07. MOUNT SAN SALVATORE

04

MOUNT SAN SALVATORE

Important Landmark for the city of Lugano.

View from Waterfront Lugano.

The San Salvatore, with a summit of 912 m above sea level, is an isolated mountain that dominates and characterizes the Gulf of Lugano.

On the eastern side, the limestone rock, mostly with no vegetation, forms a wall almost vertical on the lake and highlights the prominence of the mountain. The other slopes, less steep and covered by a thick forest vegetation, contribute to determine the natural character of the mountain. The resulting mosaic of landscape, formed by vast forests of broadleaf trees, steep limestone walls and complex rocky environments, defines a landscape particularly varied with a rich biological value [6].

It is characterized by the proximity to the city and a vast panorama which offer tourists a recreational value, accentuated by the historical rack and pinion funicular that characterizes its northern side. The panoramic points on the summit are numerous and well-marked. Among all the most exceptional is the one at 360 degrees on the roof of the church. In the surrounding area there is a renewed panoramic space, which thanks also to the installation of didactic panels with reproductions of satellite maps, acts as a meeting point and a way for communicate with the tourists.

The origin of Monte San Salvatore goes back to the Middle Triassic period, in which the rocks were formed following the transition from a continental environment with strong volcanic activity to a mainly marine environment by sedimentary phenomena.

These reddish sediments, eroded by the Permian volcanites of the continent, accumulated at the margins of the Tethys. The constant rise of sea level created large areas covered by shallow water that favored the colonization of algae and sponges. Then, the accumulation of their calcareous skeletons formed a thick stack of sediments extending from east to west. The massive presence of algae and microfossils confirms that the platform must have been in many respects analogous to those of modern tropical seas. These reddish sediments, eroded by the Permian volcanites of the continent, accumulated at the margins of the Tethys. The constant rise of sea level created large areas covered by shallow water that favored the colonization of algae and sponges. Then, the accumulation of their calcareous skeletons formed a thick stack of sediments extending from east to west. The massive presence of algae and microfossils confirms that the platform must have been in many respects analogous to those of modern tropical seas.

ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv, Ans_05638, http://doi. org/10.3932/ethz-a-000222678