The Mont Blanc Tunnel links Chamonix, Haute-Savoie, with Courmayeur, Valle d’Aosta, and – from an Italian perspective at least – is one of the most important transport routes in the country (not because you can get from one ski resort to the other but because it effectively links Turin and Milan with Geneva). The idea was originally conceived in the 19th century, as a rail route, but the agreement to actually build the tunnel was not signed until 1949. Drilling began in 1959, and the tunnel was opened to traffic in 1965.