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PASSO DELLO STELVIO
Reaching 2,758 meters above the sea level, the Stelvio Pass is the highest paved road in Italy. It is an absolutely unmissable destination for enthusiasts who come here from all over the world for this long and narrow asphalt serpentine that on both sides offers a numerous series of hairpin bends that seem to chase each other, often creating switchbacks with a radius so tight that require real maneuvers, especially if you cross a car from the opposite direction.
At the top of the Stelvio it feels like being in a small village that enjoys its own life, there on the roof of Europe, with restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and countless possibilities to vent your desire for outdoor activities. During the summer season the Stelvio undoubtedly offers intense and truly panoramic driving moments, but take into consideration that traffic can be consistent and that due to the morphology of the location, it is mainly a route to be traveled with the intention of enjoying the view and above all saving as much as possible your brakes during your way down.
Location: Prato allo Stelvio – Bormio
Type: mountain road
Length: 50 km
Elevation: 2.758 m
Although it is often recommended to start the climb from Bormio so to finish in the characteristic and welcoming village of Prato allo Stelvio – in the heart of South Tyrol – to proceed in the opposite direction and therefore from East to West offers the best out of the experience, allowing you to immediately be first overhung and then wrapped in the long and endless ascend that sees the tight hairpin bends piled one on top of the other. There are a handful of open spaces that allow quick stops along the way, ideal for really becoming aware of where you are, a road not at all devoted to speed or adrenaline as it is usually intended by petrolheads, but rather a huge asphalt gut carved into an almost vertical rock wall.
At the top you can eat, stay overnight and satisfy your passion for outdoor activities, once again admiring the natural spectacle timidly affected by man, with a road that connects two valleys, geographically so close, yet so dissimilar to each other. Just before starting the descent towards Bormio, you will undoubtedly recognize one of the most famous photographic spots of the Stelvio Pass and then you’ll be finally ready to challenge once again the hairpin bends leading towards the valley. Given the limited period of seasonal opening and the many activities offered by the area, it is likely that you will encounter a lot of traffic, but dealt with in the right way, the climb of the Stelvio Pass will be able to get you as few other roads are able to do.
Photos by Marco Capelli
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