Little St Bernard Pass

The Little St Bernard Pass is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border [1]. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level [1]. The road across this pass is usually open from May to October [1]. At the summit, the road cuts through a stone circle measuring 72 m (236 ft) in diameter [1]. A standing stone once stood in the middle [1]. From coin finds this is believed to date from the Iron Age, possibly being a ceremonial site of the Tarentaisian culture (c. 725 BC–450 BC) [1]. The stone circle was partly restored in the 19th century [1]. In the Roman era, a temple dedicated to Jupiter was erected nearby along with a mansio serving travellers along the pass, and it is thought that Carthaginian general Hannibal used this route [1].