The Alps: A Human History From Hannibal To Heidi And Beyond, O'Shea - C

                                              This book is rather hard to characterize, and is perhaps best thought of as a rambling road trip monologue with no purpose or continuity. The mountains are 720 miles from France to Slovenia and 120 miles at their widest. They separate religions, languages and culture. The author starts  as he drives east from  Geneva. Only in the 17th and 18th century  did the beauty of the mountains overcome their fearfulness as dangerous places inhabited by 'les cretins du Alps'. Less than a day east from Geneva , we encounter the highest Alpine mountain, Mont Blanc at 16,372 feet. Climbed for the first time in the late 18th century, the mountain today is big business. The Savoyards guide 25,000 people per year to the summit. To the east lie the passes that were transversed by Hannibal, Constantine, Napoleon and many others on the way to Italy. Along the way, la Suisse becomes Scweiz as the Valais/Wallis cantonal boundary is also the site of an abrupt change of language.  We drive on the road where James Bond and Auric Goldfinger raced an Aston-Martin and a gold Rolls-Royce. At last the Gotthard Pass which delineates German and Italian, lard and olive oil and is called the rosti ditch. Nonetheless,  we remain in Switzerland. In a locale that the author calls Heidiland, we learn that 'Heidi' is the third most translated book after the Bible and the Koran. Southwest to Meiringen where Holmes and Moriarity had their fatal fall. West through two winter Olympics at Innsbruck and one at Garmisch-Partinkirchen, we reach Berchtesgaden and learn that today, Hitler's Eagles Nest is a tacky restaurant reached via a tourist shuttle. Back on an eastern track in Austria is Sandling, home to the dry caves where the Nazis stored their stolen works of art. On to St. Moritz and Confederation Helvetia once again, where two winter Olympics were held. What makes it truly special is that like most of the Rockies, St. Moritz receives 300 days of sun per year.  Finally to Italy and the city of Trent, home of the eponymous council which denied Protestantism and become the foundation of the Counter-Reformation. The Italian Alps, specifically Caporetto,  were  the scene of horrific losses for Italy in its struggle with the Austro-Hungarians in the first World War. We finish in Trieste, which the author concedes is not an Alpine city, but is the resting place of the Archduke Franz-Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie. And thankfully, this pointless exercise is complete.