The Invention Of... Folgen

The Alps form a vast mountain barrier stretching from Vienna to Nice, dividing German north from Latin south. Misha Glenny tackles our shared European history in a totally unexpected way, exploring the impact of the Alps on our culture, our economy and the formation of eight European states. Why are the Alps riddled with frontiers, and how have so many countries managed to take a bite of this famous mountain range? Misha reveals how areas such as Savoy and Tyrol were ripped apart by competing powers, and why Switzerland - which has no real reason to exist - has managed to survive. With contributions from nationalist leader of La Ligue Savoisienne Patrice Abeille, author of the White War Mark Thompson, and Jon Mathieu, the founding director of the Institute of the Alps.

The Alps form a vast mountain barrier stretching from Vienna to Nice, dividing German north from Latin south. Misha Glenny tackles our shared European history in a totally unexpected way, exploring the impact of the Alps on our culture, our economy and the formation of eight European states. In this first programme, Misha focuses on the mountain passes, and why controlling these cracks in the Alps was the key to moving from north to south.

Misha Glenny traces the career of Italian nationalist hero Giuseppe Garibaldi.He explores the background to Garibaldi's most glorious exploit, the landing of a thousand men on Sicily and the heroic efforts that liberated all of southern Italy. On his travels, he meets former mayor of Palermo Leoluca Orlando, the man who stood up to the mafia.