Stelvio Pass: the road with 48 hairpins

The roughly 49-kilometre “queen of the Alpine roads” was built between 1820 and 1825 under Carlo Donegani in record time. The Austrian Empire wanted to link Lombardy quickly with the other parts of the empire; in the summer months up to 2,000 workers a day laboured on the route. The line has hardly changed since. The South Tyrolean side is 27.5 kilometres long with 48 hairpins, the Lombard western ramp 21.7 kilometres with 34 hairpins.

Finds suggest that a track already ran here in the Bronze Age; in Roman times a pack-mule path crossed the pass, flanking the Via Claudia Augusta over the Reschen Pass. In the First World War the Italian front ran across the pass from 1915 to 1918; remains of positions can still be seen around the summit. Until 1848 the road was open in winter and used by horse-drawn sleighs; for the almost 50 kilometres between Bormio and Prad, including changes of horses, it took nine hours.

The ascent starts in Prad at 915 m and climbs almost 1,970 metres to the pass, on average at over 7 percent and in the steepest places up to 15 percent. As far as Gomagoi at 1,260 m, where the road branches off into the Sulden valley, there is no hairpin. Then come the numbered hairpins; at the Franzenshöhe at 2,188 m stands a mountain hotel with a view of the Ortler. Because the eastern ramp is very prone to avalanches, wooden avalanche tunnels were built soon after the opening.

For motorcyclists and road cyclists the road is a destination in itself. On one day in late summer the province closes it to motorised traffic and leaves it to cyclists; if you want to drive up that day you will find the barrier down. The date is in the events calendar of the Ferienregion Vinschgau.

On the summit there are several hotels, cafés and kiosks and one of the highest chapels in the Alps. To the south begins the crystalline ridge of the Ortler Alps with Monte Scorluzzo (3,095 m) and Monte Livrio (3,174 m); the Ortler, at 3,905 m, is clearly visible. To the north follows the Dreisprachenspitze (2,843 m), where Lombardy, South Tyrol and Graubünden meet. The area around the pass has belonged to Stelvio National Park since 1935.

From the western side, at 2,503 m, the road from the Umbrail Pass joins in, coming up from Santa Maria in the Val Müstair. That way the two passes can be combined in one drive; the Müstair–Tirano PostBus line crosses both once a day in summer.

Trafoi lies at the foot of the eastern ramp, at the end of a valley dominated by the Ortler. Here the naturatrafoi park centre stands directly on the Stelvio road. The exhibition shows the geology of the Ortler group and how plants and animals survive the extreme conditions of the high mountains; there are pictures, an exhibition cinema, rocks and furs to touch and, for children, guessing games, fairy-tale listening stations and a rock puzzle. The information area on the ground floor is freely accessible, the exhibition charges an entrance fee.

From here trail no. 18 leads to the Three Holy Springs, a small church that has been a Marian place of pilgrimage since the 15th century. According to legend the shepherd Moritz saw three trickles break from the rock here in the 13th century, each carrying a cross. The trail is about 2.5 kilometres long, even, pushchair-friendly and walkable all year. As parking the Ferienregion names the car park beside the Hotel Bella Vista; from there it is about 40 minutes on foot.

In Prad am Stilfser Joch, the village at the foot of the pass road, stands the aquaprad national park centre, dedicated to the element of water. Prad was not chosen by chance: here the Suldenbach forms the only undeveloped river delta in South Tyrol. The large lake aquarium recreates the habitat of a lowland lake with its food chain, near-natural aquariums hold 30 species of fish, and there are amphibians and reptiles. There are guided tours of the aquariums and a programme for school classes; in the foyer a stuffed marmot greets visitors. The centre is a good plan for a rainy day.

If you do not want to only drive, walk down from the pass. The Goldseeweg (trail no. 20) leads from the Stelvio Pass over the Dreisprachenspitze to the Furkelhütte, about 8.4 kilometres and three and a half hours, mostly downhill, with a view of the Ortler and panels on the history of the mountain front in the First World War, on the vegetation and on the geology. The Ferienregion rates the hike as moderate. After a break you go down by chairlift or on trail no. 17 through the forest to Trafoi, an additional 4.3 kilometres and 620 metres downhill.

For the hike, park in Trafoi beside the Hotel Bella Vista and ride the service bus up to the pass in summer; the stop is right beside the hotel.

In winter the pass road is closed and the small settlement on the pass is uninhabited. When it opens and closes depends on the snow and changes from year to year, so we give no dates. The status is shown in the South Tyrol traffic report, which the Ferienregion Vinschgau page links to. At 2,758 m it is much colder than in the valley even in summer and the weather can turn quickly: pack warm clothes. Trafoi, Prad and the two park centres are a destination regardless of whether the pass is open.

With children the best stops are the naturatrafoi park centre with its hands-on stations, the pushchair-friendly trail to the Three Holy Springs and aquaprad with its aquariums; the many hairpins of the pass road, on the other hand, take some patience. Whether and where dogs are allowed in Stelvio National Park is set by the park; ask beforehand at the naturatrafoi park centre or the National Park Office. In the Swiss National Park, by contrast, dogs are forbidden even on a lead.

On the pass there are several hotels, cafés and kiosks. For the Goldseeweg the Ferienregion names the Furkelhütte for a stop, and along the eastern ramp the Franzenshöhe mountain hotel. In Trafoi and Prad you will find further inns; the Ferienregion Vinschgau lists them in its restaurant guide.

The road down the valley passes Glurns and Mals, which make a good second stop. If you add the Umbrail Pass you reach Müstair with the UNESCO St John's Abbey; the Umbrail Pass is a summer pass, and in winter both passes are closed. A quieter counterpoint is Churburg castle near Schluderns or Lake Reschen.

Ferienhotel Kastellatz stands in Prämajur at 1,740 m. To the top of the pass it is about 50 kilometres and 75 minutes by car; the figures and the route button are in the “From the hotel” block. Allow a whole day for the round trip with stops, and check the traffic report in the morning.

By car: From Prämajur drive via Burgeis and Mals to Spondinig and on to Prad am Stilfser Joch, where the pass road SS 38 begins. Prad is about 21 kilometres and about 30 minutes along the way, Trafoi about 34 kilometres and about 45 minutes. To the top of the pass it is about 50 kilometres and 75 minutes of driving, more with traffic or oncoming vehicles in the hairpins.

By bus and train: Bus 277 to Mals, then the Vinschgau train to Spondinig and bus line 271 to Trafoi; in summer a service bus runs from there up to the pass. With the Reschensee Guest Pass, train and bus throughout South Tyrol are included in your stay; please check beforehand whether that also covers the summer bus to the pass. Timetables are on suedtirolmobil.info.