The
scale of course is much too large. You need at least a map 1 : 100,000 (findable
in the web). The distance between Mt Blanc summit and Mt Blanc de Courmayeur is
about 600 m.
It
does not help if I upload one to illustrate - since Italian maps show the border
different. It is an unresolved issue since 1861 when the new French/Italian
border was drawn after the dissolution of the Kingdom of Sardinia and its
satellites; essentially the roots of the dispute are in the Treaty of Utrecht
1713, where it is not quite clear whether the borders between two countries in
principle should run: at the divide or at a line visible from the valley. While
the Italians opt for the divide, the French interpret the treaty to their
advantage and claim the summit of Mt Blanc for themselves, arguing that you can
only see Mt Blanc de Courmayeur from the valley at
Courmayeur.
I feel
we should blow the issue up to really an international conflict, so
that we can enjoy another war...
Another feature is that the area "behind" the summit, if French
territory, is not clearly assigned to a community. St. Gervais and Chamonix are
debating to whom it should belong.
Wolfgang
For what it´s worth I consulted a French road
atlas (1:1,250,000) by L'Institut Géographique National which does show Mont
Blanc (4807m) smack on the border with Italy and Mont Blanc de Courmayeur
(4748m) just a smidgen to its south-west inside Italy, but on that scale it´s
impossible to judge the distance between them. Of more relevance to us is the
three-pointer, which appears to be Mont Dolent (an unpretentious 3823m).
Roger.