Saorge (; ; ; standard ; ; ) is a commune in the

Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...

department in southeastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. It is a member of

Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (, ) is an independent association created in 1982 for the promotion of the tourist appeal of small rural villages with a rich cultural heritage. As of 2024, it numbers 176 member villages (independent Communes of France, ''communes'' or part ...

(The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. Highway E74 which runs north from

Menton Menton (; in classical norm or in Mistralian norm, , ; ; or depending on the orthography) is a Commune in France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera, close to the Italia ...

, passes through Saorge on its way to the Col de Tende () where it crosses into Italy. The region belonged to the old County of Nice. Beginning in 1388 Saorge was part of Sardinia-Piedmont. In June 1793, Sardinia defeated the armies of the

First French Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (), was founded on 21 September 1792 during the French Revolution. The First Republic lasted u ...

in the First Battle of Saorgio. In the Second Battle of Saorgio in April 1794 the French wrested the town from the Piedmontese. The town was returned to Sardinia-Piedmont after the overthrow of

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

and finally ceded to France in 1860. The local spoken regiolect is a form of the Royasc dialect.

From the French Revolution to the First Empire

In 1792 the announcement of the presence of French revolutionary troops at Saint-Laurent-du-Var caused a panic in Nice. The administration of the County of Nice along with several branches of the government fled from Nice to take shelter in Saorge on 18 September. At the same time, the Sardinian troops departed Nice without fighting the French. Militia from Saorge and Fontan were recruited to fight the invading French troops. To access Saorge from the valley of the Vésubie Ruas, one must cross the pass at the Massif de l'Authion and travel down the valley of Cayros (or Cairos). Two representatives on mission asked the General Gaspard Jean-Baptiste Brunet to launch an attack against the Austro-Sardinian troops commanded by General Charles-François Thaon, Count of Saint-André in June and July 1793. The French troops were inexperienced and suffered the loss of 3,200 men. Brunet was later sentenced to death and executed.

Transportation

The Nice to Cuneo rail line of the SNCF passes through Saorge as does the D62044(France)/S520 (Italy) scenic highway from Ventimiglia.

Population

References

External links

* & (

Occitan Occitan may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania territory in parts of France, Italy, Monaco and Spain. * Something of, from, or related to the Occitania administrative region of France. * Occitan language, spoken in parts o ...

Chimes from County of Nice
''tirignoun'' (chime) from Saorge. Communes of Alpes-Maritimes Alpes-Maritimes communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia {{AlpesMaritimes-geo-stub

From the French Revolution to the First Empire

Transportation

Population

See also

References

External links