VENTIMIGLIA
“Ventimiglia has historically been a city of arrival and transit for migrants who, from countries in Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, travel along the main migration routes of the Central Mediterranean and the Balkans with the aim of reaching countries in Northern and Central Europe. The unilateral suspension of EU agreements on free movement by the French government led to the creation of a “bottleneck” in the city of Ventimiglia: since 2015, thousands of people on the move have been stranded on the Italian border territory, unable to continue their journey toward other European destinations. The forced stay of people in transit in Ventimiglia can last for varying periods: a few days for those who manage to cross the border, months or years for those who change their plans, either because they are turned back or become discouraged. In most cases, the latter end up applying for asylum.
In recent years, alongside a significant outflow of foreign nationals leaving Italy, there has also been a notable phenomenon of returns from other European countries by asylum seekers and families with minors, following the failure of their initial migration plans. Today, the situation in Ventimiglia is marked by an insufficient availability of essential services for homeless people, who are forced to live in precarious hygienic and sanitary conditions. The local context is characterized by a lack of toilets, showers, and overnight facilities for adult men, who make up the vast majority of the foreign population in the area (around 92%).
As a result, this state of neglect increases the risks associated with exploitation, trafficking, human smuggling, and petty crime.
Access to the international protection system for those who decide to apply for asylum in the area is guaranteed, but the time required to formalize applications remains long, forcing applicants to stay in Ventimiglia in precarious conditions for several weeks (with an average waiting time of about 120 days for formalization). This also prolongs the wait for access to reception facilities: placement in accommodation (often overcrowded) is arranged only after the formal submission of the asylum application and not at the time the intention is expressed, as required by law under Legislative Decree No. 142/2015, Article 1, paragraph 2, updated as of October 2024.
From 2019 to the present, support interventions for migrants by organizations operating in the area—such as Caritas Intemelia ODV, CSD Diaconia Valdese, and WeWorld—have been coordinated. For settled individuals, a multidisciplinary approach, also supported by the presence of Doctors of the World, aims at social reintegration through legal, employment, housing, and healthcare assistance.
Looking at the number of people arriving by sea in Italy, similar trends can be observed over the past two years: in 2024, 66,617 people arrived on Italian shores, while in 2025 the number was 66,316. This trend is also reflected at the Franco-Italian border: according to public statements by the Prefecture of Nice and the Police aux Frontières (PAF), more than 15,000 people were intercepted at the border crossings between Ventimiglia and Menton in both 2024 and 2025.
One of the most critical points along this route is the “Pass of Death,” a dangerous dirt and rocky path located above the cliff at the border between Grimaldi (Italy) and Menton (France). It is notoriously crossed by thousands of migrants, often with the help of smugglers, to bypass controls. The path runs along a steep drop overlooking the sea. Known also as the “path of death,” it climbs through the woods up to the Giralda rock, running alongside a barbed-wire fence that separates Italy from France. The crossing is made even more dangerous by a fork near the border fence, where a wrong turn can lead to fatal falls.
Over the past 10 years, thousands of migrants from the Balkan route or the Mediterranean, in desperate attempts to cross the border, have traveled this path, leaving behind clothing, shoes, and other personal belongings, also creating significant environmental degradation and hygiene issues, which have been the subject of recent clean-up efforts. The trail is dangerous both because of its harsh terrain (brambles, steep drops) and the militarization of the border, which leads to constant pushbacks by French authorities.“
- A makeshift bed in one of the tunnels inside the Italian-French railway bridge.
- Walking for about 10 minutes along the dead-end track that runs alongside the Ventimiglia-Cuneo railway line, you come across this non-place, a disused drain. Issa is searching for his missing backpack, which contained everything he owned most: his documents.
- The long line for food distribution in September 2023. Over 200 people, all young men, crowded together in the square in front of the Municipal Cemetery. The woman on the left, a volunteer from Nice, is trying to organize a difficult situation.
- These Eritrean boys spent about four nights sleeping on these beds. They didn’t speak Italian, French, or English, not even Arabic, only Tigrinya. Arriving in Ventimiglia with itching from scabies, after a medical checkup and a shower in the clinic, their condition improved and they were able to leave.
- A tragically colorful carpet of clothes at the beginning of the “Pass of Death” near Grimaldi. A mountain path that allows clandestine crossings of the French border; travelers often discard their belongings just before entering France, so they can walk more lightly and be less visible to the Gendarmerie.
- A sunny awakening in the camp beneath the highway overpass, in the Gianchette neighborhood, on the banks of the Roja River. The boy pictured crossed the border a few hours later. The area has been evacuated several times in recent years and, in November 2020, was completely flooded by Storm Alex, as was much of the city center.
Leave a Reply