Terrain visibility analysis

Can you see Monte Rosa from Milan?

Short answer: Yes, theoretically, from this exact point at Piazza del Duomo in central Milan. The Dufourspitze, Monte Rosa's highest summit, clears the modelled terrain horizon over 115.7 km.

Can you see Monte Rosa from central Milan? Sightelo analyses the 115.7 km line from Piazza del Duomo to the Dufourspitze summit.

View the calculation in Sightelo

Key figures

Observation point: Piazza del Duomo, central Milan, Italy; Latitude, longitude: 45.464170, 9.189800; Eye height: 1.7 m
Point of interest: Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa), Switzerland
Target elevation: 4,634 m
Straight-line distance: 115.7 km
Direction to the summit: 297.5° (west-northwest)
Modelled summit clearance: +785 m

Terrain profile and line of sight

Detailed profile

Scroll horizontally to explore the full profile on a small screen.

Calculated terrain
Observer–summit sight line
Minimum visibility line
0 m reference (modelled curvature)

Terrain already includes modelled curvature and refraction (k = 0.13). The grey curve is the 0 m reference: subtract it from the terrain curve to read real elevation. Sight lines remain straight; no second curvature correction is applied. Vertical and horizontal scales differ.

At the summit, the target clears the modelled horizon by 785.0 m. No blocking terrain is calculated. The relief forming the horizon is 114.061 km from A.

The calculation models terrain, Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. It does not model buildings, trees, clouds, haze or local atmospheric variations.

Calculated profile values

B · Summit · Dufourspitze (Monte Rosa)	Dufourspitze / Pointe Dufour
Distance (km)	115.7 km
Observer eye altitude	147.1 m
Summit altitude	4634.0 m
Minimum visible target altitude	3849.0 m
Target margin above the modelled horizon	+785.0 m
Minimum local sight-line clearance	+15.0 m
Displayed / calculated samples	499 / 1158
Excluded around A / B	200 m / 1500 m
Horizon-forming relief	114.0609 km

Audited calculation: 2026-10-13. The interactive calculator can recalculate with currently available elevation data.

What this example helps you study

The line heads west-northwest across the Po plain before reaching the Alps. Sightelo finds no terrain obstruction beyond the excluded 200 m around Piazza del Duomo. The summit is about 785 m above the modelled minimum visible altitude, but buildings, haze and cloud can prevent an actual sighting from street level.

Limits of interpretation

The calculation models terrain, Earth curvature and standard atmospheric refraction. It does not model buildings, trees, clouds, haze or local atmospheric variations.

Technical details

Observation point coordinates: 45.464170, 9.189800
Summit coordinates: 45.936920, 7.866760
Terrain model: Copernicus DEM 90
Eye height: 1.7 m
Refraction used: Standard (k = 0.13)
Sample step: 100 m
Uncertainty threshold: 30 m
Observer exclusion radius: 200 m
Requested summit exclusion radius: 600 m

A positive value means the summit clears the modelled terrain horizon. A negative value means the summit lies below the minimum elevation required to clear that horizon. This value is not the local height of blocking terrain above the sight line.