The Punta Mirauda is a mountain of the Ligurian Alps located in Piedmont (NW Italy).
Toponymy Mirauda is a regional name used in Piedmont for the green whip snake.In Italian biacco; see
Geography
The mountain stands on the ridge dividing the valleys of Vermenagna and Pesio. Southwards of the summit the water divide lowers with Colla Vaccarile (2.050 m) after which stand the Monte Jurin and the Cima della Fascia. In the opposite direction, after Il Colletto (2.080 m), the ridge goes on with the Bric Costa Rossa and the Bisalta. From the Punta Mirauda starts a third ridge which, heading SW, divides the Vallone Sottana from the Valle Almellina, two tributaries of the main Vermenagna Valley. A last ridge heads E towards the centre of the Pesio valley, linking Punta Mirauda with the Labiaia Mirauda (1.971 m), a mountain that overlooks Pian della Gorre.. The prominence of Punta Mirauda is 77 m, its key col being the Colletto (2.080 m). The summit of the mountain is flanked by a subsummit named Punta Agugion (2.133 m.).
SOIUSA classification According to the SOIUSA (International Standardized Mountain Subdivision of the Alps) the mountain can be classified in the following way: main part = Western Alps major sector = South Western Alps section = Ligurian Alps subsection = It:Alpi del Marguareis/Fr:Alpes Liguriennes Occidentales supergroup = It:Catena Marguareis-Mongioie/Fr:Chaîne Marguareis-Mongioie group = It:Gruppo Testa Ciaudon-Punta Mirauda subgroup = It:Dorsale della Punta Mirauda code = I/A-1.II-B.3.b
Geology The mountain stands in a karstic area. A huge network of natural tunnels, which collects underground water reaching the aquifer through many fractures and ponors, takes its name from Punta Mirauda.
Access to the summit The Punta Mirauda can be reached from Limone Piemonte (Casali Barat village) with an easy hiking itinerary, or from the Pesio valley, starting in this case from Pian delle Gorre.
The mountain is also a ski mountaineering destination.
Conservation The eastern slopes of the mountain, facing the Pesio Valley, are part of the Natural Park of Marguareis, a nature reserve established by Regione Piemonte.
References
Bibliography Sergio Marazzi, Atlante Orografico delle Alpi. SOIUSA. Pavone Canavese (TO), Priuli & Verlucca editori, 2005.
Maps