The Signalkuppe (in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, pronounced seeg-nall-koo-pay) also known as Punta Gnifetti (in Italian) (4,554 m) is a peak in the

Pennine Alps The Pennine Alps (german: Walliser Alpen, french: Alpes valaisannes, it, Alpi Pennine, la, Alpes Poeninae), also known as the Valais Alps, are a mountain range in the western part of the Alps. They are located in Switzerland (Valais) and Italy ...

on the border between

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and Switzerland. It is a subpeak of

Monte Rosa : , other_name = Monte Rosa massif , translation = Mount Rose , photo = Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa) and Monte Rosa Glacier as seen from Gornergrat, Wallis, Switzerland, 2012 August.jpg , photo_caption = Central Mon ...

. The mountain is named after 'the Signal', a prominent

gendarme Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to "men-at-arms" (literally, " ...

atop the east ridge, named ''Cresta Signal''. The first ascent was made by Giovanni Gnifetti, a parish priest from

Alagna Valsesia Alagna Valsesia ( Walser German: ''Im Land'', Piedmontese: ''Alagna'', Valsesiano: ''Lagna'') is a ''comune'' and small village high in the Valsesia alpine valley in the province of Vercelli, Piedmont, northern Italy, a UNESCO World heritage si ...

, together with J. Farinetti, C. Ferraris, C. Grober, J. and G. Giordiano and their porters on 9 August 1842. The highest hut in Europe, the

Margherita Hut The Margherita Hut ( Italian: ''Capanna Regina Margherita'') is a mountain hut belonging to the Italian Alpine Club, located on the summit of Punta Gnifetti (ital., in German Signalkuppe) of Monte Rosa, a mountain massif of the Alps lying near th ...

(named after Italy's Queen consort

Margherita of Savoy Margherita of Savoy (''Margherita Maria Teresa Giovanna''; 20 November 1851 – 4 January 1926) was Queen of Italy by marriage to Umberto I. Life Early life Margherita was born to Prince Ferdinand of Savoy, Duke of Genoa and Princess Elisabe ...

) lies on the summit of the mountain. Work started in 1890, supported by the Italian crown, and Queen Margherita opened it in 1893. The new hut, effectively a high-altitude

Faraday cage A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure used to block electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or in the case of a Faraday cage, by a mesh of such materials. Faraday cages ...

, is clad in sheet copper to shield against unwanted electrical fields.

References

* Dumler, Helmut and Willi P. Burkhardt, ''The High Mountains of the Alps'', London: Diadem, 1994 * Collomb, Robin G., (ed.), ''Pennine Alps Central'', London: Alpine Club, 1975

External links

The Signalkuppe on SummitPost

Photographic account of an ascent of the Signal ridge (in Italian)

Margherita hut page (Capanna Margherita, in Italian)

Margherita hut official page from Rifugimonterosa.it (in english)

Other photos of Margherita hut ascent from Alagna (in Italian)
Mountains of the Alps Alpine four-thousanders Mountains of Piedmont Mountains of Valais Pennine Alps Italy–Switzerland border International mountains of Europe Monte Rosa Mountains of Switzerland Four-thousanders of Switzerland {{Vercelli-geo-stub

See also

References

External links