Monte Viso
Encyclopedia
Monte Viso or Monviso is a mountain in the Cottian Alps
Cottian Alps
The Cottian Alps are a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps. They form the border between France and Italy...

 in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape, and because it is higher than all its neighbouring peaks by about 500 m it can be seen from some distance, from the Piedmontese plateau and the Langhe
Langhe
The Langhe is a hilly area to the south and east of the river Tanaro in the province of Cuneo in Piedmont, northern Italy....

. On a very clear day it can be seen from the spirals of the Milan Cathedral.

On the northern slopes of Monte Viso are the headwaters of the Po
Po River
The Po |Ligurian]]: Bodincus or Bodencus) is a river that flows either or – considering the length of the Maira, a right bank tributary – eastward across northern Italy, from a spring seeping from a stony hillside at Pian del Re, a flat place at the head of the Val Po under the northwest face...

, the so-called Pian del Re (2,020 m). The Monviso group is surrounded by the Valle Po
Valle Po
thumb|250px|The source of the Po River near Crissolo.The Valle Po is a valley in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy, run by the Po River before it enters the Po Valley . It has a length of some 32 km, from Saluzzo to Crissolo, and is home to the Monviso mountain...

, Valle Varaita and, on the French side, the Valle del Guil. The northern sector of the group, from the Punta Gastaldi to the Colle delle Traversette, is located on the French border.

Monte Viso was climbed for the first time on August 30, 1861 by William Mathews
William Mathews
William Mathews was an English mountaineer, land agent and surveyor, who first proposed the formation of the Alpine Club of London in 1857.-Founding of the Alpine Club:...

, Frederick Jacomb, Jean-Baptiste Croz and Michel Croz
Michel Croz
Michel Auguste Croz was a French mountain guide and the first ascentionist of many mountains in the western Alps during the golden age of alpinism...

.

Monte Viso is the location of a neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...

 jadeite
Jadeite
Jadeite is a pyroxene mineral with composition NaAlSi2O6. It is monoclinic. It has a Mohs hardness of about 6.5 to 7.0 depending on the composition. The mineral is dense, with a specific gravity of about 3.4. Jadeite forms solid solutions with other pyroxene endmembers such as augite and diopside ,...

 quarry, at an elevation of 2000 to 2400 metres. Its productivity peaked around 5000 BC. The jadeite was used to make cult axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...

s, which are found all over western Europe.

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