The Alta Via del Sale from Limone Piemonte to Monesi

There are roads that exist only for a few weeks a year. The Alta Via del Sale is one of these: a ribbon of gravel that climbs the crest of the Ligurian Alps, above two thousand metres, where the salt caravans once passed and later the soldiers who fortified the border. For most of the year it lies buried under snow; when it clears, in high summer, it becomes a high-mountain experience on a bicycle that few places in Italy can offer. It is precisely this narrow window that keeps it wild and uncrowded: it is not a place you end up by chance.

The route

The classic route links Limone Piemonte, in the province of Cuneo, to the village of Monesi, in Liguria, following the ancient military road that runs along the watershed between the Italian and French slopes. You climb from the Colle di Tenda, gain the altitude of the high pastures and then that of the scree, filing past the nineteenth-century forts that guarded the border. From up there the gaze ranges from the peaks of the Maritime Alps to, on clear days, the sea of the Riviera: it is one of the very few Alpine crests from which you can see the Mediterranean. You pass near summits and passes that mark the triple meeting of the valleys, in a landscape of rocks, hollows and small lakes where the only presence is that of marmots and chamois.

Difficulty and access

It is not an itinerary for everyone, and it is right to say so. The surface is mountain gravel, in places broken, stony, with exposed hairpins: you need a mountain bike or a robust gravel bike with generous tyres, and a good familiarity with off-road riding at altitude. The elevation gain is considerable and, above all, the constant altitude above two thousand metres makes every effort more tiring and the weather more unpredictable. The commitment is high: not because of extreme technique, but because of the length, the exposure and the high-altitude environment where a change in the weather is faced without shelter. Many choose to tackle it in an assisted version too, or by breaking it up, and several shuttle services carry cyclists up to altitude to enjoy above all the ridge section. It is essential to find out beforehand about the opening conditions and the access rules: transit on the road is regulated, with limited numbers and a toll on the managed stretches, and the opening days depend on the clearing of the snow.

When to go

The season is everything. The road is passable only in the summer window, roughly from July to September, when the snow cover has retreated and the forts are reachable. It is also the period when the high-mountain climate is most clement, though still capable of sudden showers and mists. Precisely because the window is short and access is regulated, there is no overcrowding here as at other famous passes: you pedal in solitude, with the silence broken only by the wind and the whistle of the marmots. September, with its clearer air and the first autumn light, is perhaps the most beautiful and least trafficked moment.

A practical tip, indeed a safety rule: set off early and get yourself home well ahead of time. At altitude the afternoon storms are frequent and on an exposed crest you do not want to be caught out. Dress in layers, packing a windproof and waterproof shell even if there is sun in the morning, because up there the temperature crashes in a few minutes. Carry enough water and food, because the refreshment points are very few and far apart, and always check the forecast and the opening status before going up. Tackled with respect and preparation, the Alta Via del Sale repays you with one of the most memorable and unspoilt rides in the whole Alpine arc.

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