Monte Sighignola

Monte Sighignola is an international mountain pass at an elevation of 1.314m (4,311ft) above the sea level, located on the border between the Italian region of Lombardy and the Swiss canton of Ticino.

Monte Sighignola
Monte Sighignola

The road to the summit is asphalted, but pretty narrow and steep. At the summit there’s a restaurant. There are sheer drops virtually along the entire route and enough hairpins to make a whirling dervish dizzy. A panoramic terrace just below the summit, and directly on the Italian side of the border, provides a spectacular view especially to the west, over Lake Lugano and the city of Lugano, to the Alps. For this reason, the site is often known as the Balcone d'Italia.
There are 2 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Argegno, the ascent is 21.1 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1.082 meters. The average percentage is 5.1 %. And starting from Maroggia, the ascent is 15.9 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1.025 meters. The average percentage is 6.4 %.