Genoa to the Brenner Pass Great Continental Railway Journeys

I'm embarking on a new railway adventure that will take me

across the heart of Europe.

I'll be using this,

my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,

which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

for the British tourist.

It told travellers where to go, what to see,

and how to navigate the thousands of miles of tracks

crisscrossing the continent.

Now, a century later,

I am using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,

where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.

I want to rediscover that lost Europe

that in 1913 couldn't know that its way of life would shortly

be swept aside by the advent of war.

I'm starting a new rail journey through northern Italy,

where Bradshaw tourists sought out picturesque coastal resorts

and stunning mountain scenery.

By the time of my guidebook,

Italy had been a united kingdom for about 50 years,

and was one of the largest countries in Western Europe.

But its economy was relatively backward.

And it had no empire to compare with those of Britain, Holland and France.

What's more, some Italians argued that the unification process should

continue, as numerous Italians lived outside the kingdom,

as subjects of the Emperor of Austria-Hungary.

The astute Bradshaw traveller might have detected a tendency towards

nationalism and imperialism, which, as the 20th century progressed,

would bring catastrophe to Italy.

'Following railway lines carved through coastal cliffs

'and mountain passes,

'I'll learn how expansionist political ambitions

'drove technology.'

What do you say in Italian for "take that"?

Prendi la mira.

Prendi la mira!

'And how modern innovation is reshaping the railway network today.'

Fire!

'I'll discover how, a century ago,

'Britons made their mark on Italian culture, from motorsport...'

He ordered a bottle of champagne and he poured a glass

inside the radiator. Yeah.

'..to football.'

My country's future depends on this.

'And get a taste of Edwardian era Italy.'

Buono, buono, buono! I'm so excited!

THEY SING IN ITALIAN

Grazie.

My journey will take me from the shores of the Mediterranean

to the foothills of the Alps.

Starting in Genoa, the capital of Liguria,

I'll explore the Italian Riviera,

taking in the luxury resort of Portofino

and the naval city of La Spezia.

Turning inland, I'll stop off at the gastronomic hot spot Parma,

en route for the Alpine city of Trento,

finishing my journey where the railway pierces the mountains

at the Brenner Pass.

My first port of call will be Genoa,

which Bradshaw's tells me is the chief commercial city of Italy.

"Viewed from the harbour, the beauty of the city is striking,

"and this, associated with the number of its palaces, justifies

"the qualification la superba."

La superba means not so much superb as proud,

possibly even arrogant.

And I would like to know what made this city so high and mighty.

TANNOY ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITALIAN

I arrive at the Stazione Piazza Principe,

which my Bradshaw's describes as the principal railway station

close to the old harbour.

The ornate decorations denote the city's pride in its railways,

but Genoa's primary love was the sea.

The first thing the rail traveller sees

is a statute to the most famous of all Genoese, Christopher Columbus,

the first European to set foot in the Americas,

who made a fortune for his royal patrons.

Unfortunately for Italy, they were the King and Queen of Spain.

But he personally was very charitable.

He gave one-tenth of his wealth

to the bank of St George in Genoa for the relief of taxation on food.

Columbus might not have made Genoa rich,

but as I arrive in this stunning city today,

it's clear to me that something or someone did.

True to my guidebook's description,

the modern bustling harbour is backed by historic streets

where lavish palazzi abound.

I love these Genoa palaces.

They're so ornate.

They've got balustrades, and carvings, and little figurines.

And I imagine the competition between the great rich families,

the Spinola family saying to their architect, "Look,

"those Grimaldis have got a fantastic cornice

"and we have to have an even better one."

How to keep up with the Grimaldis.

I followed Bradshaw's to the palazzo-lined Via Grimaldi,

where guide Paola Terrile will tell me about

the source of this maritime city's wealth.

Paola, when was the heyday of Genoa?

The real heyday,

the golden centre of Genoa, was between the 16th and 17th century.

And why did Genoa become so rich and so successful?

Because after the discovery of America in 1528,

the Admiral Andrea Doria was in charge of the government

and he made an alliance with Spain.

Spain had financed Christopher Columbus and for everything that was

discovered in the New World, it belonged to the Spanish crown.

Andrea Doria put his fleet of ships at the service of the Spanish

to fight the pirates in the Mediterranean

and in exchange he obtained for Genoa

the monopoly of all the transportation

from the New World to the Mediterranean.

As Genoese ships crossed the Atlantic, laden with sugar,

spices, precious metals and tobacco from the Americas,

the city's ship-owning families made their fortunes.

During that period, Genoa became

one of the most important financial centres in Europe.

The merchants became so wealthy trading with the New World that

they started to work as bankers.

There was a saying that went like this - gold and silver are born in

America, they die in Spain, but they are buried in Genoa.

And I suppose it's because of that wealth that we have these lovely

palaces which are mentioned in Bradshaw's?

That's right, yes.

This is the historic context when these mansions were built.

And this street was called the Strada Nuova when it was built,

which means the New Street.

Because it was a new way of living.

It was the first time in Europe when a group of families decided to build

a private district.

MALE CHORAL SINGING IN ITALIAN

Today, the area around the Via Garibaldi is considered

the "old town".

But the city is no museum -

Genoa is very alive and the energy is palpable.

What's this kind of singing called?

-It's Trallalero.

-Trallalero.

And what's its origin?

Do you know?

Yes. The men who worked in the port began to sing to pass time.

Then they exported everywhere in Genoa

and it has become a very typical tradition here.

-It's beautiful.

-Yes.

HE INVITES HIM IN ITALIAN

Do I want to listen to it in the centre? Grazie! Si, si.

THEY SING IN ITALIAN

Grazie!

What a special moment. Grazie.

I could linger in these lively streets for hours,

but to understand the city better, I head to the waterfront

to explore what is still Italy's most important commercial port.

Last year, over 12 million tonnes of goods, packed into containers,

left its harbour.

After the country was united in 1861,

the north of Italy raced to industrialise

and to compete with its European neighbours.

I'm meeting history professor Ferdinando Fasce,

to discover the role that Genoa played in that transformation.

By the end of the 19th century and 20th century,

the golden age of the palaces is over.

What is happening to Genoa then?

Well, it was actually undergoing a new...

something like a new golden age,

because Genoa becomes a global city again

due to international trade, shipping, shipbuilding

and so forth and so on.

How did the industrialisation of Northern Italy work?

What were the components?

Well, the components were three main places.

That is Turin, Milan and Genoa.

The so-called industrial triangle.

The factories of that triangle needed to import coal for power.

Where was coal coming from?

Mostly from Britain because of the quality of the coal

and also because of the long-standing relationship

between Britain and Genoa.

It sounds as though at the end of the 19th century,

beginning of the 20th century,

it's quite a strong link between Genoa and Britain.

Did it leave its mark on the city?

Absolutely, because there was quite a conspicuous community of British

people living in the city -

merchants, brokers, professionals, technicians.

Those British ships and workers brought with them British customs,

including a sport that the Italians would soon clutch to their hearts.

It was British people who brought here football.

How did that happen?

Some British professionals working here decided to

establish a cricket club,

and that extended to comprise footballs as well

and it was a guy named Spensley,

who was a doctor on the British coal ships,

who started all this business.

Dr James Richardson Spensley arrived in 1897

to care for the crews of British coal ships.

He joined the expatriates at Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club

and persuaded them to add a new game to their repertoire.

So, do you mean the Italians didn't have football then?

Actually, there was some kind of a football but it was quite different

from the British football.

A year later, Dr Spensley became manager,

opened the club to Italians and changed the name

to Genoa Cricket and Football Club,

creating Italy's first official football team.

In 1898, Genoa won the inaugural Italian national football championships

and the rest is history.

Fernando, you must be proud of the Genoa football team

since it is so historic?

Absolutely, yes.

It has a great tradition.

I do admire it even though I must say that I pull for the other team, Sampdoria.

Today, Genoa CFC remains one of Italy's top teams.

To make sure that it lives up to the city's proud footballing heritage,

the club needs to nurture future talent.

I'm dropping in on the youth squad, which trains at the Sciorba Stadium.

Coach Manuel Rimassa has invited me to put my best foot forward.

Hello, Manuel, I'm Michael.

Nice to meet you, Michael.

Very nice to meet you. What are the chances that one of these lads could be a star one day, do you think?

Depends by them, is a difficult way.

They increase their level training by training,

day by day, month by month.

But it is not a simple way.

You need to be also lucky.

Are these Genoa lads or

are they from all over Italy?

They are from Genoa or close to Genoa.

This is our idea to find a player in our region, Liguria.

Good, that's good, that's good.

This is Genoa Cricket and Football Club.

Does the name James Richardson Spensley mean something to you?

He is special for us.

He founded Genoa and created the football in Italy.

How good is your cricket, Manuel?

Not very well. I prefer football, for sure.

What does Genoa CFC mean for you?

Frank Sinatra say I feel you under my skin.

I can say that about Genoa.

You can feel Genoa under your skin.

It's pure passion.

'Who could resist such enthusiasm?

'Maybe Manuel can succeed where others have failed

'and make a goalkeeper out of me.'

Ready!

Come on, Michael, you can do better. Come on!

Close, Michael.

My country's future depends on this.

'Che fermata! What a save!'

After all that effort, I need to refuel.

There's no better way to fill up a hungry Genoese footballer

or dock worker than with a hearty plate of pasta

served in the traditional local style.

I've come to Bar Greta to be schooled in Genoa's signature dish

by Mariapia Merzagora.

-Hello.

-Hi. I'm Michael.

Mariapia.

Now, this is lovely. You have all the ingredients for pesto.

Pesto. Genovese.

This is very typical for Genoa, is it?

Very, very typical - only in Genoa you can eat.

So, what do you have here?

So, is basil, then we have pine nuts, garlic,

and Parmesan and hard Sardinian cheese.

-I am your slave. Tell me how we make the pesto.

-Allora.

'The word pesto means something that has been pounded.'

-It's a lot of work.

-Yes.

The great thing is, you lose more weight making it than you put on eating it.

Yes, and then you can eat it again.

Boss tells me that it's not done yet.

Ancora un po'.

Ancora un po'!

Just a little.

The secret of good pesto is...

Muscle!

-Basta.

-Basta sounds pretty rude

but it's the Italian word for "that's enough".

That's enough.

-Basta!

-Basta!

So, shall I put our lovely pesto on top?

Shall we taste?

-Shall we taste it?

-OK.

-Congratulations.

-That's wonderful.

A delicious end to a glorious day in Genoa.

All that remains is to find a bed for the night

and I'm sure that La Superba

will not disappoint.

I'm checking into the Bristol Hotel.

An advertisement in Bradshaw's tells me that it is high-class in every

respect, and patronised by royalty.

It was also a favourite haunt of the film director Alfred Hitchcock

and in his movie Vertigo

a long flowing staircase like this one appears.

Spooky.

Arrivederci, Genoa.

It's time I took to the tracks.

I'm boarding my next train at Genova Brignole.

This is the second railway station that I've used in Genoa

and they're both magnificent.

My short journey will take me 25km south-east

along the rugged Riviera di Levante.

The landscape of Italy, the topography, is uncompromising.

Over much of the country you have steep-sided mountains,

from coast to coast, that reach right down to the sea.

And so in the 19th-century,

the railway engineers had no option but to build vast numbers of tunnels

linked by very large numbers of viaducts.

And when, a century later, Italy came to build its motorways,

the whole process had to be repeated.

The tracks that won their battles with the landscape here in

the 19th century made previously remote settlements

accessible for Edwardian tourists.

I've arrived at Santa Margherita Station

and Bradshaw's tells me that "a beautiful road leads

"to the village of Portofino.

"A little port snugly sheltered in a bay near the south-east extremity of

"a headland. Population of 1,500, mostly fishermen,

"here lace is made by the women."

Well, I should think that in the last century

few places have changed more than Portofino.

Apparently, Portofino was founded by the Romans

with the name Portus Delphini

because of the plethora of dolphins that populated its waters.

Bellissimo. Gracie. Arrivederci.

This natural harbour once provided a safe haven for the merchant fleet

of Genoa. As trade expanded, it soon outgrew its confines,

leaving only the fishing vessels

that remained at the time of my guidebook.

These days it's glamorous pleasure craft rather than working boats

that first strike the visitor.

I took an early train this morning,

and because of that I'm seeing Portofino as it is now rarely seen,

with no people in it.

It just makes it a little bit easier to imagine it with those fishermen

and those lacemaking women.

'I'm overdue for breakfast,

'and I'm meeting Natalie Mayor from the Hotel Splendido.'

-Hello.

-Good morning, hello.

-It is lovely to see you.

-Very good to see you.

-How are you?

-Oh, very well.

What a lovely breakfast. Thank you very much.

I see these enormous yachts here of the rich and famous,

so Portofino has changed quite a bit, hasn't it?

Well, it's changed in a certain way

because it was a fisherman village a long time ago

but it is still today.

Each day our fishermen on the little boats that you can see over there,

they will go to fish, to refurnish all the local restaurants.

So there is a big contrast here in Portofino

between tradition and luxury.

When did Portofino begin to attract tourists?

It started maybe thanks to the railway

because before, there was just one road to come to Portofino,

or by boat, and the railway helped people to be able to come in.

Portofino started to become famous.

It's easy to see why this lovely town

appealed to early railway tourists.

But 77 years after the tracks arrived,

Portofino's future hung in the balance.

In April 1945, as German troops retreated from Italy,

the local commandant was ordered to destroy Portofino.

The town is beautifully preserved and I'm quite surprised.

I mean, for example, why was it not damaged during the war?

Portofino was very, very lucky thanks to a very important woman.

She's called Jeannie Von Mumm.

Actually, she was from Glasgow.

So a British woman married with a German.

They were living here during the Second World War.

She knew that the German commandant had the order to blow up the village

and she just implored him and asked him not to do it,

so she saved the village of Portofino,

and that's why today it is such a beautiful place.

Six months later,

Jeannie received a letter from the imprisoned commandant.

It read, "I can say to you today that I had the order to blow up

"the whole mountain. You were my good angel."

In 1949, she was made an honorary citizen of Portofino.

That is a fantastic story.

So Portofino has to be very grateful to Jeannie from Glasgow.

Absolutely. Fantastic, isn't it?

Portofino has since been a playground for a Who's Who of 20th-century power and glamour.

Many have stayed at the Hotel Splendido, which opened in 1902

on the site of a 16th-century clifftop monastery.

The main period was in the '50s, you know.

During La Dolce Vita, when Liz Taylor came here several times.

She came four times for the honeymoon, with four different husbands.

Ava Gardner, Alain Delon, Humphrey Bogart but also Winston Churchill,

or the Prince of Monaco.

Royal persons, royal families and nowadays we have a lot of VIPs,

important designers are living here like Dolce and Gabbana, or Armani.

Tempting though it is to idle in La Dolce Vita of Portofino,

I'm continuing 47km south-east with my Bradshaw's.

The line along the coast from Genoa to Pisa

was completed in 1874 and this section,

clinging to the cliffs from Sestri Levante to La Spezia,

was the toughest engineering challenge on the route.

Bradshaw's description in this area is absolutely on track.

"Numerous cuttings and short tunnels,

"villages huddled in narrow valleys or on the equally narrow seaboard.

"Lemon groves, palm trees, handsome villas."

I'm headed for Vernazza, after changing at Levanto,

to find out how, amongst all the tourism,

the traditional way of life survives.

This rail journey is the big tease - between the tunnels,

tiny glimpses of paradise.

This dramatic strip of coast on the Riviera di Levante

encloses five isolated and impossibly picturesque villages

known as the Cinque Terre.

Amongst them, Vernazza has the only secure harbour

and it presents a striking spectacle, lined with quaint houses,

painted in a dizzying array of colours.

It's even suggested that fishermen offshore could easily identify

their homes, and check that their wives were hard at work.

One of the great things about these villages, the Cinque Terre,

is that they are inaccessible, or virtually inaccessible, by car.

You either go by train or you walk,

and there are the most fantastic walks

between one village and the next.

You go up steps, they're very vertiginous, they're exhausting,

you get very hot - they're one of the best experiences of your life,

and they get you away from the tourists.

What a stunning place.

I mean, you can complain that it is absolutely mobbed with tourists,

but just look at it.

The buildings are just lovely and the rock formation,

the topography, just spectacular.

The villages and coast line were named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1997.

And two years later,

the Cinque Terre became an Italian national park.

'Fisherman Pepe Martelli is my guide to the local azure waters.'

THEY SPEAK IN ITALIAN

Pepe, these lovely villages are now full of tourists.

Is there still a business for fishermen?

Well, not exactly.

For us, when the national park was born

and when tourists became to come much more than before

it was the beginning of the end.

I'm sorry to hear that. But you still go fishing?

Yes. I still go fishing and I am happy to be a fishermen but it was

necessary for the park to have a no-fishing area

and the area was declared

in the place in which we were used to go fishing,

by our lamps during the night.

Now I try to continue my work with the possibility that I have,

but I had to change.

I am a supporter of sustainable fishing

and so I want to work with the park.

The Cinque Terre are moving with the times.

Just as they did back in 1874,

when the new coastal line between Sestri Levante and La Spezia

opened for business.

The railways must have made an enormous change to these villages.

Yeah, of course, it is true.

When the train arrived it was so important.

I remember, also, when I was a little boy,

I went to La Spezia with 500 kilos of sardines, by train.

It was the only possibility that we had to go to the market.

What other change did the railway make?

When someone was ill and it was necessary to bring him to the hospital,

they went to the train station and they stopped any train,

because they had no ambulance, no car, no street.

And so it was absolutely necessary.

You know, most of us who come as tourists,

we see these lovely villages from the land

but we don't see them from the water.

You get a very special view.

Yes. I know that I have a privilege.

And today, Pepe, you've shared the privilege with me.

-Thank you.

-Thank you.

Yeah.

Ciao, Pepe!

A new day, and my next train beckons.

Having followed the coastline from Genoa,

I'm now embarking on the final stretch of my Riviera route

towards La Spezia.

From there, I'll turn inland

towards the cultural and culinary treasures of Parma.

My journey then takes me north

to the Alpine towns of Rovereto and Trento

before finishing at the Brenner Pass on Italy's Austrian border.

It's well known that the First World War was preceded by a dangerous

arms race between the German and British navies, but listen to this,

from Bradshaw's -

"The Italian Navy at the time had 15 battleships, 21 cruisers,

"35 destroyers and 18 submarines" - the navy of an ambitious country.

I'm arriving in La Spezia.

The guidebook tells me that it's "a naval port with the largest arsenal and dockyard in Italy."

Edwardian travellers came here to admire the so-called Bay of Poets,

frequented by Lord Byron, where Percy Bysshe Shelley drowned.

By the time of my guide, verses had given way to vessels.

The royal government commissioned a naval arsenal here in 1861,

as Italy consolidated its unification.

And La Spezia is still one of the most important Italian naval bases.

Gregory Alecci is an expert in Italian military history.

Gregory, why is it that La Spezia becomes, as my guidebook tells me,

the premier naval port and dockyard for Italy?

Well, La Spezia as such is a natural harbour.

Well defended, which is something navies always look for.

In broader terms,

the newly-minted Italian nation intended to build up its navy.

It grew fourfold within 30 years.

By the turn of the century, it was the world's third-largest navy.

Then, in 1911, just before my guidebook was published,

Italy decided to flex its new-found military muscle.

In a bid to compete with its imperial neighbours,

Italy invaded Libya,

then controlled by the Ottoman Empire.

The invasion was welcomed by Italian nationalists,

but the Libya campaign also marked a seminal moment

in European military history.

To hear the story, Gregory and I are taking to the sky.

La Spezia was where the Italian Navy had its first flight experiments.

During the war with Libya,

Italy made the first real war operational flights in the world.

And what use did Italy make of aircraft in Libya?

Well, over the eight or nine months of the campaign,

they actually tried everything.

Scouting, so looking for the enemy.

Messages. They would report what they had seen

to troops on the ground,

literally scribbling notes and dropping them out of the window.

And eventually something more offensive - dropping bombs.

An engineer by the name of Giulio Gavotti

took to the air carrying a small case of 3lb bombs.

He would put the bomb in a tube,

and it would be projected well clear of any obstacles.

And it worked.

The first hits had great psychological effect.

The troops and the people on the ground were frightened.

This was completely new to them.

Gavotti's bombing had only a modest direct effect,

but with his flights over Libya, he expanded the scope of warfare,

helping to shape the conflicts of the 20th century.

So, the Italians invent aerial bombardment.

As an historian, what's the significance of that?

Rather than having to take every inch of ground

as in the First World War,

from a great distance, you can achieve results.

You can hit Germany from Britain.

You can hit Japan from an obscure island in the Pacific.

And the idea is that you can shorten war.

And that idea is still with us today.

While the Mediterranean remains the focus for the Italian military....

Buon giorno.

'..the challenges and the technologies available to confront them are always changing.'

WHISTLE BLOWS

'Captain Giancarlo Ciappina honours me

'by piping me aboard his frigate.'

Good morning, Michael.

Welcome onboard the ITS Virginio Fasan.

Captain Ciappina. Onore e privilegio mio.

-Oh, very nice meeting you.

-Thank you.

Captain, this ship, which I think you call a frigate,

is actually extremely capable.

What is it built to do?

This is a multipurpose frigate.

So it's supposed to do a lot of missions.

Conventional warfare, anti-piracy, illegal immigration control,

protection of our traffic lines in the Mediterranean Sea.

Today, how big is the Italian Navy?

The Italian Navy is going through a programme of renewal.

This frigate is the second one of a programme of ten frigates that are

being delivered to the navy, and this is the newest ship in the navy.

The Italian Navy is getting smaller and smaller,

but of course it is increasing in its technology and capabilities.

In today's unpredictable world,

armed forces must be prepared for anything.

Should piracy re-emerge as a threat in the Mediterranean,

frigates like this will be in the front line.

Meanwhile, Captain Ciappina allows me to indulge

my swashbuckling fantasies.

Please, Michael, I'm going to show you right now our self-defence gun.

This gun is a 25mm gun.

And this is used, of course, against small targets.

Just have a comfortable seat over here.

And just be very gentle.

Now, lift this, and you can move it.

Ah, bene.

Here we go. That's the way.

Up and down, you move the barrel, this way.

-All right.

-Captain,

I'm just going to drop the barrel to take aim at that pirate.

What do you say in Italian for "take that!"?

-Prendi la mira!

-Prendi la mira!

I'm leaving La Spezia and the Italian Riviera behind.

My next train is carrying me inland into the province of Emilia Romagna,

which lies between Italy's Mediterranean shores

and the cooler mountains to the north.

This region's unique microclimate has helped to make it a magnet

for gastronomes.

I'll shortly be arriving in Parma.

Bradshaw's promises, "a cathedral, libraries,

"collections of paintings and antiquities."

But at this stage of the journey, I need not just food for thought,

but food, and Parma goes together with ham like love and marriage.

And I want a slice of it.

According to my 1913 guide,

"Parma is a place of very old foundation

"but presents a quite modern appearance."

On first impressions,

Parma has lost none of its fin de siecle charm.

For a classic taste of the city,

I head for a traditional shop run by Silvano Romani,

and his father before him,

since 1965.

-Buona sera.

-Michael.

-Ciao.

Sono Silvano.

-Piacere.

-Ciao.

You want to cut some prosciutto with us?

Yes, grazie!

De la?

Parma ham has been recognised as a delicacy for centuries.

The pigs are fed on the whey that's drained from the curd while making

Parmesan cheese.

The resulting ham is air dried and the humidity in Parma contributes to

its unique flavour.

-Molto gentile.

-Molto gentile.

-Piu veloce.

-Piu rapido. A bit faster.

OK, bravissimo!

Bring the knife up...

HE SPEAKS ITALIAN

-Oh!

-Buono, buono!

-Buono, buono, buono!

I'm so excited!

Michael, number one!

-Can we taste it?

-Si, si!

I'm going to start with some Parmesan cheese.

Trenta mesi in montagna.

30 months old...

HE CONTINUES IN ITALIAN

Absolutely pure. Milk and salt.

Milk from the mountain. Wonderful.

Mmm!

The longer it sits, the more flavourful it is.

Well, this is immensely flavourful.

Fantastico! Auguri!

-Congratulations!

-Grazie!

You may think me cheesy,

but in Parma, I'm a ham!

Ha-ha!

-She does understand!

-Yes, I did!

As well as its culinary delights, Parma provides a musical feast.

Composer Giuseppe Verdi was born just 20 miles away, in 1813.

A century later, when my guidebook was still hot off the press,

tourists flocked here to honour Parma's most famous son.

I'm thrilled to be invited to the world-famous Teatro Regio,

one of Italy's most prestigious opera houses,

to hear the story from general manager Anna Maria Meo.

Anna, it seems that in 1913 you had the most enormous celebration

of Verdi's centenary.

Of course. It was a need to celebrate Verdi.

It was a special need by all the population here in Parma.

They wanted to honour the composer in the best way possible.

The three month-long exhibition

featured a dazzling array of attractions,

including performances,

displays of industrial and agricultural prowess

and sporting tournaments.

So, what does Parma feel about Verdi?

Something that is part of the heart.

Verdi's lovers, they know every single note,

they know every single word of the librettos,

so whoever sings here has a very difficult judgment

from the loggionna,

which is the balcony, which are the more popular seats.

So the singers are worried about what's going on in the cheap seats?

Very, very worried

because if the loggionna doesn't like your interpretation,

they don't hesitate to boo.

They are like soccer fans.

Entering the exquisite auditorium of the Teatro Regio,

it's hard to imagine fans heckling from the ornate balcony.

I'd love to settle into a seat here for a performance of Rigoletto

or Aida, but I have the privilege of getting behind the curtain

with a backstage pass.

For centuries, before television and cinema,

these buildings were the places where performers hatched illusions,

and I like opera because it is today I think the most complex thing,

bringing together orchestra, soloists,

chorus, dancers, sets, lighting,

magic.

Every October, the Teatro Regio organises a Verdi season.

Co-director Saskia Boddeke is rehearsing her production

of his early work, Giovanna D'Arco,

which tells the story of the martyred Joan of Arc.

-Hello, I'm Michael.

-Hello, nice to meet you.

Very good to see you. Thank you for taking a moment while you're putting

your production together.

Why is Verdi enduringly popular, do you think?

I think because it's possible to

connect the content of what he's saying,

it's very political,

to what's happening now, and that is, I think, why he stays popular.

Verdi strongly supported

the unification of Italy's disparate states into a single country.

Some of his works,

such as the famous Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves,

were adopted as unofficial anthems of Italian nationalism,

and Verdi even served in the united Italy's first parliament.

Saskia's interpretation of Joan Of Arc

will itself raise plenty of political issues.

I don't know how a director works.

What are you working out now with these cubes?

Well, this is the end of the opera,

because I'll use actually nothing of stage or props, only these cubicles.

At the end of the opera, Giovanna has died

and we build up with these cubicles a wall

and then we will have a video on it of a dance,

and the children, refugee children, around Europe.

A contemporary reference.

Yes, absolutely.

CHORUS SINGS IN ITALIAN

HE GIVES INSTRUCTIONS

The great Verdi choruses were repeated

by crowds of patriotic Italians in their day,

but it's fascinating to see how the professional chorus has to

rehearse again and again to achieve perfection.

Un cappuccino, per favore.

My train ride today will take me to a huge change of scenery

and of culture.

With 170km to cover on this leg of my journey,

I'm taking the fast train.

It carries me north-east,

across the fertile plains of the Po Valley

and toward the foothills of the Alps.

A century ago, the traveller on this line would shortly have crossed into

Austria-Hungary, because the border in those days ran along

the northern shore of Lake Garda,

even though many Italian speakers lived further north.

After the First World War,

the victorious Allies redrew the border with Austria

here at the Brenner Pass, and the rechristening of these towns

with Italian names began.

High-speed train, alpine scenery. Bradshaw's says,

"In South Tyrol, a wonderful route leads over the Fugazza Pass."

The Alps, which had so long been a challenge for railway engineers,

proved, by the time of my Bradshaw's,

to be a superb testing ground for the nemesis of the train -

the motor car.

Tucked into a beautiful mountain landscape,

Rovereto is built along the Adige River

and dominated by its 14th-century castle.

In the early 20th century,

all eyes turned to it during a celebrated challenge

for the world's best-known carmakers, the Alpine Trial.

I'm reliving the glamour and excitement

in one of the most luxurious cars

available to the 21st-century motorist,

a Rolls-Royce Dawn.

Sharing the thrill on the winding roads above Rovereto

is motoring writer Davide Bassoli.

What were these trials that were held here

in the early part of the 20th century?

Yeah, the Alpine Trial was an endurance test

for the major car manufacturers. These endurance tests had rules.

One of the rules was that the cars cannot stall,

and this was for 1,800km,

1,200 miles.

What sort of technology did they have in those days?

The gearbox was very difficult to use

because you needed the double-declutching,

not just for the down change but also for the up change.

So it was very, very difficult to drive those cars

and also the steering - no power steering at all.

Rolls-Royce knew that a win at the trial

would show the world what British engineering could do.

In 1912, British motorist James Radley

tried and failed when his Silver Ghost stalled on the mountain roads.

But Radley was not to be deterred.

In 1913, the next year, they entered four cars.

Three cars were official by Rolls-Royce

and one private, by James Radley.

When James Radley took delivery of the car in London,

to christen the car,

he ordered a bottle of champagne,

and he poured a glass inside the radiator.

So, at the end of the trial, what is the result?

Oh, it was immense.

James Radley was the man who won this race.

In Europe, and outside Europe, also in America,

everybody knew now about the Rolls-Royce and its reliability,

and Europe and the world realised that that was

the best car in the world.

My four-wheeled alpine diversion has been invigorating

but the rails beckon once more.

The Brenner Railway transports me north,

through the province of Trentino.

My next stop will be Trent, or Trento.

It's in Italy today but appears in Bradshaw's in the Austrian section.

"It has many fine streets,

"palaces and towers, and is thoroughly Italian in character."

At the time of my guidebook,

the status of Italian-speaking places like Trento

was increasingly controversial.

Some felt the unification of Italy wouldn't be complete until these

so-called unredeemed lands were part of the motherland.

An ardent campaigner was Cesare Battisti.

Historian Francesco Frizzera is sharing the story.

-Hello, Michael.

-How are you?

-I'm fine, thanks.

-Nice to meet you.

-Nice to be here.

-Who was Battisti?

-Well, Battisti was a socialist,

he was born in Trento, just over there.

He was convinced that the

Italian-speaking population of Trentino

could have better working opportunities in Italy

because they were a minority group in Austria-Hungary.

But the local population was used to the status quo

and loyal to the Austro-Hungarian crown.

Battisti set out to use the press to win hearts and minds.

He founded a very important newspaper, whose name is Il Popolo.

That was a socialist newspaper.

He became a formidable journalist

and he developed a great ability to manage the public opinion.

The nationalist cause in Trentino gained momentum.

But it was war that would change the province's destiny.

When the First World War erupted, Italy took a neutral stance,

but Battisti fought to change that.

In 1914, he fled to Italy

and then he organised a great campaign

to convince the Italian middle class

to join the war against Austria-Hungary.

You have to think that Italy and Austria were allied since 1882

and, also, the Italian parliament in 1914 was against the war.

Nevertheless, he was able to convince the Italian public opinion

to enter the war.

The Allies had promised to redraw the Italian border

in the event of victory.

After four years of bloodshed,

the Treaty of Saint-Germain gave Trentino to Italy.

Battisti's vision was realised, but he didn't live to see it.

Fighting for Italy in 1916,

he was captured by Austrian troops and executed for treason.

The skilful use of the media, the manipulation of public opinion,

these are sometimes known as the black arts of politics.

Starting from a position where the Italian population of Trento

didn't feel discontent living under a foreign emperor,

Cesare Battisti managed to persuade all of Italy

to go to war with Austria-Hungary.

Quite an achievement.

I've re-joined the railway line north of Trento

on a delightful morning

at a beautiful railway station called Vipiteno.

On the final leg of my journey,

I'm climbing 21km north-east into the Alps

to Brenner on what is now the Austrian border.

Bradshaw's recommends the spa of Brennerbad,

4,390 feet above sea level at the watershed between the Adriatic

and the Black Sea,

at the highest point of the celebrated Brenner Railway.

The Brenner Pass, for centuries the route for armies and pilgrims,

was mastered by the railways in the 19th century.

I'm keen to penetrate how they're boring ahead today.

At 1,371 metres, the Brenner Pass is the lowest in the Alps.

The Austria-Hungarian Empire built the first railway here in 1867,

and almost half of all alpine freight

still passes along this route.

But the line is steep and curved, with inclines of up to 27%.

Now a new high-speed railway

will bore straight under the mountains in the

world's second-longest tunnel, the Brenner Base Tunnel,

and I'm privileged to get a look behind the scenes.

Hi, Michael. Nice to have you here on the Brenner Base Tunnel Project.

I can't wait to see it.

To reveal the vast scale of the project,

Simon Lochmann is driving me deep beneath the mountain,

and the first thing that hits you is the smell.

The smell is because of the explosions.

When explosive gets in contact with concrete,

it has a kind of sulphate-ammonia smell.

On the current twisting rail route,

speeds rarely exceed 70km per hour.

The engineers here are literally moving mountains

in order to cut journey times across the Alps.

So what you are seeing here is the main tunnel

of the Brenner Base Tunnel.

We have two big tubes where the tracks are inside,

there's just a single track,

and the trains always go just in one direction.

That permits us also to go at quite a high velocity,

that means the trains can reach up to 250km per hour.

And what size is all this going to be?

From Innsbruck to Fortezza in Italy is 55km long.

So we have an entire tunnel system of around 230km to do,

and all this spoil has to come out of the mountain, of course.

Immense tunnel-boring machines drill the main tunnel tubes,

but for smaller sections, explosives are used.

Simon, what are these guys here doing?

So they are preparing the next explosion here.

How far forward will that take them?

Normally, we are making 1.7 metres every time we make an explosion,

but it could be that we make 2 metres or 1.3.

It's really depending on the rock.

That's an awful lot of bangs to build your tunnel.

This boring machine has two arms on each side,

and they're used to thrust forward this drill into the mountain

and into those boreholes the explosive will be placed,

and following the explosion, with luck,

we'll be 1.7 metres nearer to our destination.

Travellers on the Brenner Railway above have no idea that beneath them

there's an explosion every three to six hours.

HE SHOUTS

The Brenner Base Tunnel should open in 2026,

revolutionising trade and travel throughout Europe,

the project's ambition and complexity

underlying the achievement of those 19th-century engineers

on whose success we've relied for more than 100 years.

On my journey through many tunnels, I've seen how brilliant were the

Italian railway-builders of the 19th century.

Some Italians thought that a modern nation's prestige

required colonies too

and were lured into the First World War

by British promises of territorial gain.

Italy then fell victim to the extreme nationalism

of Mussolini's fascists and to defeat in World War II.

It has emerged from that darkness into true modernity and, today,

once more, expresses its ambition and its internationalism through

dramatic civil engineering.

'Next time, I take an invigorating dip in the Baltic Sea...'

Absolutely FREEZING!

'..I'm caught up in a macabre medieval tournament...'

It seems to be very brutal.

They're using their shields to strike each other's throats.

'..the bell tolls for me...'

BELL CLANGS

That's an enormous noise.

'..and I find peace on the water.'

A completely different and special moment.