Monte della Guardia
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| Monte della Guardia | |
|---|---|
 View from Forte Pozzanghi (Colle di Nava) | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 1,658 m (5,440 ft) |
| Prominence | 88[1] |
| Coordinates | 44°07′19″N 7°55′47″E / 44.12189°N 7.92965°E |
| Naming | |
| English translation | Mountain of the guard |
| Language of name | Italian |
| Geography | |
  Monte della Guardia Location in the Alps | |
| Location | Piedmont, Italy |
| Parent range | Ligurian Alps |
| Geology | |
| Rock age | Triassic |
| Mountain type | limestone |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | ancestral |
| Easiest route | hike from Colle di Caprauna |
The Monte della Guardia is a mountain in Piedmont, northern Italy, part of the Alps. At an altitude of 1,658 metres is one of the highest summits of the Ligurian Prealps.
SOIUSA classification
The mountain stands on the main chain of the Alps between Tanaro and Arroscia valleys. It belongs to the province of Cuneo, in Piedmont, and is located on the border between the municipalities of Ormea and Caprauna, not faraway from Liguria.[2]
According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way:[3]
- main part = Western Alps
- major sector = South Western Alps
- section = Ligurian Alps
- subsection = Prealpi Liguri
- supergroup = Catena Settepani-Carmo-Armetta
- group = Gruppo Galero-Armetta
- subgroup = Costiera Galero-Armetta
- code = I/A-1.I-A.3.a
Geology
The area of Monte della Guardia is characterized by triassic limestone.[4] Towards monte Armetta, on the slopes facing the Tanaro valley, stands a large cave known as Grotta dei Dighè[5] or Garb del Dighea. It was surveyed at the end of the 19th century by entomologists that detected an interesting troglofauna with Plectogona sanfilippoi, subsp. Digheae, an arthropod endemic of Tanaro valley.[6][4]
