Dare to drive the road to Mont Saccarel

# Monte Saccarello: A Wild Alpine Adventure

Perched at 2,178 meters (7,145 feet) on the France-Italy border, Monte Saccarello sits right where the Ligurian Alps get serious. This peak marks the boundary between Italy's Imperia and Cuneo provinces and France's Alpes-Maritimes department—a geographic crossroads that's been contested and redefined more than once. Before 1947, it was all Italy; the Paris Peace Treaties changed that, splitting it between nations. Fun fact: it's the highest point in Liguria, so bragging rights are definitely on the menu up here.

The drive itself? Buckle up. Starting from Monesi in the Province of Imperia, you're looking at a gnarly 9-kilometer (5.6-mile) climb with nearly 800 meters of elevation gain. That works out to an average gradient of about 5.8%—steep and relentless. Most of the road is unpaved and narrow as they come, which is why you'll need either a 4x4 or a capable motorcycle to make it. Winter is a no-go zone; snow and rockfall make the route completely impassable.

Once you summit, you'll find a bronze Jesus Christ statue dating back to 1901—part of a regional tradition of erecting statues on Italy's highest peaks. Stick around and you'll spot remnants of old artillery batteries too, ghostly relics from the 1900s. The views? Absolutely worth every rough kilometer.