One of the most extraordinary engineering works ever created has brought the Ossola Valley worldwide renown for decades: the Simplon Railway Tunnel, that still connects Domodossola (the entrance is in the village of Iselle, in the municipality of Trasquera) to Brig, in the Canton of Valais.
Constructed in just seven years at the turn of the 20th century, the Simplon Tunnel, which involved great difficulties and took a heavy toll on human life (106 people died during its construction and 58 of these deaths were directly related to accidents in the tunnel), was the last of the great tunnels of the era. This exceptionally complex structure, which extends for almost 20 kilometres and was the longest railway tunnel in the world for 75 years, was the result of an innovative project that required the experience and tenacity of over 3000 miners, who managed to extend it at an average daily rate of 7 metres.
