Exactly 60 years ago, the tunnel beneath Mont Blanc, connecting Italy and France, was inaugurated by the Presidents of the Italian and French Republics, Giuseppe Saragat and Charles de Gaulle. Three days later, at 6 a.m., the tunnel—then "the longest in the world"—was opened to traffic.

The Mont Blanc Tunnel still today stands as one of Europe's most impressive engineering marvels. Completed in just 3½ years by roughly 2,000 workers—maintaining precision within mere centimeters—its construction presented unprecedented technical and human challenges.