The gorges of the Gaggiolo Torrent cut the upper part of the Meride Limestone called Kalkschieferzone, composed of finely stratified limestones and marl. Here, in numerous excavation campaigns starting in 1936, the World Heritage site's most recent vertebrate fossils were discovered. The panoramic terrace of Val Mara offers a glimpse of marine deposits and fossils dating back to the Middle Triassic, 239 million years ago. The contents, offered in Italian, German and English, include educational panels, binoculars, casts and models of fossils, stone walls and reconstructions of the Middle Triassic environment, when Val Mara was a subtropical marine basin.

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Antonino Pigafetta

February 25, 2024

Hiking

The panoramic terrace of Val Mara is immersed in the woods, just above the Gaggiolo stream, in one of the most evocative panoramic points of Monte San Giorgio.

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Elevation 580 m

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Monday 4 May

11°C

9°C

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