Stelvio Pass
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Latest page update: 5 December 2024
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By Dion Protani
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The Stelvio Pass is one of Italy's most legendary roads. A favourite particularly with bikers, it crosses between the two neighbouring regions of Lombardy and Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol.
Aside from the stunning Alpine scenery that the route passes through, it's most notable for the extraordinary number of hairpin turns. To cross from one region to the other you will have to navigate around 70 such turns on some very steep inclines. Reaching a height of 2,759 metres above sea level, the road is closed during the winter and early spring (from December to May) when it is often covered in ice and considered too much of a risk. |
The Stelvio Pass
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To call the road dangerous per se is perhaps a little inaccurate as it's only during those times when the road is icy that it creates a genuine hazard. However, what shouldn't be underestimated, even when the road is open in the warmer months, is that it can be quite hard going on your vehicle if it hasn't been properly maintained and serviced. If you have any worries whatsoever about your vehicle's ability to navigate steep hills, it's best to avoid this road which can be something of a graveyard for the unroadworthy.
The route described on this page starts on the Lombardy side and passes across into Trentino Alto Adige but it can just as equally be done in reverse. That said, doing it this way means you only have to ascend 24 hairpin turns and can take the remaining 46 on the descent. You don't see the bends numbered on the Lombardy side but as you pass through the summit, the first hairpin bend on the way down is signposted as number 1 (tornante 1).
Alongside the many motorcyclists and car drivers, there are astonishing numbers of cyclists. Perhaps it's not so much the amount of them that's astonishing but the fact they're able to do it in the first place! You have to admire the fitness and tenacity required to reach the summit on what is a pretty daunting climb that gets used in the Giro d'Italia, the Italian version of the Tour de France.
The route described on this page starts on the Lombardy side and passes across into Trentino Alto Adige but it can just as equally be done in reverse. That said, doing it this way means you only have to ascend 24 hairpin turns and can take the remaining 46 on the descent. You don't see the bends numbered on the Lombardy side but as you pass through the summit, the first hairpin bend on the way down is signposted as number 1 (tornante 1).
Alongside the many motorcyclists and car drivers, there are astonishing numbers of cyclists. Perhaps it's not so much the amount of them that's astonishing but the fact they're able to do it in the first place! You have to admire the fitness and tenacity required to reach the summit on what is a pretty daunting climb that gets used in the Giro d'Italia, the Italian version of the Tour de France.
Step One: the ascent from Bormio - 24 minutes - 22 kilometres
From the ski resort to the summit and around 24 hairpin bends.
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There are a number of potential starting positions for the Stelvio Pass but one of the most popular is the town of Bormio.
A busy ski resort during the winter, it has excellent accommodation options all year round when the winter skiers become summer activity vacationers. It's very much an international destination with a good selection of shops, restaurants and other facilities. There's very little instruction required to explain this part of the route; it's just a case of heading north of Bormio on the SS38 and following the signs for Passo dello Stelvio. |
Bormio, Lombardy
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From Bormio to the summit of the pass should take just under half an hour but it will be steep in places. There are around 24 hairpin bends along the way and the scenery becomes more spectacular with every passing kilometre.
Step Two: the descent from the summit to Glorenza - 35 minutes - 31 kilometres
46 hairpin bends!
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Once you reach the summit of the Stelvio Pass you'll find an area that's busy with hotels, bars, restaurants and people that have stopped to admire the views.
The next phase of the route is quite gentle in some ways as you're in descent for around 15 minutes but it does require that extra bit of attention with the eye-watering number of 46 hairpin turns to navigate. That said, it's a lot easier going down than up. This side of the route is all within Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol and the first place you reach is the tiny hamlet of Trafoi. |
Trafoi, Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol
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As you'll have only been in the car a short time at this stage you'll most likely deem it unnecessary to stop in Trafoi as in truth, it's rather small and doesn't have that much to see. The setting is spectacular as it's surrounded by snow-capped mountains of the Alps but this is the case for the whole route up to this point.
Beyond Trafoi you're no longer on the Stelvio Pass and for a while, the scenery becomes less picturesque as you pass through several small villages and residential areas. It's worth taking this extra step though because the town of Glorenza (Glurns in German) is one of the prettiest in Italy. It's a beautifully-preserved medieval masterpiece and officially the smallest city in Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol.
Beyond Trafoi you're no longer on the Stelvio Pass and for a while, the scenery becomes less picturesque as you pass through several small villages and residential areas. It's worth taking this extra step though because the town of Glorenza (Glurns in German) is one of the prettiest in Italy. It's a beautifully-preserved medieval masterpiece and officially the smallest city in Trentino Alto Adige South Tyrol.
