Gezicht op de Gotthardpas met de Polmengo tunnel 1898

This is a photograph of the Gotthard Pass with the Polmengo tunnel by Bosetti. Here, the tunnel’s dark mouth is not merely an architectural feature; it is an archetype of the passage into the unknown. Consider how this echoes the cave in Plato's allegory, where shadows deceive those who cannot perceive true reality. Similarly, the tunnel here beckons us to delve into what lies beyond the visible world. Throughout art history, such portals carry profound symbolic weight, reminiscent of the gates of hell in medieval art or the entrance to the underworld in ancient myths. Each represents a journey into hidden truths, and a confrontation with subconscious fears. The tunnel, therefore, is not just a path through a mountain, it is a journey into the self, a recurrent motif that speaks to our shared human experience.