The Mont Cenis
The Mont Cenis pass has been a major commercial and military road between Western Europe and Italy. The pass was crossed by many troops
on their way to the Italian peninsula. From Constantine I, Pepin the Short and Charlemagne to Henry IV, Napoléon and more recently the German Gebirgsjägers during World War II. Now the pass has been supplanted by the Fréjus Highway Tunnel (opened 1980) and Rail Tunnel (opened 1871).
The Saint Gotthard Pass crosses from Central Switzerland to Ticino; in 1882 the 15 km-long (9.3 mi) Saint Gotthard Railway Tunnel was
opened connecting Lucerne in Switzerland, with Milan in Italy. 98 years later followed Gotthard Road Tunnel (16.9 km (10.5 mi) long) connecting the A2 motorway in Göschenen on the German-Swiss side with Airolo on the Italian-Swiss side, exactly like the railway tunnel. On June 1, 2016 the world’s longest railway tunnel, the Gotthard Base Tunnel was opened, which
connects Erstfeld in canton of Uri with Bodio in canton of Ticino by two single tubes of 57.1 km (35.5 mi).[23] It is the first tunnel that traverses the Alps on a flat route.[24] From December 11, 2016 it is part of the regular railway timetable and be used hourly as standard way to ride between Basel/Lucerne/Zurich and Bellinzona/Lugano/Milano.[25]
