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Scottish Sun
3 hours ago
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
I fear the worst for my dear pal Michael Schumacher – if only we could know more about how he is
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MICHAEL Schumacher's former pal says he fears the worst over the F1 legend's condition. Details surrounding the star's health have been kept under lock and key since he suffered a near-fatal ski accident in 2013. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Michael Schumacher pictured in Monza, Italy in 2005 Credit: Getty 4 Schumacher with his wife Corinna in Madonna di Campiglio in 2003 Credit: AFP 4 Richard Hopkins said the F1 legend ghosted him after he shot to fame Credit: SUPPLIED Ex-Red Bull boss Richard Hopkins - who enjoyed regular coffee breaks with Schumacher in the early 1990s - said the lack of information for more than a decade stokes his fears about his condition. Hopkins, Head of Operations at Red Bull from 2013 to 2015, met Schumacher he was a mechanic at McLaren and the F1 great was at Benetton. He watched as Schumacher's career skyrocketed until he retired in 2012 with a joint record seven world titles. But the following year, Schumacher - now 56 - suffered a devastating head injury while skiing on Alpine slopes in France. Protective wife Corinna has not revealed any details about his condition and he has not been seen in public since. And Hopkins says the longer time goes on without an update, the more he fears about the true nature of his health. He told The Sun: "It's a shame and I wish we all knew a bit more. I get it and I understand it, it's very private to them. "But the danger of course is that we all make assumptions of how he is, and probably none of our assumptions are accurate. "We create an assumption that is probably worse and darker than his condition probably is, and then a lot of us look on the bright side and hope it's a lot better than it actually is. "I saw the recent story about him signing a crash helmet, and there's an MS on it. We'd all love to believe he got a pen out the draw and signed it but there was probably some assistance along the way. "I wish we had a better idea, not just me, all of us in motor racing. It's sad because even the 'keep fighting Michael' message has kind of been forgotten. 'But it's life and we all move on. It's very sad that we just don't know and we don't hear from him. It's sad that he doesn't attend races or make public appearances. 'He was an amazing guy, extraordinary character and amazingly successful." Close pal Flavio Briatore, who led Schumacher to his first two titles at Benetton, recently offered a heartbreaking insight into his health. He appeared to confirm Schumacher, who joined Ferrari after Benetton where he won five titles, was bed-bound. What do we know about Schumacher since his accident? MICHAEL Schumacher's life changed forever on December 29, 2013, when a skiing accident left the seven-time F1 champion with a severe brain injury. Since then, his family has protected his privacy, with only a select few remaining in contact with the racing legend. December 29, 2013 - The skiing accident: Schumacher suffers a life-threatening head injury while skiing off-piste in Méribel, France. He falls and hits his head on a rock, causing severe brain trauma despite wearing a helmet. He is airlifted to a hospital in Grenoble, where he undergoes two emergency surgeries. Doctors place him in a medically induced coma to reduce swelling in his brain. January 2014 - Schumacher fights for his life: Schumacher remains in a coma. Doctors describe his condition as 'critical but stable'. His family, led by wife Corinna, remains at his bedside. The world's F1 community rallies behind him, with fans holding vigils outside the hospital. June 2014 - Schumacher brought out of his coma: After nearly six months, Schumacher is brought out of his coma. His family confirms he is no longer in a coma but gives no further health details. He is transferred from Grenoble to a rehabilitation facility in Lausanne, Switzerland. September 2014 - Back home: Schumacher is moved to his family home near Lake Geneva. Corinna announces he will continue his recovery at home, with a dedicated medical team. 2015–2018 - Mystery surrounding his health: Reports suggest Schumacher is receiving round-the-clock medical care at home, costing £50,000 per week. Jean Todt reveals he still visits Schumacher and that they watch F1 races together. May 2017 - German magazine sued by Schumacher's family: The magazine Bunte has to pay Michael Schumacher €50,000 (£42,000) in damages after claiming in 2015 that Schumacher would walk again. The Hamburg regional court determined that the statement was false and infringed upon Schumacher's right to privacy. September 2019 - Schumacher secretly transferred to Paris: French media reports that Schumacher is taken to Paris for stem cell therapy at the Georges-Pompidou Hospital. The procedure is led by renowned surgeon Dr. Philippe Menasché. Details of the treatment remain undisclosed. December 2019 - Manager issues rare statement: Schumacher's longtime manager Sabine Kehm says his condition will remain private. She dismisses speculation and false reports about his health. September 2021 - Netflix documentary 'Schumacher' released: A new Netflix documentary, Schumacher, provides rare insights into his life. Corinna speaks publicly about his condition for the first time, saying: 'Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength.' December 2023 - 10 years since the accident: Schumacher turns 55. The anniversary of his accident is marked by tributes from the F1 world. Jean Todt confirms he still sees Schumacher regularly and describes his visits as 'full of affection'. September 2024 - Daughter Gina's wedding: Gina Schumacher, 27, marries longtime boyfriend Iain Bethke at the family's £27million Majorca villa. Reports claim Schumacher attends the wedding, but close friend Johnny Herbert later calls it 'A1 fake news'. Guests are reportedly required to hand over their phones to prevent leaks. March 2025 - Schumacher becomes a grandfather: Daughter Gina announces arrival of first child with husband Iain Bethke. The pair tied the knot in September 2024. Gina revealed the birth on Instagram and wrote: "Welcome to the world, Millie. Born on March 29th, our hearts are fuller than ever." Briatore told Corriere della Sera: 'If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory. 'I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed.' Hopkins said he used to bump into Corinna but hasn't seen her, or anyone else close to him, since the crash. He added: 'I just haven't crossed paths with them. 'The circle of people close to Michael is very small, Jean Todt, Corrina, Mick, and a few others who spend time with him. 'Everything about Michael's situation is kept private, and those who are close to him, including his nursing team, are bound by an absolute circle of trust. 'I did meet Corinna a couple of times, if only just to say hi and everything else. My interactions with Michael weren't shared with Corinna. 'But even if I did bump into her now, and I asked how Michael was, she would probably just say he's fine. I didn't know her well enough for her to share information with me." What happened to Michael Schumacher? MICHAEL Schumacher's life was hanging by a thread 12 years ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries. The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain. Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then 14-year-old son set off on the Combe de Saulire ski run in the exclusive French resort of Meribel. Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was not travelling at excessive speed when his skis struck a rock hidden beneath the snow. He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for two life-saving operations. At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed. At the time, medics said Schumacher was likely to stay in an induced coma for at least 48 hours as his body and mind recovered. But the coma ended up lasting 250 days - more than eight months. After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment. Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status. Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but can react to things around him. In 2019, it was said that Schumacher was set to undergo breakthrough stem cell therapy in a bid to regenerate and rebuild his nervous system. Renowned France cardiologist Dr Philippe Menasche, who had operated on him previously, was set to carry out the treatment that would see cells from his heart go to his brain. Following the treatment at the Georges Pompidou Hospital in Paris, he was said to be "conscious", although few other details were given about his state. He added: 'If he could be at a race today, I wonder if he would be? I wonder if he would love it today, rocking up at a race track, everyone would love him being there. "But I don't think he would, actually. I think he'd spend more time on other interests, spending more time on a bloody horse than a race track now!" Schumacher retired in 2006 but made a brief comeback for Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. He is widely considered among the best to ever race in the sport. Only small hints have been released about his health since the accident. Briatore's ex-wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci, previously said he doesn't speak but communicates with his eyes. Corinna has also previously said he is now 'different, but here'.
The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
I fear the worst for my dear pal Michael Schumacher – if only we could know more about how he is
MICHAEL Schumacher's former pal says he fears the worst over the F1 legend's condition. Details Advertisement 4 Michael Schumacher pictured in Monza, Italy in 2005 Credit: Getty 4 Schumacher with his wife Corinna in Madonna di Campiglio in 2003 Credit: AFP 4 Richard Hopkins said the F1 legend ghosted him after he shot to fame Credit: SUPPLIED Ex-Red Bull boss Richard Hopkins - who enjoyed regular coffee breaks with Schumacher in the early 1990s - said the lack of information for more than a decade stokes his fears about his condition. Hopkins, Head of Operations at Red Bull from 2013 to 2015, met He watched as Schumacher's career skyrocketed until he retired in 2012 with a But the following year, Schumacher - now 56 - suffered a devastating head injury while skiing on Alpine slopes in Advertisement More on Schumacher Protective wife Corinna has not revealed And Hopkins says the longer time goes on without an update, the more he fears about the true nature of his health. He told The Sun: "It's a shame and I wish we all knew a bit more. I get it and I understand it, it's very private to them. "But the danger of course is that we all make assumptions of how he is, and probably none of our assumptions are accurate. Advertisement Most read in Motorsport Exclusive "We create an assumption that is probably worse and darker than his condition probably is, and then a lot of us look on the bright side and hope it's a lot better than it actually is. "I saw the recent story about him signing a crash helmet, and there's an MS on it. We'd all love to believe he got a pen out the draw and signed it but there was probably some assistance along the way. "I wish we had a better idea, not just me, all of us in motor racing. It's sad because even the 'keep fighting Michael' message has kind of been forgotten. 'But it's life and we all move on. It's very sad that we just don't know and we don't hear from him. It's sad that he doesn't attend races or make public appearances. Advertisement 'He was an amazing guy, extraordinary character and amazingly successful." Close pal Flavio Briatore, who led Schumacher to his first two titles at Benetton, recently offered a heartbreaking insight into his health. He appeared to confirm Schumacher, who joined Ferrari after Benetton where he won five titles, What do we know about Schumacher since his accident? MICHAEL Schumacher's life changed forever on December 29, 2013, when a skiing accident left the seven-time F1 champion with a severe brain injury. Since then, his family has protected his privacy, with only a select few remaining in contact with the racing legend. December 29, 2013 - The skiing accident : Schumacher suffers a life-threatening head injury while skiing off-piste in Méribel, France. He falls and hits his head on a rock, causing severe brain trauma despite wearing a helmet. He is airlifted to a hospital in Grenoble, where he undergoes two emergency surgeries. Doctors place him in a medically induced coma to reduce swelling in his brain. January 2014 - Schumacher fights for his life : Schumacher remains in a coma. Doctors describe his condition as 'critical but stable'. His family, led by wife Corinna, remains at his bedside. The world's F1 community rallies behind him, with fans holding vigils outside the hospital. June 2014 - Schumacher brought out of his coma : After nearly six months, Schumacher is brought out of his coma. His family confirms he is no longer in a coma but gives no further health details. He is transferred from Grenoble to a rehabilitation facility in Lausanne, Switzerland. September 2014 - Back home: Schumacher is moved to his family home near Lake Geneva. Corinna announces he will continue his recovery at home, with a dedicated medical team. 2015–2018 - Mystery surrounding his health: Reports suggest Schumacher is receiving round-the-clock medical care at home, costing £50,000 per week. Jean Todt reveals he still visits Schumacher and that they watch F1 races together. May 2017 - German magazine sued by Schumacher's family: The magazine Bunte has to pay Michael Schumacher €50,000 (£42,000) in damages after claiming in 2015 that Schumacher would walk again. The Hamburg regional court determined that the statement was false and infringed upon Schumacher's right to privacy. September 2019 - Schumacher secretly transferred to Paris : French media reports that Schumacher is taken to Paris for stem cell therapy at the Georges-Pompidou Hospital. The procedure is led by renowned surgeon Dr. Philippe Menasché. Details of the treatment remain undisclosed. December 2019 - Manager issues rare statement : Schumacher's longtime manager Sabine Kehm says his condition will remain private. She dismisses speculation and false reports about his health. September 2021 - Netflix documentary 'Schumacher' released : A new Netflix documentary, Schumacher, provides rare insights into his life. Corinna speaks publicly about his condition for the first time, saying: 'Michael is here. Different, but he's here, and that gives us strength.' December 2023 - 10 years since the accident : Schumacher turns 55. The anniversary of his accident is marked by tributes from the F1 world. Jean Todt confirms he still sees Schumacher regularly and describes his visits as 'full of affection'. September 2024 - Daughter Gina's wedding : Gina Schumacher, 27, marries longtime boyfriend Iain Bethke at the family's £27million Majorca villa. Reports claim Schumacher attends the wedding, but close friend Johnny Herbert later calls it 'A1 fake news'. Guests are reportedly required to hand over their phones to prevent leaks. March 2025 - Schumacher becomes a grandfather : Daughter Gina announces arrival of first child with husband Iain Bethke. The pair tied the knot in September 2024. Gina revealed the birth on Instagram and wrote: "Welcome to the world, Millie. Born on March 29th, our hearts are fuller than ever." Briatore told Corriere della Sera: 'If I close my eyes, I see him smiling after a victory. Advertisement 'I prefer to remember him like that rather than him just lying on a bed.' Hopkins said he used to bump into Corinna but hasn't seen her, or anyone else close to him, since the crash. He added: 'I just haven't crossed paths with them. 'The Advertisement 'Everything about Michael's situation is kept private, and those who are close to him, including his nursing team, are bound by an absolute circle of trust. 'I did meet Corinna a couple of times, if only just to say hi and everything else. My interactions with Michael weren't shared with Corinna. 'But even if I did bump into her now, and I asked how Michael was, she would probably just say he's fine. I didn't know her well enough for her to share information with me." What happened to Michael Schumacher? MICHAEL Schumacher's life was hanging by a thread 12 years ago as medics tried desperately to keep him alive after a tragic skiing crash that left him with horrific brain injuries. The F1 legend was given the best possible treatment as he was put into a medically induced coma, had his body temperature lowered and underwent hours of tricky operations on his brain. Back in 2013, the retired seven-time world champion, and his then Footage from his helmet camera revealed he was He catapulted forward 11.5ft and crashed into a boulder head first that split his helmet into two and left him needing to be airlifted to hospital for At one point his family were told to brace themselves for the worst case scenario as the situation was much worse than originally believed. At the time, medics said But the coma ended up lasting 250 days - more than eight months. After he woke up in June 2014, he was discharged from hospital and sent to his home in Lake Geneva to get further treatment. Since then his wife Corinna and his inner circle of friends have expertly avoided almost anything leaking out about his health status. Only small amounts of information have been released including reports that Schumacher was in a wheelchair but In 2019, it was said that Renowned Following He added: 'If he could be at a race today, I wonder if he would be? I wonder if he would love it today, rocking up at a race track, everyone would love him being there. Advertisement "But I don't think he would, actually. I think he'd spend more time on other interests, spending more time on a bloody horse than a race track now!" Schumacher retired in 2006 but made a brief comeback for Mercedes from 2010 to 2012. He is widely considered among the best to ever race in the sport. Only small hints have been released about his health since the accident. Advertisement Briatore's ex-wife, Elisabetta Gregoraci, previously said he doesn't speak but communicates with his eyes. Corinna has also previously said he is now 'different, but here'. 4
National Geographic
17 hours ago
- Science
- National Geographic
A Swiss village was buried under a mountain. This town could be next.
In the past century, scientists have observed more rockfalls and avalanches in the Alps, a looming threat to nearby villages. In this aerial view, rubble and ice fill a portion of the Loetschental Valley following a landslide on June 3, 2025 in Blatten, Switzerland. Over 317 million cubic feet of rubble, mud, and ice fell on to Blatten on May 28. Photograph by Robert Hradil, Getty Images Last month, Lukas Kalbermatten-Ritler stood in a hamlet overlooking the small Swiss village of Blatten opposite the Birch Glacier, holding up his camera phone up in disbelief. 'It was like a bomb went off,' says Kalbermatten-Ritler, who's home and historic third-generation family-owned Hotel Edelweiss was destroyed on May 28. 'There were black rocks coming like a wall over the glacier, like it was a big hand taking the village. This was the moment I stopped filming. I didn't want to film when my village was falling.' It took 28 seconds for the landslide from the collapse of the glacier to cover 600-year-old wooden homes in one of Switzerland's oldest and most picturesque valley villages in hard brown, cold sandpaper sludge that will be sinking for years. The collapse was so powerful it registered as a 3.1 magnitude earthquake. It was a village that scientists never expected to see almost completely buried by 328 million cubic feet of falling rock and ice. Destroyed houses float in the water from the river Lonza that formed a lake beside the massive avalanche, triggered by the collapse of the Birch Glacier. Photograph by Michael Buholzer, Keystone/AP A house is submerged in water following a glacier collapse. Photograph by Michael Buholzer, Keystone/AP Yet there are others, like Kandersteg, a Swiss tourist town nine miles away that scientists watch anxiously. It sits in the shadow of an unstable cliffside called Spitze Stei could trigger a landslide with twice the ice and rock debris that flattened Blatten. Scientists say it should have fallen by now. 'We can't predict exactly when disasters like this will happen,' says Matthias Huss, senior glaciologist at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology and director of the Swiss glacier monitoring network. Even with the best rockfall, landslide, and avalanche monitoring systems in the world, Alpine towns remain in uncertain danger. Magazine for all ages starting at $25/year In the worst-case scenario, over 700 million cubic feet of limestone and marl will come crashing down into Lake Oeschinen, itself a result of landslides 3,200 years ago. The splash would send a wave 2.5 miles into the center of Kandersteg, covering around 25 percent of the town, including hotels, homes, and the school. Other less-severe, likelier, models show smaller, still destructive debris flows surpassing safety dams built by the village, according to Nils Hahlen, head of the natural hazard division for the Office of Forest and Natural Hazards in the Swiss canton, or state, of Bern. The landslide that devastated the town of Blatten was unexpected. In other, nearby villages, scientists have identified unstable cliff faces that might trigger similar tides of rock, water, and debris in the future. Photograph by Michael Buholzer, Keystone/AP 'But mountain people are robust. They don't move out of their villages because of changing threats unless authorities decide it's too risky to stay,' says Markus Stoffel, a geomorphologist at the University of Geneva who grew up near Blatten and Kandersteg. Most of the town's 1,300 residents remain. On mountain watch Four hours into what was billed as a 'short' (eight-mile) hike, I rest on a mossy stump while my 75-year-old mountain guide smokes a pipe. Mountain guides don't eat much, Fritz Loretan tells me. He's also a man of few words (clocking it down the trail in loafer sneakers with no tread), and when he talks about the looming threat in Kandersteg, he explains: 'When you grow up in the mountains, then you are used to them, and you won't feel safe in other places.' In 2018, while paragliding over Spitze Stei, Loretan's friend saw 'a cut in the mountain,' and alerted authorities. Experts realized the outer rock section could fall at any moment. That was the year Spitze Stei became the most watched rock in Switzerland via high-tech drones, radar surveys, GPS, and cameras. 'At Spitze Stei the main water sources are snowmelt and rain. The exact amount of water in the mountain is one of the unknown factors,' says Hahlen. Since Earth's last ice age, rockfaces have been routinely dislodged from Alpine peaks as a result of natural movement. But in the past century, scientists have seen more rockfalls and avalanches. Glaciers and permafrost—the high-altitude frozen soil, rock, and sediment that acts like glue to hold the mountains together—are melting as a result of the warming temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions. A view of a landslide in Brienz, three days apart, from November of last year. As the region warms, ice and frozen soil are melting and unsticking the glue that once held parts of the mountain together. Photograph by Gian Ehrenzeller, Keystone/AP (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Gian Ehrenzeller, Keystone/AP (Bottom) (Right) As this icy glue melts, it allows water to penetrate cracks in the mountain, build pressure, and eventually rupture, triggering more frequent and severe landslides, rockslides, rockfalls, and avalanches, especially after intense rain and snow, another hazard of warming temperatures. 'In the next few years and decades, we expect an increase in risk from permafrost rock,' says Felix Pfluger, chair of landslide research at the Technical University of Munich. While catastrophic rock and snow fall can go virtually unnoticed in the remote regions of Alaska, Siberia, or northern Canada, they're an existential threat to many Alpine communities. The landslide that covered Blatten isn't the first tragedy in the Alps from a rockfall. This past June, residents of the Swiss village of Brienz/Brinzauls evacuated for the fourth time in two years from a rockslide threat (after debris stopped just shy of the village in 2023). Eight hikers and ten homes in the valley of Bondo didn't survive a devastating landslide in 2017. Stoffel says he expects more chain-reaction disasters with bigger consequences in the Alps—rock avalanches overloading glacier ice and causing it to liquify and slide down the slope, like in Blatten. His research shows 'a clear tendency for such [catastrophic chain-reaction] events to become more frequent in a warming world,' he says. '...especially after heavy rain.' A view of Kandersteg, Switzerland in October, 2023. While the region is being closely monitored, it remains safe. Photograph by Noemie Vieillard, Hans Lucas/Redux 'If you ask the older people in the village, they'll tell you there was always falling debris,' says Kandersteg's Mayor Maeder René-François. Growing up in Kandersteg, he remembers poking a pole into the cracks between ice and snow to search for bodies after an avalanche took out half a hotel in high season. There's a long history of rockfall and landslides, he says, as recent as 2023 and even this past May five died here in an avalanche. 'With climate change, it's happening faster. It rains harder, the days are hotter, and the fog sets in thicker over the mountain,' he says. 'But people here are not scared, it's life in the mountains. They respect that they must act in the correct way and follow the evacuation plan.' Since 2021, Kandersteg has enforced a ban on all new construction to minimize potential damage in the village district, closed a section of town, and built dams to reroute lake water. 'Big disasters normally start smaller. Instabilities with rock fall over a certain time start with cracks opening. A mountain doesn't just disappear out of the blue. There are always precursor signs,' says Stoffel. 'And if you take them seriously and observe the changes continuously, then, then you may not be able to protect the buildings or the village, but you can save lives.' While no one knows exactly when or what section of Spitze Stei will start sliding down the mountain, when it starts to crumble, residents and tourists should have at least 24 to 48 hours to evacuate. On a warm mid-June day, I followed tourists with hiking packs and poles to a mountain chalet built in 1880 and pulled up a lunch chair under an apple-red umbrella that matched a nearby Swiss flag and took in the brilliant turquoise of Lake Oeschinen–glistening and undisturbed by falling rocks, for now. Swimmers and paddlers snap selfies; a bride and groom pose by cows grazing near a roped-off section of the beach—their bells clanging measure with the chirping birds. 'None of them know they're right under it,' my server, David Brunoldi, told me when I asked him which rock is Spitze Stei. He points to the 9,800-foot frosty peak above us. 'More rocks are coming down every day.' Brunoldi says mountain people stay in Kandersteg for generations because it's home. On this picture-perfect, rugged Alpine terrain, where rockfall has always been a risk, his grandfather worked and died on a mountain train. Last year alone, an increasing 2.8 million cubic feet of rock crumbled down into the lake. 'No need to worry though, Brunoldi adds. 'It's not falling today.'
Local Italy
a day ago
- Local Italy
Via Spluga: The Alpine walk that inspired my lifelong love of Italy's mountains
If you go north of Lake Como and up towards Chiavenna, instead of going straight on to Switzerland and St. Moritz, you turn left up into the Spluga Valley, or Val di Giüst, as the locals call it. Giüst because it refers to the giusti, those who were 'in the right', who kept well away from the religious disagreements in the 15th and 16th centuries, and so enjoyed a certain level of autonomy. The road starts to climb up in a series of switchbacks and a few hairpin bends, through the village of San Giacomo Filippo, up to Campodolcino, and then on and up through the Spluga Valley (or Val di Giüst) and up to the Spluga Pass. I spent two summers up here in 2022 and 2023. The first year we rented an apartment in Campodolcino and the year after in Madesimo, known for its skiing and loved by the Milanese. In many ways, it was a return to my early years in Italy at the turn of the new century. I'd walked, camped up mountains and on mountainsides with the sound of cowbells to wake you up in the morning, skied, eaten in the restaurants and refuges, and generally lived what I call the second part of my youth. I arrived in Italy at 24 because it seemed like as good an idea as any at the time. The first time I slept in a tent up a mountain was with my new Italian boyfriend, now husband, and his mates just above Campodolcino. It was the blueprint for a relationship and for a life of mountains, refuges, walking, skiing, always being in nature. At the time I was living in Lecco on Lake Como. My life took place between Lake Como and Livigno, which was our favourite skiing destination, and around pretty much all that there was between. The Spluga Valley, Campodolcino and Chiavenna all played major parts. Fast-forward 25 years, and going back to that apartment in Campodolcino was in many ways like coming home. I'd drive up the SS36 along the lake. It was a route I'd done so many times, and I knew it like the back of my hand. During this summer, I often sat outside the Albergo Posta up at Montespluga, just before you go over the pass and down into Switzerland. It was then that I started to wonder: Who walked these routes? Why were they used? What was their purpose? I could find all the relevant information for walking them, but what about the stories behind them? A view of the Alpine village of Montespluga, along the historic Via Spluga route. Photo by Rachael Martin. I walked along parts of the Via Spluga, with its stories of merchants and travellers, smugglers, pilgrims and armies. Back and forth between Italy and the rest of Europe they went along a vital route that linked Milan with Chur in Switzerland and the rest of Europe. However you choose to leave Italy and go north, it involves mountains and the Alps. The Via Spluga was a major route across those Alps. It dates back to Roman times when Emperor Augustus wanted a route along which he could go off and conquer the region of Raeita, as it became known in Latin, on the other side of the Alps. It covered Alto Adige, western Austria, part of Bavaria, the Swiss region of the Grigioni or Grisons, and the Valtellina. It was an important route during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, when the Duchy of Milan was one of the most powerful states in northern Italy. Leonardo da Vinci lived at the court of Milan for a while. It was during this period that he painted The Last Supper at the Basilica di Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. We know that he also visited Chiavenna and the Acquafraggia waterfalls as he writes about them in his Codex Atlanticus. Nowadays you'll find a stream of tourists, walkers and motorcyclists coming across the pass, as other passes have taken precedence with the advent of the railways and roads. The railway arrived at the Brenner Pass during the middle of the 19th century, and the first road, as we know it, was built at the Stelvio Pass in the 1820s under the Austrian Empire. It was in this way, sitting up at Montespluga and walking parts of the Via Spluga, that a map started to form in my mind. It was made up of places I'd loved and walked in, places that had so many stories to tell of the local areas and of Italy as a whole. It involved maps all over the walls of my kitchen as it gradually began to take shape. The result is my latest book, which is my own love letter to Italy, and links my past here with my present. A view of the Via Spluga trail above a water reservoir in the heart of the Swiss-Italian Alps. Photo by Rachael Martin. My husband's grandfather, who was born in Lodi and lived the second part of his life up in Valsassina in the mountains above Lecco, used to say that la vita è una ruota: life is a wheel. We come back to places for a reason. I write my books in order to understand place and my own relationship to place. In this sense, Walking Italy was an exploration of my relationship to the country I have grown to call home.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Private jet instead of EasyJet: Hamilton gives Colapinto a lift
British Formula One driver of Scuderia Ferrari Lewis Hamilton arrives to the padock during the pre-event coverage of the Formula 1 Austrian GP at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg. Erwin Scheriau/APA/dpa Alpine driver Franco Colapinto has said he had the experience of a lifetime when he swapped a recent flight on a lowcost carrier for a place in the private jet of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Colapinto told reporters in Spielberg ahead of Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix that Hamilton offered a place aboard his plane after the June 1 Spanish Grand Prix in the drivers' Whatsapp group. Advertisement He said that Hamilton asked if anyone was flying to London, that he had space on his plane, and "invited me to go" after he said he was also booked to London - on EasyJet. Giving other drivers a lift on a plane is not uncommon in F1 but it was a new and unique experience for the 22-year-old Argentine Colapinto. 'Lewis is a great guy. I had the best flight of my life with him. It was very special, very unique. I was very, very impressed by him," Colapinto said. Colapinto drove for nine races for Williams last year in his F1 debut and has now replaced Jack Doohan at Alpine, where the Austrian race will be his fifth after hje started the season as their reserve driver.
