大象传媒

Michael Portillo scales the Swiss Alps on one of the steepest cog railways in the world and marvels at the Pilatus Railway鈥檚 unique track design, which defies an astonishing 48 per cent maximum gradient.

Michael overnights at the fairy-tale Grand Hotel Giessbach and learns how the beautiful 19th-century hotel was saved for- and by the Swiss people. In Rotkreuz, a centre for cutting-edge healthcare and medical technology, he visits one of the world鈥檚 largest biotech companies.

Michael鈥檚 final stop on this leg of his journey finds him at the Swiss Woodcarving Museum, where he chisels the cheeks of a king.