Monte Viso or Monviso (Italian pronunciation: [moɱˈviːzo]; Occitan: Vísol; Piedmontese: Brich Monviso or Viso) is the highest mountain of the Cottian Alps. It is located in Italy close to the French border. Monte Viso is well known for its pyramid-like shape and, because it is higher than all its neighbouring peaks by about 500 m, it can be seen from a great distance, including from the Piedmontese plateau, the Langhe, the Theodulpass in the Zermatt ski area, the col du Galibier and the summits of the Mont Blanc massif. On a very clear day it can be seen from the spires of Milan Cathedral.[citation needed] It has been suggested that Monte Viso could be one of the mountains which inspired the Paramount logo.[citation needed] In Italy it is also known as Il Re di Pietra ("The Stone King") because of its prominence within the western Italian Alps. It was declared a cross-border UNESCO biosphere reserve in 2013. It is also a mountain of the birth of the longest river of Italy, River Po. From Wikipedia