Mont Puget is a mountain, part of Marseille-Cassis calanques, located south-east of

Marseille Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. Like most

mountains, it is formed from

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms w ...

Tourism

Often neglected by tourists, much interested by the Calanques themselves and by the sea, the Mont Puget can provide for some interesting hiking and climbing. A very good trail leads to the very top of the mountain (like on most of Marseille mountain ranges, so that firefighters can get everywhere should a fire start). However, one can also climb the mountain directly, which can provide many interesting experiences. One of them are "stone rivers", or collections of numerous small stones "flowing" from the mountain at angles reaching 45 degrees. The top of the mountain is covered with eroded limestone that sticks out in numerous needle-like spikes.

Crest of Luminy University

A stylized representation of Mont Puge
is displayed
on the crest of Luminy Faculty of Sciences, part of the University of the Mediterranean Aix-Marseille II. The Luminy campus is located 1 km northwest of Mont Puget.

Name

An urban legend insist that the mountain is named after the sculptor

Pierre Puget Pierre Paul Puget (16 October 1620 – 2 December 1694) was a French Baroque painter, sculptor, architect and engineer. His sculpture expressed emotion, pathos and drama, setting it apart from the more classical and academic sculpture of the ...

which is a curious misconception since the mountain's name predates the sculptor on maps by several millennia. The name Puget is a diminutive from the Provençal word "puech" that originates from the Latin "podium", hence an elevated place that designates a certain eminence.

References

* Marseille Tourism Office Information * French Nationan Geographic Institute maps (for altitude figure)

External links

Le massif des Calanques

A satellite view of Mont Puget
the city and the university campus are on the left, the road at the top is

- Cassis road (the Gineste). Landforms of Bouches-du-Rhône Geography of Marseille Mountains of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Massif des Calanques {{BouchesRhône-geo-stub