Cromlech of Little St Bernard Pass, Stone circle and archaeological site at Little St Bernard Pass, France and Italy.
The Cromlech of Little St Bernard Pass is a prehistoric stone arrangement composed of 46 upright stones distributed across approximately 70 meters on the mountain pass. The structure spans both sides of the current French-Italian border.
The stone circle originated in the Stone Age and served as an important crossing point between what are now France and Italy. For thousands of years, traders and herders used this pass and relied on the stones as a meeting point.
The stone circle served as a landmark that helped ancient travelers find their way through the mountain pass. Local communities likely gathered here to mark important seasonal events and observe the movement of the sun throughout the year.
The site sits at roughly 2,200 meters elevation and can be reached via marked trails from both the French and Italian sides, usually accessible from June through October. Visitors should prepare for variable mountain weather and wear sturdy footwear for the uneven terrain.
The stones form a rare megalithic structure at extreme altitude, where such constructions are uncommonly found in Europe. What makes it remarkable is that this arrangement crosses the modern border, suggesting that people in prehistoric times moved freely across this landscape.
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