The Monte Mongioie is a mountain of the Ligurian Alps located in Piedmont (NW Italy).

Monte Mongioie
View of the mountain from Pian Ballaur (West)
Highest point
Elevation2,631 m (8,632 ft)[1]
Prominence476 m (1,562 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Isolation8.05 km (5.00 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
ListingAlpine mountains 2500-2999 m
Coordinates44°10′27″N 7°47′07″E / 44.1741286°N 7.7852760°E / 44.1741286; 7.7852760
Geography
Monte Mongioie is located in Alps
Monte Mongioie
Monte Mongioie
Location in the Alps
LocationPiemonte, Italy
Parent rangeLigurian Alps
Geology
Rock type(s)limestone, dolomite and schists.[2]
Climbing
Easiest routewaymarked hiking route

Toponymy

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The mountain was once known also as Cima Rascaira, and appears with this name in the official map of the Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861) printed in 1852.[3] It is also referenced as Raschera, which is the name of a lake, of alpine pasture at the foot of the mountain and of the typical cheese of the area.[4] Due to its isolation the summit offers a very good view on a wide stretch of the Western Alps.[3]

Geography

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View of the mountain from the Pizzo d'Ormea (East)

The mountain is the tripoint where the valleys of Tanaro (south), Ellero (NW) and Corsaglia (NE) meet.[5] Westwards the north water divide of Tanaro Valley continues heading to the Cima delle Saline, while eastwards it connects Monte Mongioie with Monte Rotondo and Pizzo d'Ormea through a pass named Bocchino dell’Aseo (2,295 m). The Corsaglia/Ellero ridge branching out from Monte Mongioie heads North towards the Po Plain.

SOIUSA classification

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According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way:[6]

  • main part = Western Alps
  • major sector = South Western Alps
  • section = Ligurian Alps
  • subsection = It:Alpi del Marguareis/Fr:Alpes Liguriennes Occidentales
  • supergroup = It:Catena Marguareis-Mongioie/Fr:Chaîne Marguareis-Mongioie
  • group =It:Gruppo Mongioie-Mondolè
  • subgroup = It:nodo del Mongioie
  • code = I/A-1.II-B.4.a

Geology

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Monte Mongioie summit and western slopes are made of tabular, marmoreal limestone, dating back to Jurassic; on its eastern part also emerge Triassic layers of dolomitic limestone, located in a belt oriented from North to South passing through the Bocchino dell'Aseo. On the sub-vertical cliffs near the summit and on the SW ridge of MOnte Mongioie can be noticed blackish schistose limestones, fine-grained grey dolomite and red and yellow schists.[2]

Access to the summit

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Monte Mongioie as seen from Tanaro valley, on the left the ‘’Canale delle Scaglie’’

Summer

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The normal route to the Mongioie requires some hiking experience but not alpinistic skills.[3] The summit can be accessed by a waymarked itinerary from Viozene (in the comune of Ormea) passing through a mountain hut named Rifugio Mongioie (1.555 m), and then following by a large footpath up to Pian dell'Olio. From there a gully called Canale delle Scaglie leads to the Bocchino dell'Aseo, a mountain pass on the Tanaro-Corsaglia water divide. The last part of the ascent runs up the western ridge of the mountain.[3]

Winter

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The mountain is also accessible in winter by ski mountaineers from Viozene[7] or Artesina.[8]

Mountain huts

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  • Rifugio Mongioie (Tanaro valley),
  • Rifugio Havis De Giorgio (Ellero valley),
  • Cavallero bivuac (Corsaglia valley).

Maps

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  • Cartografia ufficiale italiana in scala 1:25.000 e 1:100.000 (Map). Istituto Geografico Militare.
  • Carta in scala 1:50.000 n. 8 Alpi Marittime e Liguri (Map). Torino: Istituto Geografico Centrale.
  • Carta dei sentieri e stradale scala 1:25.000 n. 22 Mondovì Val Ellero Val Maudagna Val Corsaglia Val Casotto (Map). Ciriè: Fraternali editore.

References

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  1. ^ 1:25.000 map nr.16 "Val Vermenagna Valle Pesio Alta val Ellero Parco naturale del Marguareis" (Map). Ciriè: Fraternali.
  2. ^ a b "Carta Geologica d'Italia scala 1:100.000 - foglio 91 - Boves". Apat.gov.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2012-03-14.
  3. ^ a b c d "Provincia di Cuneo - monte Mongioie" (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2007-02-23. Retrieved 2008-11-04.
  4. ^ Donnelly, Catherine (2016). "Raschera". The Oxford Companion to Cheese. Oxford University Press. p. 606. ISBN 9780199330898. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  5. ^ Carta in scala 1:50.000 n. 8 Alpi Marittime e Liguri (Map). Torino: Istituto Geografico Centrale.
  6. ^ Marazzi, Sergio (2005). Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA (in Italian). Priuli & Verlucca. pp. 62–63. ISBN 978-88-8068-273-8.
  7. ^ "Mongioie (Monte) da Viozene" (in Italian). Gulliver.it. 2010-04-28. Retrieved 2020-01-01.
  8. ^ "Mongioie (Monte) da Artesina" (in Italian). Gulliver.it. 2011-04-13. Retrieved 2020-01-01.

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