If you are passionate about driving and also like to travel then you must experience firsthand a drive through the world famous Stelvio Pass.
The Stelvio Pass starts just 16 kilometers or 9 miles from the town of Bormio nestled at the foot of the swiss alps. I recommend starting your journey from this quaint ski village. Bormio is just over 249 kilometers or 154 miles from Milan’s Malpensa airport making it easily reachable in about 3 hours.
Bormio is filled with Swiss charm, lovely boutique hotels and cobblestone streets. Bormio is a year round destination. In the winter months it is a skier’s delight with lifts reaching 3000 meters or 9842 dizzying feet above sea level.
In the summer, Bormio is the starting point of one of the world’s best driving roads; the Stelvio Pass.
Open from June to September each year; the Passo Dello Stelvio as the locals call it is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps at a staggering 2757 m or 9045 ft.
The original road was built in 1820-25 by the Austrian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria.
Today, the Stelvio is part of Italy with a segment that will take you to Switzerland, when I drove the pass this summer I stayed on the Italian side.
The passes’ sixty hairpin turns are a thrill for drivers of any skill level and offer amazing crystal-clear alpine views and straightaway’s through thick forests featuring some of the best scenery Europe has to offer.
Roads are perfectly maintained but traffic on the SS 38 during the summer can be heavy on weekends so I recommend enjoying the pass during the weekdays.
There are plenty of places to pull over and enjoy the views and once you reach the top of the pass a cluster of hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops await you. Make sure you bring home a keepsake to prove you made it to the top of the Stelvio.
While you are at the peak of the pass enjoy one of the loud and talkative vendors selling grilled sausages with onions and sauerkraut.
Coming down the opposite side of the pass you will drive through some lush and green landscapes as you make your way through the valley.
Allow at least two hours to get completely through the Stelvio pass. The largest town over the pass is Bolzano and on the way you'll pass through quaint little towns and and miles of apple orchards.
The Stelvio Pass is not only considered one of the world’s best driving roads but I also one of the most scenic and diverse.
For more information on The Stelvio Pass or to plan a trip there; visit www.italy4real.com today!
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