Sighignola is a mountain of the

Lugano Prealps The Lugano Prealps (''Prealpi Luganesi'' or ''Prealpi Lombarde Occidentali'' in Italian) are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Canton Ticino (southern Switzerland) and in Lombardy (northern Italy). Geograph ...

, located on the border between the

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

region of Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

and the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

canton of Ticino Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...

. A panoramic terrace just below the summit, and directly on the Italian side of the border, provides extensive views especially to the west, over

Lake Lugano __NOTOC__ Lake Lugano ( it, Lago di Lugano or , from la, Ceresius lacus; lmo, Lagh de Lugan) is a glacial lake which is situated on the border between southern Switzerland and northern Italy. The lake, named after the city of Lugano, is situat ...

and the city of Lugano, to the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

. For this reason, the site is often known as the Balcone d'Italia. The eastern, Italian, slopes are relatively gentle, and the viewing terrace can be reached by road from

Lanzo d’Intelvi Alta Valle Intelvi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy. It was created on 1 January 2017 after the merger of the former ''comuni'' of Lanzo d'Intelvi, Pellio Intelvi and Ramponio Verna. Main sigh ...

, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of the Italian ''

comune The (; plural: ) is a local administrative division of Italy, roughly equivalent to a township or municipality. It is the third-level administrative division of Italy, after regions ('' regioni'') and provinces ('' province''). The can ...

'' of

Alta Valle Intelvi Alta Valle Intelvi is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Como in the Italian region Lombardy. It was created on 1 January 2017 after the merger of the former ''comuni'' of Lanzo d'Intelvi, Pellio Intelvi and Ramponio Verna. Main sig ...

, to the east. The slopes to the west down to Lake Lugano are much steeper, and the upper slopes are within the Swiss municipality of

Arogno Arogno is a municipality in the district of Lugano in the canton of Ticino, located south of Lake Lugano in the southernmost tip of Switzerland. History Arogno has been inhabited since late antiquity, because of its strategic location along the ...

. However, the lakeside below the mountain is occupied by the Italian exclave of

Campione d'Italia Campione d'Italia ( Comasco: , ) is a ''comune'' of the Province of Como in the Lombardy region of Italy and an enclave surrounded by the Swiss canton of Ticino (it is also an exclave). At its closest, the enclave is less than from the rest ...

. In 1969 it was planned to construct a

cable car Cable car most commonly refers to the following cable transportation systems: * Aerial lift, such as aerial tramways and gondola lifts, in which the vehicle is suspended in the air from a cable ** Aerial tramway ** Chairlift ** Gondola lift ** ...

from Sighignola, across the Swiss upper slopes, to Campione d'Italia. Whilst construction was started, the cable car never opened, and in 2009 an agreement was reached between the Italian and Swiss authorities to remove the remains of the cable car structure.

References

External links

*
{{Authority control Mountains of the Alps International mountains of Europe Italy–Switzerland border Mountains of Lombardy Mountains partially in Switzerland Tourist attractions in Lombardy Lugano Prealps