Monte Cairo (1,669 m) is a mountain in

Lazio it, Laziale , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

(in the province of

Frosinone Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the ...

), overshadowing both the Abbey and the town of

Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ho ...

, 5 kilometres to the south.

Features

The ancient 'Mons Clarius' was so called because originally a temple dedicated to

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...

(Clarius) stood where the

Abbey of Monte Cassino Monte Cassino (today usually spelled Montecassino) is a rocky hill about southeast of Rome, in the Latin Valley, Italy, west of Cassino and at an elevation of . Site of the Roman town of Casinum, it is widely known for its abbey, the first ...

now stands. The Monte Cairo is the main peak of an isolated mountain range that extends eastwards for about 16–18 km from the Alta Valle del Melfa, the road from Rome to Naples. The geological structure is of limestone dating from the

Cretaceous The Cretaceous ( ) is a geological period that lasted from about 145 to 66 million years ago (Mya). It is the third and final period of the Mesozoic Era, as well as the longest. At around 79 million years, it is the longest geological period of ...

period and the formation often experiences violent earthquakes and subsidence. The tops of the mountains are barren, in contrast to the partially wooded sides. At an altitude of 1300 m and west of Monte Cairo lies the Monte Pozzacone Refuge, a property owned by the town of

Colle San Magno Colle San Magno (locally ) is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome and about southeast of Frosinone. Its name refers to St. Magnus of Anagni. The town was founded ...

and a suitable base for climbing to the top of Monte Cairo. Other peaks of the group include the Monte Obachelle (1476 metres) where there is a significant

Karst Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, Dolomite (rock), dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathe ...

ic sinkhole, the Pizzo di Prato Caselle (1372 metres), and the Cimmaron Villaneto (1315 m).

Ascension

The top of the mountain is a 4-hour hike along a path through beech groves and across a plateau of snow. The vista from the top includes Appennino Marsicano (

Monti Marsicani The Monti Marsicani (or 'Marsicano',) are the sixth-highest group of Apennines located in the Abruzzo region, mostly in the Province of L’Aquila and partly in the Province of Frosinone and Province of Isernia. The highest peak is Monte Greco (2 ...

), the

Mainarde The Monti delle Mainarde, also known just as Le Mainarde, is a range of calcareous mountains on the border between the regions of Lazio and Molise in southern central Italy. It is the southern extension of the Monti della Meta. The highest pea ...

, the

Monti della Meta The Monti della Meta are a massif of central Italy located around the junction point of the boundaries between the regions of Lazio, Abruzzo and Molise. The major of three massifs of the Parco Nazionale d'Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise, they take thei ...

, the

Matese The Matese ( Italian: Monti del Matese or Massiccio del Matese) is a chain of mountains in southern Apennines, southern Italy. Geography The Matese mountains straddle two regions (Molise and Campania) and four provinces (Campobasso, Isernia, B ...

, the sea up to

Gaeta Gaeta (; lat, Cāiēta; Southern Laziale: ''Gaieta'') is a city in the province of Latina, in Lazio, Southern Italy. Set on a promontory stretching towards the Gulf of Gaeta, it is from Rome and from Naples. The town has played a consp ...

, the

Pontine Islands The Pontine Islands (, also ; it, Isole Ponziane ) are an archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the coast of Lazio region, Italy. The islands were collectively named after the largest island in the group, Ponza. The other islands in the arch ...

Mount Vesuvius Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...

and the

Abbey of Montecassino An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conce ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cairo Hills of Italy Mountains of Italy