Is Mont Blanc in France or does it belong to Italy?
Discover the history of the 160-year border dispute over western Europe’s highest mountain and why the summit remains contested
Published
French pupils learn that Mont Blanc is the highest mountain in France. Italian counterparts learn that Monte Bianco is the highest mountain in Italy.
Who is right?
It has been up for debate and has never been settled for more than 160 years.
The dispute flared up most recently in 2020 when French President Emmanuel Macron announced the creation of a protected zone around Mont Blanc, extending into territory claimed by Italy. Giorgia Meloni, then leader of the right-wing party Fratelli d’Italia, said: “Amid general silence, France has shifted its state borders with Italy, bringing the summit of Mont Blanc back into French territory.”
Though largely symbolic, the exchange revealed how this 19th-Century border dispute continues to stir national pride.
Cartographic one-upmanship
The origins trace back to the Treaty of Turin, signed on March 24, 1860, which transferred Savoy and its prized Mont Blanc to France.
The Kingdom of Sardinia, which then controlled Savoy, provided a map showing the border following the watershed line, the one Italians consider to be the only legitimate border.
However, the map was deemed too imprecise and France published its own version five years later.
The new map incorporated the Mont Blanc peak itself: its main summit, Monte Bianco di Courmayeur on the Italian side, the Dôme du Goûter and the Glacier du Géant.
The Dôme du Goûter and the Glacier du Géant sit precisely on the Alpine crest, making them potential border points, while Monte Bianco di Courmayeur lies clearly within Italian territory.
Consequently, Italian schools teach that Monte Bianco is Italy’s highest point, while the French insist that Mont Blanc is unequivocally France’s tallest mountain, including the three contested areas as part of the country.
Both nations have produced maps supporting their claims for more than a century and a half. This cartographic one-upmanship extends to official documents, textbooks, tourism brochures and even weather reports.
‘Disputed territory’
Switzerland, though not directly involved, acknowledges the dispute by classifying the area as a “disputed territory” on some official maps, highlighting how border ambiguities can ripple across neighbouring countries.
In practice, France’s Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute-Montagne and Italy’s Valdostan mountain rescue service both respond regardless of the border dispute.
Amid the political posturing, Alpi senza frontiere, a cross-border cooperation initiative in the Mont Blanc region, promotes shared environmental protection, sustainable tourism and joint governance, treating the massif as a unified natural heritage rather than a divided territory.
Both countries have also been working together on plans to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the Mont Blanc massif. Whether Italian or French, both nations agree it is the highest mountain in western Europe.
