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Monte San Giorgio

© Pascal Vosicki/Shutterstock

View of Lago di Lugano and the city of Lugano from Monte San Giorgio summit.

Rising in a pyramid above Lake Lugano, 1097m Monte San Giorgio has become Ticino’s mountain of myth thanks to its rich stash of Triassic marine-life fossils, which have won it Unesco World Heritage status. A four-hour, 12km circular trail takes you up from Meride. An old mule track wends through thick forest to the summit, commanding fine lake views, then you’ll descend on a path with panels detailing the fossils and their excavation sites.

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