Tende
Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
title: "Tende" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["communes-of-alpes-maritimes", "alpes-maritimes-communes-articles-needing-translation-from-french-wikipedia"] description: "Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France" topic_path: "geography/france" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tende" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Commune in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox French commune"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Tende |
| commune status | Commune |
| image | Tende Landscape.jpg |
| image coat of arms | Blason ville fr Tende (06).svg |
| arrondissement | Nice |
| canton | Contes |
| INSEE | 06163 |
| postal code | 06430 |
| mayor | Jean-Pierre Vassallo |
| term | 2020–2026 |
| intercommunality | CA Riviera Française |
| coordinates | |
| elevation m | 815 |
| elevation min m | 552 |
| elevation max m | 2920 |
| area km2 | 177.47 |
| population | |
| population date | |
| population footnotes | |
| :: |
|name = Tende |commune status = Commune |image = Tende Landscape.jpg |caption = |image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Tende (06).svg |arrondissement = Nice |canton = Contes |INSEE = 06163 |postal code = 06430 |mayor = Jean-Pierre Vassallo |term = 2020–2026 |intercommunality = CA Riviera Française |coordinates = |elevation m = 815 |elevation min m = 552 |elevation max m = 2920 |area km2 = 177.47 |population = |population date = |population footnotes =
Tende (; Italian, Occitan and Royasc: Tenda) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
Geography
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Tende_street.jpg" caption="In the town"] ::
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 m.
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.
Climate
| name = | width = 70% | collapsed = | open = | metric first = yes | single line = yes | trace = | location = Tende(1981-2010), altitude: 636 m | temperature colour = | Jan high C =9.0 | Feb high C =10.7 | Mar high C =13.6 | Apr high C =15.4 | May high C =20.3 | Jun high C =24.2 | Jul high C =27.0 | Aug high C =27.0 | Sep high C =22.2 | Oct high C =17.9 | Nov high C =12.6 | Dec high C =9.2 | year high C = | Jan mean C =4.1 | Feb mean C =5.3 | Mar mean C =7.9 | Apr mean C =10.1 | May mean C =14.5 | Jun mean C =18.0 | Jul mean C =20.3 | Aug mean C =20.3 | Sep mean C =16.3 | Oct mean C =12.5 | Nov mean C =7.8 | Dec mean C =4.8 | year mean C = | Jan low C =-0.7 | Feb low C =-0.2 | Mar low C =2.2 | Apr low C =4.8 | May low C =8.7 | Jun low C =11.7 | Jul low C =13.7 | Aug low C =13.6 | Sep low C =10.3 | Oct low C =7.2 | Nov low C =3.0 | Dec low C =0.4 | year low C =
| precipitation colour = green | Jan precipitation mm =83.3 | Feb precipitation mm =45.5 | Mar precipitation mm =46.0 | Apr precipitation mm =98.5 | May precipitation mm =72.8 | Jun precipitation mm =65.6 | Jul precipitation mm =47.5 | Aug precipitation mm =58.5 | Sep precipitation mm =105.3 | Oct precipitation mm =144.9 | Nov precipitation mm =147.7 | Dec precipitation mm =99.2 | year precipitation mm = | unit precipitation days = 1 mm | Jan precipitation days =5.5 | Feb precipitation days =3.3 | Mar precipitation days =4.5 | Apr precipitation days =9.4 | May precipitation days =9.4 | Jun precipitation days =7 | Jul precipitation days =6.1 | Aug precipitation days =5.9 | Sep precipitation days =6.4 | Oct precipitation days =8.1 | Nov precipitation days =7.6 | Dec precipitation days =5.9 | year precipitation days =
| source = Infoclimat | date = August 2024
History
Known to be a populated place in 690, it is unclear when Tende first 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.
Tende is a medieval village of tumultuous history, having belonged successively to the Count of Ventimiglia in the tenth century, then the Counts of Provence and the Counts of Lascaris of Ventimiglia before being swapped several times between Italy and France. First to the Savoyard state, then the First French Republic (later the Napoleonic Empire), then restored to the Savoyard Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont (which became in 1861 the Kingdom of Italy).
From 1861 to 1947 Tende was part of Italy, and was damaged during the Italian invasion of France in 1940. Tende was the last commune to join the French Republic in 1947, which was endorsed by a controversial local referendum, when Italy was forced to cede (after defeat in World War II) some alpine areas to France.
The hillside village is overlooked by the spire-like remnants of the main turret of the castle of the Lascaris, which was built in the 14th century as protection from the attacking Count of Provence, Charles d'Anjou. The castle was destroyed in 1692 when King Louis XIV ordered his Marshal, Catinat, to destroy all fortified structures in France that might challenge his rule. The only complete structure that remains is a circular tower, transformed into a clock during the 19th century. The tolling of the clock's bells can be heard day and night throughout Tende.
Tende is located on what was once an important route of the salt trade between Italy and France. During their reign of Tende, the Lascaris would demand a toll of those transporting salt and others passing through the region.
Population
|align = none |cols = 2 |percentages = pagr |source = EHESS and INSEE (1968-2017) |1793 |1500 |1800 |1491 |1806 |1654 |1822 |2057 |1838 |2441 |1848 |2659 |1946 |2158 |1954 |2080 |1962 |1954 |1968 |2053 |1975 |1951 |1982 |1954 |1990 |2089 |1999 |1844 |2007 |2018 |2012 |2153 |2017 |2178 |2020 |2143
Culture
While the main language of Tende is French, most of Tende's residents also speak Tendasque (which can also refer to the villagers themselves), a variety of the Ligurian language with Provençal influences. The Tendasque dialect has many similarities with the Mentonasque of the coast. ::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/County_of_nice.svg" caption="A map of the County of Nice (in Italian) showing the area of the [[Savoyard state]] annexed in 1860 to France (light brown) and to Italy (yellow). Tende (Tenda in Italian) was in the yellow section."] ::
Among the village's youth, Tendasque is less prevalent (about 30%), while many of them can speak Italian.
The village recently began celebrating a series of festivals during the summer, each dedicated to an aspect of local culture. One such festival celebrates the Old Tende (the medieval section), and on the second Sunday of each July, a long-standing 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.
At the base of the hillside town is a public swimming pool, built around the turn of the millennium.
A via ferrata along the tops of the village's mountains attracts climbers. The trail head can be accessed from near the base of the town clock.
Economy
- Three hydroelectric power stations
- Breeding of cows and sheep
- Cheeses, honey and jams
- Old crystal mine
Transportation
Tende has a railway station on the Nice/Ventimiglia-Breil-sur-Roya-Cuneo line run by the SNCF, with connecting service from Ventimiglia/Nice in the southwest to Turin to the north. Train services are mostly operated by Trenitalia. The Train des Merveilles, makes a three daily runs from Nice to Tende. Taking the 9.08am train from Nice (arriving at 11.33am) and returning on the 2.44pm train will give you three good hours for exploration. The train journey itself gives magnificent views of old French towns in mountain valleys.
Twin towns — sister cities
Tende is twinned with:
- Italy Narzole, Italy (1992)
References
References
- (13 September 2022). "Répertoire national des élus: les maires". data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises.
- "TENDE_SAPC: Occurences de phénomènes".
- "Normales et records pour la période 1981-2010 à TENDE_SAPC: Valeurs climatologiques".
- Michelangelo Bruno, Cols of the Alps of Provence, Prouvenço Presso, 2001 (Italian edition), p 34
- Tende Office de Tourisme, "Tende, a Short Historical Tour" - pamphlet for self-guided walking tour
- {{Cassini-Ehess. 37212. Tende
- [https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/4515315?geo=COM-06163#ancre-POP_T1 Population en historique depuis 1968], INSEE
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