie [ˈalpi ˈkɔttsje]); are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France (Hautes-Alpes and Savoie) and Italy (Piedmont). The Fréjus Road Tunnel and Fréjus Rail Tunnel between Modane and Susa are important transportation arteries between France (Lyon, Grenoble) and Italy (Turin).

Etymology

Roman aqueduct of Susa

The name Cottian comes from Marcus Julius Cottius, a king of the tribes inhabiting that mountainous region in the 1st century BC. These tribes had previously opposed but later made peace with Julius Caesar. Cottius was succeeded by his son, also named Marcus Julius Cottius, who was granted the title of king by the emperor Claudius.

On his death, Nero annexed his kingdom as the province of Alpes Cottiae.^[1]

History

For a long part of the middle ages Cottian Alps have been divided between Duchy of Savoy, which controlled their northern part and the easternmost slopes, and the Dauphiné, at the time independent from France kingdom. The Dauphins held, in addition to the south-western slopes of the range (Briançon and Queyras, nowadays on the French side), also the upper part of some valleys tributaries of the Po River (Valle di Susa, Chisone valley, Varaita Valley). The Alpine territory of Dauphiné, known as Escartons, used to have a limited autonomy and to elect his own parliament.^[2] This semi-autonomuos status lasted also after the annexion of Dauphiné to France (1349), and was only abolished in 1713 due to the Treaty of Utrecht, which assigned to House of Savoy all the mountain area on the eastern side of the Cottian Alps.^[3]

After the treaty annexing Nice and Savoy to France, signed in Turin in March 1860 (Treaty of Turin), the north-western slopes of the range became part of the French republic.^[4]

Two eastern valleys of the Cottian Alps (Pellice and Germanasca) have been for centuries a kind of sanctuary for the Waldensians, a Christian movement founded by Peter Waldo and which was persecuted as heretical from the 12th century onwards.^[5]

Geography

Administratively the range is divided between the Italian provinces of Cuneo and Turin (eastern slopes) and the French departments of Savoie, Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (western slopes).

The Cottian Alps are drained by the rivers Durance and Arc and their tributaries on the French side; by the Dora Riparia and other tributaries of the Po on the Italian side.

Borders

Cottian Alps' borders are (clockwise):

• Maddalena Pass (south, it connects Cottian with Maritime Alps);
• Ubayette valley, Ubaye valley, Serre-Ponçon Lake, high Durance valley, Guisane valley (south-west);
• Col du Galibier (west, it connects Cottian with Dauphiné Alps);
• Valloirette valley, Arc valley, Chardoux creek (north-west);
• Mont Cenis pass (north, it connects Cottian with the Graian Alps);
• Mont Cenis lake, Cenischia valley, Dora Riparia valley, Po plain, Varaita valley (east).

Peaks

The Northern Cottian Alps from Pointe Clairy

The chief peaks of the Cottian Alps are:

name	metres	feet	name	metres	feet
Monte Viso	3841	12,609	Viso di Vallante	3672	12,048
Aiguille de Scolette	3506	11,500	Aiguille de Chambeyron	3412	11,155
Brec de Chambeyron	3388	11,116	Pics de la Font Sancte	3387	11,112
Rognosa d'Etiache	3385	11,106	Dents d'Ambin	3382	11,096
Punta Ferrand	3364	11,037	Visolotto	3353	11,001
Bric de Rubren	3340	10,958	Punta Sommeiller	3333	10,935
Pic de Rochebrune	3320	10,891	Bric Froid	3302	10,833
Grand Glaiza	3286	10,781	Rognosa di Sestriere	3280	10,761
Panestrel	3253	10,673	Roche du Grand Galibier	3242	10,637
Peou Roc	3231	10,601	Rocca Bernauda	3225	10,581
Pic du Pelvat	3218	10,558	Pointe Haute de Mary	3212	10,539
Pain de Sucre	3208	10,526	Pic du Thabor	3207	10,522
Pointe des Cerces	3180	10,434	Mont Thabor	3180	10,440
Tete des Toillies	3179	10,430	Monte Granero	3170	10,401
Monte Platasse	3149	10,331	Rocce del Rouit	3145	10,318
Mont Chaberton	3130	10,286	Tete de Moyse	3110	10,204
Punta Bagnà	3129	10,266	Monte Meidassa	3105	10,187
Pelvo d'Elva	3064	10,053	Rocca Bianca	3059	10,307
Monte Albergian	3041	9,977	Bric Ghinivert	3037	9,963
Monte Barifreddo	3028	9,933	Monte Politri	3026	9,928
Pic Caramantran	3025	9,925	Bric Bouchet	2998	9,836
Pointe du Fréjus	2934	9,626	Pointe des Marcelettes	2909	9,545
Pic du Malrif	2906	9,535	Monte Orsiera	2890	9,479
Punta Cournour	2868	9,410	Monte Friolànd	2738	8,981

Passes

Colle d'Agnello/Col Agnel, 2,744 m

The chief passes of the Cottian Alps are:

name	location	type (as of 1911)	elevation (m/ft)
Col Sommeiller	Bardonecchia to Bramans	snow	2962/9718
Col de la Traversette	Crissolo to Abriès	bridle path	2950/9679
Col d'Ambin	Exilles to Bramans	snow	2854/9364
Col de St Veran	Valle Varaita to the Queyras Valley	foot path	2844/9331
Col du Parpaillon	Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley	foot path	2780/9121
Col d'Étache	Bardonecchia to Bramans	bridle path	2787/9144
Col Agnel	Valle Varaita to the Queyras Valley	road	2744/9003
Col Girardin	Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley	bridle path	2699/8855
Col de Sautron	Valle Maira to Barcelonnette	bridle path	2689/8823
Col de Longet	Ubaye Valley to Valle Varaita	bridle path	2672/8767
Col de Mary	Ubaye Valley to Valle Maira	bridle path	2654/8708
Col d'Abriès	Perosa to Abriès	bridle path	2650/8695
Col de la Roue	Bardonecchia to Modane	bridle path	2566/8419
Col du Fréjus	Bardonecchia to Modane	dirt road	2542/8340
Col de Clapier	Bramans to Susa	bridle path	2491/8173
Col d'Izoard	Briançon to the Queyras Valley	road	2388/7835
Col de la Croix or Colle della Croce	Torre Pellice to Abriès	bridle path	2299/7541
Petit Mont Cenis	Bramans to the Mont Cenis Plateau	bridle path	2184/7166
Col de Vars	Ubaye Valley to the Queyras Valley	road	2115/6939
Mont Cenis	Lanslebourg to Susa	road	2101/6893
Colle Sestriere	Pinerolo to Cesana Torinese	road	2021/6631
Col de Larche/Maddalena Pass	Ubaye Valley to the Stura Valley	road	1991/6532
Col de Montgenèvre	Briançon to Susa	road	1854/6083
Col de l'Échelle	Briançon to Bardonecchia	road	1760/5774
Col de la Vallée Étroite	Briançon to Modane	foot path	2445/8022

See also

• Alpes Cottiae (the original Roman province)
• Cottius
• Donnus
• Ambin group

Maps

• Italian official cartography (Istituto Geografico Militare - IGM); on-line version: www.pcn.minambiente.it
• French official cartography (Institut Géographique National - IGN); on-line version: www.geoportail.fr

References

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.

1. Bibliotheca classica or A classical dictionary, John Lemprière, G. and C. Carvill, 1831; pag. 414
2. Escartons, hommes libres, www.escartons.eu (accessed on 2012-04-05)
3. Joseph Visconti (2003). The Waldensian Way to God. Xulon Press.
4. "Traité de Turin, Signé à Turin le 24 mars 1860 entre la France et la Sardaigne.". mjp.univ-perp.fr. Retrieved 2010-01-01.
5. Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, pp. 874–876