Tende

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View of Tende

Tende is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes département in southeastern France. Its population is approximately 2,000.

1 Geography
2 History
3 Culture
4 Economy
5 Transportation
6 See also
- 6.1 Internal links
- 6.2 External links

[edit] Geography

Tende is located within Mercantour National Park in the French Alps. The mountainous commune is bordered by Italy to the north, with the boundary determined by the watershed line between the two countries. This line of mountain tops contains more than 20 summits exceeding 2,000 meters (6,562 feet).

A large rectangle of land running east/west, Tende is split from north to south by the Roya river valley. The tributary Réfréi river joins the Roya within the limits of Tende.

The Col de Tende (Tende Pass), a strategic pass through the Alps to Piedmont, has been modernized to be a road and railway tunnel.

[edit] History

It is unclear when the village of Tende became an organized settlement; prehistoric rock engravings have been found in the area, which are now on display in the Musée des Merveilles or in situ.

Today, Tende is a medieval village of tumultuous history, having belonged successively to the Count of Vintimille in the tenth century, then the Counts of Provence, the Counts of Lascaris, the Dukes of Savoy, the French Republic, the Napoleonic Empire, the Piedmont-Sardinian Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Italy, before becoming the last commune to join the French Republic in 1947.

Tende is located on what was once an important route of the salt trade between Italy and France.

[edit] Culture

Tende's residents speak Tendasque, a variety of Piedmontese language.

The second Sunday of each July, a festival is held in honor of Saint Eloi, patron saint of the village.

Sugelli, a distinctive pasta with a thumb print indentation is a local specialty.

[edit] Economy

Three hydroelectric power stations
Breeding of cows and sheep
Cheeses, honey and jams
Old crystal mine

[edit] Transportation

Tende has a train station, with connecting service from Nice in the southwest to Torino to the north. A special tourist train, the Train des Merveilles, makes a single daily run from Nice to Tende, and offers a guided viewing of sights along the way.