The closest I've been to Monte San Giorgio was in Lugano, a beautiful place by the way.
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| Monte San Giorgio and surrounding mountains |
The Monte San Giorgio is the Swiss saurian mountain; it has gained in prominence as a transnational locality since 2010 when the UNESCO extension also took in the Italian side of the mountain.
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| Monte San Giorgio |
This mountain has a truly rich inner life: rising just under 1100 metres in height, the Monte San Giorgio in the sunny south of Ticino has been a Mecca for fossil scientists since the 19th century, and a Unesco World Heritage site since 2003. Thousands of fossilised fish and marine saurians of up to six metres in length have already been unearthed here by eager palaeontologists. And for good reason: 230 to 245 million years ago, this was the site of a 100-metre-deep ocean basin. Today, at the southern end of Lake Lugano, the Monte San Giorgio rises like a pyramid – inside, filled with all manner of fossils. One can stroll through the vineyards along the southern slopes of the woody mountain, saunter through the idyllic town of Meride, or allow oneself to be pampered in the grottos of the Mendrisiotto region.
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| Monte San Giorgio |
Around 80 different species of fish and 30 marine and land reptiles have been discovered at the numerous excavation sites. What’s more, the scientists have also found hundreds of fossilised invertebrate animals and plants from the middle Triassic period, 230 to 245 million years ago.
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| Monte San Giorgio |
This postcard was sent by Gosia
Remodeled and expanded by the Ticinese architect Mario Botta, the Fossil Museum in Meride exhibits a selection of fossilized animals and plants from the unique UNESCO World Heritage Site of Monte San Giorgio. - in: http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/unesco-world-heritage-monte-san-giorgio.html
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