Little St Bernard Pass
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Col du Petit St. Bernard | |
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View of the stone circle crossed diagonally by the road. Remains of World War II fortifications are also visible. |
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Elevation | 1487 meters |
Location | Savoie, France |
Range | Alps |
Coordinates |
The Little St Bernard Pass (French: Col du Petit Saint-Bernard, Italian: Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo) is a mountain pass in the Alps at . Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located in Savoie, France, to the south of the Mont Blanc Massif, and close to the border with Italy. There is also a Great St. Bernard Pass and a San Bernardino Pass.
Although damaged by a road that runs through it, the pass is the site of a stone circle measuring 72 m in diameter. A standing stone once stood in the middle. It has not been precisely dated but from coin finds it has been attributed to the Iron Age, possibly being a ceremonial site of the Tarentaisian culture (c. 725 BC - 450 BC). A Roman temple dedicated to Jupiter was later erected nearby along with a Roman mansio serving travellers along the pass and it is thought that Carthaginian general Hannibal used this route.
The stone circle was partly restored in the 19th century.
[edit] External links
- Climbbybike.com: All information on and profile of the Piccolo San Bernardo