Passo dello Stelvio is a very beautiful mountain road on the way from Lake Como to Bolzano. Everything in the best traditions of the Alpine roads: serpentine, cows, waterfalls, cliffs and restaurants. I highly recommend driving along here. Best views are guaranteed. And you will be very happy to know, that unlike other panoramis roads in Europe you can drive here for free.
Passo dello Stelvio
Passo dello Stelvio is located in Italy at an altitude of 2757 meters and just 200 meters from the Swiss border. The road was built in 1820-25 and has not changed since then. Until the end of the First World War, the road actually served as the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Kingdom.
Read also: 8 best places to visit in Dolomites in summer.
Above the passo there is a mountain that is called “the top of three languages”. Since the place is located close to the Austrian and Swiss borders 3 languages are spoke in this region: Italian, German and Romansh.
Passo dello Stelvio is very famous in the world of cycling. It was repeatedly included in the track of the famous cycling race Giro d’Italia as the Track with the highest point of the race. Also this is the second highest pass in the eastern Alps with an asphalt road.
The passo is a popular place for amateur cyclists and motorcyclists, the dozens of which you can meet here when the route is opened (mainly from June to September).
How to get to Passo dello Stelvio?
The road runs between the towns of Bormio and Prato Allo Stelvio.
From Milan (Italy):
- Take the SS36 regional road and through Monza continue to Lecco (42 km).
- Continue along the SS36 along the eastern shore of Lake Como until it intersects with the SS38 regional road (40 km).
- After that, drive along the SS38 road for about 100 km to Bormio, after which the road to the Stelvio Pass begins (about 20 km).
Total distance – 185 km, travel time – 2.5 hours.
From Bolzano (Italy):
- Take the SS38 regional road immediately and follow it towards Merano until Prato Allo Stelvio (80 km).
- After Prato Allo Stelvio, the road begins to the Stelvio Pass (about 25 km).
Total distance – 80 km, travel time – 1 hour 15 minutes.
Route opening period:
The road is open for from June to October. The exact data of opening and closing of the road is determined based on weather conditions. A detour is on Route 28 through the Munt la Schera Tunnel. This safety measure is not only due to the difficulty of climbing in the winter. Before the opening of the season, landslides occur here, which damage the road. One of them happened in May 2018. Also, the road may close in the summer if any events that affect the safety of traffic (landslides, landslides, etc.) occur.
While driving along this road we found a very cozy restaurant with a terrace with an amazing view over the mountains.
Follow this link to find out more about this restaurant: Rocco Bianca – restaurant with the best view in Dolomites.
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