Piz Palü is a
mountain in the
Bernina Range of the
Alps, located between
Switzerland and
Italy. It is a large glaciated massif composed of three main summits, on a ridge running from west to east. The main (and central) summit is 3,900 metres high and is located within the Swiss canton of
Graubünden, although the border with the Italian region of
Lombardy runs about 100 metres west of it at almost the same height (3,898 m). The western summit (3,823 m; on the international border) is named
Piz Spinas and is the only one not covered by ice. The eastern summit (3,882 m; within Switzerland) is named
Piz Palü Orientale. The name
Palü derives from the Latin
palus, meaning a swamp, and the mountain is said to be named after the
Alpe Palü, a high alpine pasture some 4 km to its east.