Ligurian Alps

P5

Ligurian Alps

The Ligurian Alps are a high mountain range up to 2,600 m in the north-western Italy between the Riviera and Turin. They belong to the Western Alps and set at the French border, the Maritime Alps to the east continues. According to the classical French-Italian division ( Partizione delle Alpi ), sometimes (German and Italian Alps, Ligurian Sea Ligurian Alps Alpi / Alpes ligure, ) as a subgroup of the Maritime Alps, the Ligurian Alps counted.

They form the end of the Alpine arc that curves on the Italian Riviera to the east towards Liguria and merges into the Ligurian Apennines by a depression west of Genoa.

  • 4.1 Refuges
  • 4.2 Fern-/Weitwanderwege

Location and landscape

The largest share of the Ligurian Alps, Italy has with the regions of Piedmont and Liguria. In the French department of Alpes- Maritimes, accounting for 9 % of the mountain area.

The highest elevation is 2651 m Punta Marguareis between Piedmont and the Alpes-Maritimes department.

The running along the Gulf of Genoa Ligurian Alps also form the climatic divide between the Po Valley and the Italian Riviera. Dominant landforms are vertical rock walls and large karst plateaus. The Ligurian Alps are a paradise for botanists. Due to the proximity to the sea occur both Mediterranean and alpine species here.

The main rivers run north towards Po Valley - as the main flow of the Tanaro and its approximately parallel tributaries Pesio and Sant'Ellero.

The south - directly to the sea - draining rivers are naturally shorter. The larger of them are Argentina and Arroscia. Significantly longer only the Roya on the edge of the Alps.

Boundary and structure

The Ligurian Alps are (1871 m) to the west of the Col de Tende from the Maritime Alps and extend along the main ridge of the Alps ( main watershed Po - Ligurian Sea ) to the Colle di Cadibona ( 459 m ) in the east, the transition to the Ligurian Apennines represents - this limit is a geological fault zone, which breaks the closely related alpine and Apennine rocks in the course.

Is divided the group in general in:

  • Called Marguareis - Mongioie chain with the Punta Marguareis as the main peak of the whole group, and the Monte Mongioie, also called " Little Dolomites "
  • Saccarello group at the coast in the south with the Monte Saccarello as the main summit
  • Ligurian Alps, the eastern part, with the groups of Settepani Monte, Monte Carmo di Loano, Galero Monte and Monte Armetta.

Early forms of settlement

Due to the previous constant threat from the sea, one very frequently meets strategically located settlements on ridges, passes or peaks that are called in France " perché Village " in Italy " Nid d' Aigle ". These settlements are now most at risk from " spopolamento " ( Entsiedlung and economic collapse ) and thus forms the Ligurian hinterland, which is characterized alpine culture, a stark contrast to the Ligurian coast. In addition to the Occitan minority in Pesio, Sant'Ellero, Corsaglia and Tanaro valley a little-known minority of the Alps has still preserved: the Brigasker. Your places are around Monte Saccarello around an area where large pastures are available, because the economic structure of Brigasker based on the transhumant livestock. The winter pastures were in the Rhône delta and on the Riviera, the summer pastures in the Cozie, sea and the Ligurian Alps. In 1979, the last Brigasker shepherd his work cease.

Conservation

In the Piedmontese part of the Ligurian Alps ( Marguareis region) is designated as a nature reserve since 1978, the Parco Naturale Alta Valle Pesio e Tanaro. In 6770 hectare nature park includes extensive, interesting also for cavers and karst areas is known for its diversity of plants.

Tourism

Refuges

In the Ligurian Alps there are the following shelters:

  • Rifugio Allavena (CAI, refreshments)
  • Rifugio Don Barbera ( managed)
  • Rifugio Garelli (CAI, refreshments)
  • Rifugio Havis de Giorgio (CAI, refreshments)
  • Rifugio Mongioie (CAI, refreshments)
  • Rifugio San Remo ( CAI)

The huts are generally open from mid-June to mid-September of each year.

Fern-/Weitwanderwege

The Red Trail Via Alpina runs with 9 stages through the Ligurian Alps as follows:

  • Section R149 of Limonetto to Rifugio Garelli. The first part of this stage still runs through the Maritime Alps, to the Col de Tende the Ligurian Alps are entered.
  • Stage R150 from Rifugio Garelli to Rifugio Mongioie
  • Stage R151 from Rifugio Mongioie to Ormea in Tanaro
  • Section R152 of Ormea after Garessio
  • Section R153 of Garessio after Caprauna
  • Section R154 of Caprauna to Colle di Nava
  • Section R155 of the Colle di Nava to San Bernardo di Mendatica
  • Section R156 of San Bernardo di Mendatica by Colla Melosa
  • Section R157 of Colla Melosa to Saorge / France.

The Alta Via dei Monti Ligurian, the group in west-east direction crosses, corresponds Route between Garessio and Colla Melosa part of the Via Alpina

SOIUSA Apennine Mountains Argentina (river) Roya (river) Main chain of the Alps Monte Galero Cottian Alps Club Alpino Italiano
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