Against the dramatic backdrop of Colle di Tenda, officials from Piedmont and the Alpes-Maritimes cut the ribbon on the RivierALP Trail on 20 June. The EU-funded ALCOTRA project connects Ligurian beaches to Alpine forts via a 500-km network of cycle paths and trekking routes, promoting low-carbon travel and cross-border tourism. The launch festival featured guided hikes through the renovated Fort Central and a skills park for e-bikes. The Alta Via del Sale gravel route, now digitally mapped and sign-posted, offers logistics operators the possibility to run luggage-transfer shuttles for high-spending “slow-tourism” clients—a niche growing at 12 % annually according to ENIT. Local mayors highlighted that the reopening of the historic Tenda rail tunnel in 2027 will dovetail with the trail, allowing seamless bike + train itineraries between Cuneo, Nice and Monaco. The initiative exemplifies how soft-mobility corridors can revitalise communities hit by 2020’s Storm Alex landslides, which severed road links for months. For expatriate staff posted on the Côte d’Azur or in Turin, the new route creates weekend escape options without car rental. Corporate wellness programmes may also leverage the trail for team-building while meeting CSR targets on sustainable travel. Operators must, however, monitor weather advisories; organisers confirmed that afternoon activities would move indoors during heavy alpine storms.
Source: Limone Piemonte Turismo
