The Gotthard is no Paris-Roubaix, though. The cobbles of the pass, laid in 1830, are Swiss engineering at its finest: granite cubes, chosen for their durability, neatly arranged in a fan-like pattern.

By 1820 the St. Gotthard pass had been widened to 18 feet, enough for two-way carriage traffic, but only in summer. Then in 1870 the eight-mile Mount Cenis railway tunnel, an engineering marvel in ...

The Saint-Gotthard Road tunnel’s second tube will feature a first: by 2030, it will house an 18 km long high-voltage line, which will replace the existing overhead line across the pass.