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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The commemorative plates of Saorge are engraved in the rocky walls along the Royal Road, a strategic axis linking Nice and Turin via the Tende Pass. These inscriptions date from the 4th quarter of the 18th century, when the road, initially a mule road called "Road of the Salt", was modernized to become rotable in 1780 under the impulse of King Victor Amédée III. They symbolize the completion of works funded by local communities and the Royal Treasure, marking a key step in transalpine exchanges.

The Route Royale, conceived in the 17th century and completed in 1714, played a major economic role by linking the county of Nice — ceded to the Savoy in 1388 — to the capital of Piedmont. Its route, marked by Baroque monuments (chapels, triumphal arches, dedications to the sovereigns), reflected the will of the Dukes of Savoy to control commercial flows, especially that of salt. One of these plaques, listed as a Historical Monument in 1947, bears witness to this architectural and political ambition, now integrated into the local heritage.

In Saorge, these inscriptions are part of a landscape marked by colossal road developments, such as monumental doors or amphitheatres bordering the road. Their preservation recalls the historical importance of this artery, whose decline was accelerated by the annexation of Nice to France in 1860 and the abolition of the status of free port of Villefranche in 1855. Today, they constitute a tangible vestige of Savoyard engineering and diplomacy.

The site is part of a larger group, the Real Strada, whose candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage was considered in 2006 by Nice associations. These plates, owned by the municipality of Saorge, also illustrate the rock engraving techniques used in modern times, as well as the collaboration between the Alpine communities and the central power to modernise the infrastructure.

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