Monte San Giorgio is a wooded, pyramid-shaped mountain on the shores of Lake Lugano, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy. To the eye, it is a pleasant green hill with villages on its slopes. To palaeontologists, it is one of the most important fossil sites in the world. About two hundred and forty million years ago, during the Middle Triassic, this area was a tropical lagoon, and its sediments preserved an extraordinary range of marine reptiles, fish, invertebrates and plants. The mountain was added to the UNESCO list in 2003 on the Swiss side, and in 2010 on the Italian side.
The fossils include ichthyosaurs, marine reptiles that looked like dolphins, and the bizarre Tanystropheus, a reptile with a neck longer than its body. Excavations have been going on since the nineteenth century, and the finds are displayed in museums at Meride on the Swiss side and at Besano on the Italian side. The museum in Meride, designed by the architect Mario Botta, is excellent.
Porto Ceresio, on the Italian side, is a small lake town with a waterfront promenade and views of the mountain across the water. The villages on the slopes, like Besano and Saltrio, are quiet and pleasant; Saltrio is known for its stone quarries.
The riding around Monte San Giorgio is very pleasant. The roads along Lake Lugano are scenic, with bends and views, but can be busy. The roads that climb over the hills between Porto Ceresio, Viggiù and the Valganna are twisty and quieter. On the Swiss side, the road from Mendrisio up through Meride and around the mountain is narrow and scenic. Crossing the border is usually easy, but remember that Switzerland requires a motorway vignette and that Swiss speed limits are strictly enforced, with heavy fines.
Porto Ceresio has fuel and restaurants, and Mendrisio, about six kilometres away, is the nearest Swiss town. Local food includes lake fish, risotto and polenta, and the wines of the Mendrisiotto, especially Merlot. Spring and autumn are the best seasons for riding.