Monte San Giorgio is between the two southern arms of Lake Lugano (Porto Ceresio and Riva San Vitale).

It is 1,097 metres high and there is a charming view from its peak.

Looking towards north-west the view ranges over Lake Lugano, especially the area of Morcote, with Monte Lema and the Alpine chain in the background.

Looking east the steep slopes of Generoso can be seen, while to the south the view extends over the Lombardy Plain.

A network of paths threads through the various villages which make up the so-called district of San Giorgio.

The panoramic viewpoint of Serpiano (650 metres above sea-level) can be reached from Brusino by a convenient cable car.
Then the Alp of Brusino can be reached in about 30 minutes by continuing on foot along an easy path.
The thousand-year-old chestnut trees with huge trunks which are completely hollow are the distinctive point to note here.

The peak of the mountain (1,907 metres above sea-level) can be reached in about one and a half hours. 

The hike to the peak with Riva San Vitale as starting point is certainly much more demanding (3 hours).

The legend of the Blessed Manfred, a hermit of noble family who is supposed to have lived in holiness on the top of the mountain, probably during the thirteenth century, is connected to this village.
The various miracles described in the magnificent paintings which embellish the parish church of Riva San Vitale are attributed to this ascetic.
The body of the saint is still kept in this church, but only on certain occasions is it put on public display.

The path connecting Meride to the peak is certainly much easier. The path goes straight into the wood after the village has been passed through. Part of the track which leads to Cassina is cobbled thanks to the work done by Swiss soldiers in the First World War years.
In fact the attentive eye can still see the year in which the work was carried out (1917) inscribed on one of these stones.

For historians the trip to the Poncione d’Arzo is certainly fascinating. After reaching the top at 1,015 metres – in two and a half hours from Arzo or one hour and 40 minutes from Crocifisso – the fortifications can be discovered which were built by the Alpine soldiers on Monte Orsa in Italian territory during the First World War.

The geological and paleontological aspects, the vegetation and the fauna of this beautiful mountain are described on the nature path. It starts at the “Fontana” – the first group of houses after Meride, on the road to Serpiano, at an altitude of about 600 metres– climbs up to “Cassina” at 900 metres; then it crosses the short crevice of the Porina Valley almost on the flat, after which it goes down steeply into the woods immediately above Serpiano (700 metres) reaching the starting point on a slightly sloping plain.

The whole hike, including the stops in front of the information plates, needs a little more than four hours.

The vegetation of this beautiful mountain is characterised by a typical deciduous wood which counts rare plants like the blue bells of the Adenophora lilifolia or the blue-green gladiolus.

But this mountain is mainly known as a cemetery for the Middle Triassic Age.
Many fossils of great scientific interest were found here during the twentieth century, above all fish, invertebrates (with some rare insects), and reptiles, mainly marine ones, whose length in some species was six metres. 
A collection of some of the most significant findings can be admired in the Fossil Museum in Meride.

Monte San Giorgio has been included in the UNESCO World Heritage List since 2nd July 2003.