Brenner Pass

wrapping the purchase in the bits of tissue paper.

I must not forget to add that this Brenner Pass, where the traveler of today journeys on the railway from Munich to Verona, is one of the oldest highways in the world.

The Etruscan merchants used to pass here, trading in iron with the northern nations, long before the Romans.

One day a tremendous rattling was heard inside the case of the mechanical bear.

He became the ruler of Verona in 1226, and quickly proved himself a shrewd operator with a talent for conflict.

Control of Verona was enormously important, because the city sat astride the Brenner Pass, the crucial alpine route connecting Italy with the heartland of the Holy Roman Empire.

Initially, Ezzelino sided with the Lombard League, the coalition of northern Italian cities opposing Emperor Frederick II.

But when it became clear the League favored his rivals, particularly the Este and San Bonifacio families, he switched allegiance.

End of Section 2 Section 3 of the Central Period of the Middle Age, 918-1273 by Beatrice A. Lees This LibriVox recording is in the public domain.

Recording by Pamela Nagami Chapter 1 The Saxon Emperors, 918-1002 Part 2 Otto arranged for the administration of his kingdom in his absence, saw his little son and namesake elected and crowned king of the Germans, and then, crossing the Brenner Pass with a great army, he marched unopposed through Pavia to Rome, and on February 2nd, 962, with his queen Adelaide, received the imperial crown from the hands of Pope John XII.

He confirmed to the papal see the territory granted to it by the Carolingian emperors, but the Pope had to swear fealty to the emperor, and Otto made it clear that he regarded the empire as supreme over the papacy.

He now turned to the task of subduing Berengar and Adelbert, who had taken refuge in their mountain strongholds.

Milan was the Rome of the north, the ancient capital of the Roman emperors, the later ecclesiastical center of northern Italy, the city of Saint Ambrose, as Rome was the city of Saint Peter.

South of Pavia, Piacenza gathered up the roads from the west and held the passage of the Po at the head of the wedge of marsh which ran inland from the Adriatic and made the river difficult to cross in its lower waters.

Far to the east, Verona commanded the Adige and the junction of the eastern road with the road from the Tyrol which crossed the Brenner Pass.

Another road from the Brenner ran to Venice, queen of the Adriatic, while on the western Mediterranean shore coast roads led southwards from Genoa to Pisa and Rome.

She was a very important person.

in a corner was wedged the case of one of those mechanical bears covered with black fur and wound up by means of a key in his side in the opposite corner were the venetian lion of st mark made of brass trinkets of straw and glass and a little neapolitan boy in mosaic on the lid of a box the st ulrich doll folded in a bit of tissue paper had been allowed to fall down anywhere she was made of a single stick of wood with a head carved on top but without arms or legs like the italian babies who are wound about with cloth until they resemble little mummies she remained quietly where she had been placed between a flannel waistcoat and a pair of stockings with her head resting on a meerschaum pipe she thought of her home and sighed yes she was homesick because she loved her own land as only the tyrolese and the swiss loved their native mountains the shy gentleman had bought the st ulrich doll at a booth under the stone archway of one of the streets of botzen he could not carry away with him the beautiful austrian tyrol except as pictures in his own mind and therefore he picked up the droll and ugly little st ulrich doll when i give the doll to nellie i will tell her about the mountain peaks where the hunters climb to shoot the chamois and the black cock and the valleys down toward italy where the grapes ripen and all about the castles perched like watch-towers along the brenner route thought the shy gentleman wrapping the purchase in the bits of tissue paper i must not forget to add that this brenner pass where the traveller of to-day journeys on the railway from munich to verona is one of the oldest highways in the world the etruscan merchants used to pass here trading in iron with the northern nations long before the romans one day a tremendous rattling was heard inside the case of the mechanical bear what is the matter are you seasick inquired the lion of st mark no grumbled the mechanical bear i have been standing on my head too long and if this voyage does not soon end my machinery will be out of order i shall growl at the wrong time we must be gifts for children i hope they like us said the st ulric doll i hope we shall like them said the french doll i come from a shop window from the boulevard des how can i live without peri just then the lid of the portmanteau was lifted and a custom officer looked in the steamer had reached new york here he is mamma cried a little girl as a carriage paused before the door of a house on gramercy square she had been looking out of the window now she ran downstairs and opened the front door two gentlemen got out of the carriage one was her uncle fred and the other a traveler with a brown beard whose arms were full of mysterious parcels and boxes this was the shy gentleman and nellie had always found him a good friend soon the parcels were distributed the mosaic box was for mother the brass lion for uncle fred and all the rest for nellie she was wild with delight the paris doll fascinated her all her friends were invited to admire the lady from the boulevards nellie could not eat or sleep or study her lessons she tried on all the dresses gloves bonnets and shoes the st ulric doll had been glanced at laid on the table and forgotten at length nellie wearied of so much splendor and her mother found the paris doll too fine for everyday play nellie noticed the st ulric doll then you have no clothes poor thing she said she opened her own work-box sought in a bag for a piece of blue flannel and began to sew soon the st ulric doll was clothed to be sure her gown was like a bag tied about her neck Nellie's mother, a pretty widow, said, I did not know he loved me.

Nellie whispered to the St. Ulrich doll that her mother was to marry the shy gentleman.

I thought there was a good reason for bringing us across the sea, said the St. Ulrich doll to the mechanical bear and the Paris lady.

The lake of Gemunden much struck Mary with its poetic beauty, and she felt it was the place she would like to retreat to for a summer.

From Ischal they went over the Brenner Pass of the Lago di Giarda on to Italy.

Mary was particularly struck by the beauties of Salzburg, with the immense plain half encircled by mountains, crowned by castles, with the high Alps towering above all.

She considered all this country superior to the Swiss Alps, and longed to pass months there sometime.

Ötztaler geht an mit der Abfahrt nach Ötz.

Dann geht's das Kühtai hinauf, Richtung Innsbruck über den Brenner nach Sterzing, von Sterzing über den Jaufenpass nach Sankt Leonhard, von Sankt Leonhard übers wunderschöne Timmelsjoch, achtzehnhundert Höhenmeter ganz zum Schluss und dann vom Timmelsjoch wieder bergab nach Sölden.

Gib uns doch mal so einen Kurzüberblick, äh, wie das gelaufen ist und dann gehen wir, glaube ich, die einzelnen Abschnitte gehen wir noch mal dann nacheinander durch.

durch.Ähm, ja, ich glaub, wenn man immer öfter fahrt, kann man sich's eigentlich schon ganz gut einteilen.

Und dann hab ich mir aber gedacht, nee, bleib, du darfst nie in diesen roten Bereich reingehen, sonst, sonst killt's dich am Schluss.

Und ja, dann war ich auch schon Kühtai oben.

Äh, Abfahrt ging ganz gut und Brenner langsame Gruppe, aber hab mich eigentlich auch ziemlich gefreut, weil in Innsbruck Freunde extra aus der Heimat angereist sind.

Ähm, die haben sehr coole Schilder gebastelt.

The air at Innsbruck was very cool and refreshing.

A strong wind was blowing down the Brenner Pass.

We attended English services in the saloon of the hotel.

It is a room gaily fitted up for concerts, and its windows command a fine view of the mountains.

In partnership with DraftKings, the crown is yours.

the beautiful blonde hair of this fashionable lady must not be disarranged and the boxes containing her dresses and gloves her boots mantles and parasols required much space she was a very important person in a corner was wedged the case of one of those mechanical bears covered with black fur and wound up by means of a key in his side in the opposite corner were the venetian lion of st mark made of brass trinkets of straw and glass and a little neapolitan boy in mosaic on the lid of a box the st ulrich doll folded in a bit of tissue paper had been allowed to fall down anywhere she was made of a single stick of wood with a head carved on top but without arms or legs like the italian babies who are wound about with cloth until they resemble little mummies she remained quietly where she had been placed between a flannel waistcoat and a pair of stockings with her head resting on a meerschaum pipe she thought of her home and sighed yes she was homesick because she loved her own land as only the tyrolese and the swiss loved their native mountains the shy gentleman had bought the st ulrich doll at a booth under the stone archway of one of the streets of botzen he could not carry away with him the beautiful austrian tyrol except as pictures in his own mind and therefore he picked up the droll and ugly little st ulrich doll when i give the doll to nellie i will tell her about the mountain peaks where the hunters climb to shoot the chamois and the black cock and the valleys down toward italy where the grapes ripen and all about the castles perched like watch-towers along the brenner route thought the shy gentleman wrapping the purchase in the bits of tissue paper i must not forget to add that this brenner pass where the traveller of to-day journeys on the railway from munich to verona is one of the oldest highways in the world the etruscan merchants used to pass here trading in iron with the northern nations long before the romans one day a tremendous rattling was heard inside the case of the mechanical bear what is the matter are you seasick inquired the lion of st mark no grumbled the mechanical bear i have been standing on my head too long and if this voyage does not soon end my machinery will be out of order i shall growl at the wrong time we must be gifts for children i hope they like us said the st ulric doll i hope we shall like them said the french doll i come from a shop window from the boulevard des italiens how can i live without paris just then the lid of the portmanteau was lifted and a custom officer looked in the steamer had reached new york here he is mamma cried a little girl as a carriage paused before the door of a house on gramercy square she had been looking out of the window now she ran downstairs and opened the front door two gentlemen got out of the carriage one was her uncle fred and the other a traveler with a brown beard whose arms were full of mysterious parcels and boxes this was the shy gentleman and nellie had always found him a good friend soon the parcels were distributed the mosaic box was for mother the brass lion for uncle fred and all the rest for nellie she was wild with delight the paris doll fascinated her all her friends were invited to admire the lady from the boulevards nellie could not eat or sleep or study her lessons she tried on all the dresses gloves bonnets and shoes the st ulric doll had been glanced at laid on the table and forgotten at length nellie wearied of so much splendor and her mother found the paris doll too fine for everyday play nellie noticed the st ulric doll then you have no clothes poor thing she said she opened her own work-box sought in a bag for a piece of blue flannel and began to sew soon the st ulric doll was clothed to be sure her gown was like a bag tied about her neck Nellie's mother, a pretty widow, said, I did not know he loved me.

Nellie whispered to the St. Ulrich doll that her mother was to marry the shy gentleman.

I thought there was a good reason for bringing us across the sea, said the St. Ulrich doll to the mechanical bear and the Paris lady.