Stelvio Pass & Ortler Alpine Landscape
At 2,758 metres, the Passo dello Stelvio is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps and the second highest in Europe — a vertiginous ribbon of asphalt with 48 numbered hairpin bends on its Lombardy side that has reduced grown adults to speechless awe since it was engineered in 1825.
The Drive & the Summit
The ascent from Bormio on the Lombardy side is the more dramatic approach: the road climbs through pine forest before breaking out above the treeline into a moonscape of scree, snowfields and sheer rock faces. Each hairpin is numbered on a stone marker — watching the count tick up from 1 to 48 becomes a meditative ritual.
At the summit, a cluster of hotels, souvenir stalls and a small ski lift area feels almost surreal at this altitude. Walk 10 minutes east along the ridge to escape the crowds and you'll find yourself alone with the Ortler massif — at 3,905m the highest peak in Lombardy — filling the entire horizon.
Stelvio National Park & Beyond
The pass sits within the Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, Italy's largest national park, which protects 1,300 square kilometres of Alpine habitat. Golden eagles are regularly spotted on the thermals above the pass; ibex and chamois graze the upper meadows with complete indifference to passing cyclists.
Bormio, at the foot of the pass, is a refined spa town with thermal baths (Bagni Vecchi, used since Roman times) and excellent Valtellina cuisine — bresaola, pizzoccheri buckwheat pasta, and Sforzato wine made from semi-dried Nebbiolo grapes. It makes the ideal base for two or three nights.
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