Gavia Pass () (el. 2621 m.) is a high

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

in the Italian

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. It is the tenth highest paved road in the Alps. The pass lies in the

Lombardy The Lombardy Region (; ) is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in northern Italy and has a population of about 10 million people, constituting more than one-sixth of Italy's population. Lombardy is ...

region and divides the province of

Sondrio Sondrio (; ; ; archaic or ; ) is an Italian city, ''comune'' and administrative centre for the province of Sondrio, located in the heart of the Valtellina. , Sondrio counted approximately 21,876 inhabitants. In 2007, Sondrio was named the Alpine ...

to the north and the province of

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

to the south. The road over the pass (SS 300) connects

Bormio Bormio (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' with a population of about 4,100 located in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy. The centre of the upper Valtellina valley, it is a popular winter sports resort. It was the ...

to the northwest with

Ponte di Legno Ponte di Legno (Camunian dialect, Camunian: ) is an Italian ''comune'' of 1,729 inhabitants in Val Camonica, province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Geography Situated at the confluence of the two source rivers (Frigidolfo and Narcanello) of the Ogli ...

to the south and is single track most on its southern section.

Climbing around Gavia Pass

There are many peaks to climb around. Directly above the pass on its east side is Corno dei Tre Signori (3360 m) and next to it Monte Gaviola (3025). On the other side of the road raises

Monte Gavia Monte Gavia is a mountain of the Sobretta-Gavia Group in Lombardy, Italy. It has an elevation of 3,222 metres and towers above the Gavia Pass Gavia Pass () (el. 2621 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Italian Alps The Alps () ...

(3223 m). By continuing along the road in the direction of Bormio, after less than 3 km, one arrives at the monument from where routes start for the

Punta San Matteo Punta San Matteo is a secondary peak of Ortler-Vioz in the Ortler Alps, at the border between the Province of Sondrio (Lombardy region) and Trentino (Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol ( ; ; ), often known in Englis ...

(3678 m) group. The group includes Pizo Tresero (3594 m), Punta Pendranzini (3599), Cima Dosegu (3560) and several others.

Huts

Several huts dot the area. Rifugio Bonetta is positioned right on the Pass, while Rifugio A. Berni is located in close proximity to the monument. Further up in the mountains, at 3398 meters, is Bivacco Seveso, situated directly below the summit of Tresero. Another refuge, Bivacco Battaglione Ortles, rests below Cima di Val Umbrina at 3122 meters altitude.

Giro d'Italia

The Gavia Pass is often on the route of the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

road bicycle race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most com ...

and is sometimes designated the ''

Cima Coppi The ''Cima Coppi'' is the title given to the highest peak in the yearly running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The mountain that is given this title each year awards more mountains classification points to the first ride ...

'', the highest point of the race. On 5 June 1988, the race passed over the Gavia in a snowstorm, making for an epic stage won by

Erik Breukink Erik Breukink (born 1 April 1964) is a former Dutch professional road racing cyclist. In 1988, Breukink won the youth competition in the Tour de France. In 1990, finished 3rd in the 1990 Tour de France. Most recently, he served as the manager of ...

. American

Andrew Hampsten Andrew Hampsten (born April 7, 1962) is an American former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1988 Giro d'Italia and the Alpe d'Huez stage of the 1992 Tour de France. Between 1986–1994 he finished in the Top 10 of eight Grand Tours. ...

, the second-place finisher, became the overall race leader and went on to win the Giro.

Appearances in Giro d'Italia (since 1960)

Gallery

Image:Gavia_Pass,_Lombardy,_Italy_(July_4_2004).jpg, The lake near the pass Image:Gavia.jpg, Road on the southern side File:Passo di Gavia SS 300 Bormio side 1.jpg, Road on the northern side

References

External links

Profile on climbbybike.comMap, photos, cycling profile for both sides

Gavia Pass Gavia Pass () (el. 2621 m.) is a high mountain pass in the Italian Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): ...

Gavia {{Lombardy-geo-stub