Stone Through the Valley 2

This is exactly the kind of structure that feels as though it belongs to the landscape rather than sitting on top of it. The old stone railway viaduct in Ticino carries the rail line high above the road through enormous masonry arches, with the forest and mountains visible straight through them. Railways in this part of southern Switzerland had to negotiate steep mountainsides, rivers and deep gorges, which meant bridges, viaducts and tunnels became fundamental pieces of the route rather than occasional obstacles to overcome.

And the stone is what makes these shots. From a distance, the arches become two huge windows into the valley; underneath, the scale completely changes as those massive piers disappear upward through the trees. There is something almost ancient-looking about it, despite the electric railway equipment running across the top — old-world masonry carrying a thoroughly modern transportation system through the mountains.

The result is one of those very Swiss combinations: engineering that is substantial enough to conquer the terrain, but somehow still looks like it has always been there.