![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-06-td.gif)
Last modified: 2017-12-02 by ivan sache
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Flag of Tende - Image by Ivan Sache, 27 April 2002
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The municipality of Tende (in Italian, Tenda; 2,025 inhabitants in 2006; 17,747 ha; 816 m asl) is the main village of the upper valley of the river Roya, which remained Italian until 1947. The area around Tende, in the Mercantour/Argentera mountains, was the prefered hunting place of the Italian kings, and were therefore not incorporated to France in 1860 with Savoy and the rest of the County of Nice. On 10 February 1947, the Treaty of Paris between France and Italy incorporated the upper valley of Roya to France. Since then, the border between the two countries matches the geographical border made of the watershed.
The last French village before the border, Tende watches the acccess to Cuneo, in Piedmont, via the Pass (1,871 m) of Tende (1,871 m), now replaced with a road and railway tunnel. Bombed during the Second World War, the railway line Nice-Cuneo-Torino was reopened only in the 1980s.
Tende is one of the starting points for treks into the
extraordinary Vallée des Merveilles, world-renowed for
its wild landscapes and its prehistorical rock engravings, whose
symbolics is still a matter of speculation among specialists. Due to
an increase in vandalism and looting - some "tourists" used to ink-colour
the engravings to have more contrast on their pictures, and
there was even an attempt to "steal" a huge engraved rock with an
helicopter - the most important rocks have been moved to a museum in
Tende and replaced in situ by replicas.
Ivan Sache, 27 April 2002
As shown in a TV report (magazine Par là, TMC network), the flag of Tende is a vertical, forked flag, horizontally divided yellow-red. The colours of the flag are taken from the muncipal arms.
The Town Hall of Tende displays on its main balcony a row of five
vertical gonfanons representing the history of Tende. The display was
explained in the aforementioned program by the Mayor of Tende as
follows:
- from c. 1100 to 1480, Tende belonged to the Counts of
Ventimiglia (now in
Liguria, Italy, and the most direct
access to the Roya valley), represented by a flag made of nine
alternating vertical yellow and red stripes.
- from 1480 to 1580, Tende belonged to "France, represented by
the lis of France", according to the Mayor. In fact, the flag has
only one yellow fleur-de-lis surmounted by a red label, so it is
the ancient flag of Provence.
Provence was incorporated to France in 1486. However, the Guide
Gallimard Alpes-Maritimes says that Tende belonged to the
Vintimiglia-Lascaris family until 1575.
- from 1580 to 1791, Tende belonged to
Savoy, represented by its traditional
flag, red with the white cross.
- from 1791 to 1815, Tende was occupied by
France, represented by the Tricolore flag.
- in 1870, Italy united, therefore
the Italian flag, apparently with the royal arms in the middle.
- in 1947, as said above, Tende became French again.
The Mayor did not say what happened to Tende between 1815 and
1870. The County of Nice was then given back to the King of
Sardinia, and retroceded to France,
except the area surrounding Tende, in 1860.
Ivan Sache, 27 April 2002
