Airolo

Airolo is a small village in the Swiss canton of Ticino situated at roughly 1,175 metres above sea level, at the southern approach to the Gotthard massif. As the exit point of the Gotthard Road Tunnel and a stop on the historic Gotthard Railway, it has served as a transit node between German-speaking Switzerland and Ticino since the 19th century. Linguistically it marks the shift into the Italian-speaking Leventina valley; for most travellers it is a waypoint, though the surrounding Alpine terrain offers walking routes into the Bedretto valley.