''Giogo dello Stèlvio''
german: Stilfser Joch , photo = The_Stelvio_pass.jpg , photo_caption = Some of the 48 hairpin turns near the top of the eastern ramp of the Stelvio Pass , photo_alt = , map = Alps , map_caption = Location of Stelvio Pass in the Alps. , map_size = , label = Stelvio Pass , label_position = , elevation_m = 2757 , elevation_ref = , location = Border of

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

and Sondrio

provinces A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, range =

Eastern Alps Eastern Alps is the name given to the eastern half of the Alps, usually defined as the area east of a line from Lake Constance and the Alpine Rhine valley up to the Splügen Pass at the Alpine divide and down the Liro River to Lake Como in t ...

, topo = , coords = , coordinates_ref = , traversed = Strada Statale 38 The Stelvio Pass ( it, Passo dello Stelvio , ''Giogo dello Stelvio'' ; german: Stilfser Joch; ) is a mountain pass in northern

bordering Switzerland at an

elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § ...

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as '' orthometric heights''. The ...

. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the

, and the second highest in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, ...

, below France's Col de l'Iseran ().

Location

The pass is located in the Ortler Alps in Italy between

Stilfs Stilfs (; it, Stelvio ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. It is located near the northern ramp of the Stelvio Pass. The municipality of Stilfs contains the ''frazioni'' (subdivisions, mainly villages ...

("Stelvio" in Italian) in

South Tyrol it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol , settlement_type = Autonomous province , image_skyline = , image_alt ...

and Bormio in the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

of Sondrio. It is about from

Bolzano Bolzano ( or ; german: Bozen, (formerly ); bar, Bozn; lld, Balsan or ) is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol in northern Italy. With a population of 108,245, Bolzano is also by far the largest city in South Tyrol and the third ...

and 200 m from the

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internati ...

border. The Umbrail Pass runs northwards from the Stelvio's western ramp, and the "Three Languages Peak" ''(

Dreisprachenspitze (; german: Dreisprachenspitze; both meaning 'peak of the three languages'; it, Cima Garibaldi), is a minor summit of the Ortler Alps, located on the border between Switzerland and Italy. The summit is the tripoint between the Italian regions ...

)'' above the pass is so named because this is where the Italian,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

, and Romansh language-speaking areas meet. The road connects the

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; rm, Vuclina (); lmo, Valtelina or ; german: Veltlin; it, Valtellina) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. To ...

with the Vinschgau valley and the town of

Meran Merano (, , ) or Meran () is a city and ''comune'' in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Generally best known for its spa resorts, it is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains standing up to above sea level, at the entrance to the Passeier ...

. Adjacent to the pass road there is a large summer skiing area. Nearby mountains include Thurwieserspitze, Piz Umbrail, Piz Cotschen, and to the east, the mighty Ortler.

History

The original road was built in 1820–25 by the

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central- Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence ...

to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardy with the rest of Austria, covering a climb of . The engineer and project manager was (1775–1845). Since then, the route has changed very little. Its seventy-five hairpin turns, 48 of them on the northern side numbered with stones, are a challenge to motorists. Stirling Moss went off the road here during a vintage car event in the 1990s, with an onboard video of his incident being shown on satellite TV. Before the end of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, it formed the border between the

Austro-Hungarian Empire Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with t ...

and the Italian Kingdom. The

had an outpost and a hotel (which was destroyed) on the ''Dreisprachenspitze'' (literally, Three-Language-Peak). During

, fierce battles were fought in the ice and snow of the area, with gun fire even crossing the Swiss area at times. The three nations made an agreement not to fire over Swiss territory, which jutted out in between Austria (to the north) and Italy (to the south). Instead they could fire down the pass, as Swiss territory was up and around the peak. After 1919, with the expansion of Italy, the pass lost its strategic importance. Aldo Moser, Giro d'Italia 1965

The Stelvio Pass remains important for sport when it is open from May through November. Countless cyclists and motorcyclists struggle to get to the highest stretch of road in the Eastern Alps. It is the highest finish of any

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tu ...

. The Giro d'Italia often crosses the Stelvio Pass (it was crossed by the Giro for the first time in 1953, when Fausto Coppi beat Hugo Koblet). As the highest peak, it has been named the Cima Coppi in each edition. The last winner on the pass was Jai Hindley in 2020. Every year, the pass is closed to motor vehicles on one day in late August when about 8,000 cyclists ride and around 25 runners run to the top of the Stelvio. Bormio regularly hosts World Cup ski racing, usually in late December for a men's downhill event; its ''Pista Stelvio'' is among the most challenging courses on the circuit. The Stelvio Pass was also picked by the British automotive show '' Top Gear'' as its choice for the "greatest driving road in the world". This conclusion was reached in the first episode of the show's 10th series after the team went in search of a road that would satisfy every "petrolhead's" driving fantasies. ''Top Gear'' later decided that the Transfăgărășan Highway in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, a ...

was a superior driving road. In 2008, Moto Guzzi started selling a

Stelvio Stelvio may refer to * Stelvio, the Italian name for the municipality of Stilfs in South Tyrol * Stelvio (ski course), a downhill ski course in Bormio, Italy * Stelvio Pass, a mountain pass in Italy * Stelvio National Park, a national park of It ...

model, named after the pass.

Alfa Romeo Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. The company was founded on 24 June 1910, in Milan, Italy. "Alfa" is an acronym of its founding name, "Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili." ...

debuted its

crossover SUV at the 2016 Los Angeles Motor Show. The Stelvio Pass Glacier in Italy, at an altitude of , normally permits skiing year-round, but was closed to skiing for the first time in 90 years in August 2017 due to a heatwave.

Stelvio National Park

Stelvio National Park is the largest in the Italian Alps. It was established in 1935, and covers the Ortles-Cevedale massif, as well as some minor chains that flank it. Wildlife in the park include deer, chamois, ibex, and wolves. Hiking in the park is possible with numerous trails and

mountain hut A mountain hut is a building located high in the mountains, generally accessible only by foot, intended to provide food and shelter to mountaineers, climbers and hikers. Mountain huts are usually operated by an Alpine Club or some organizatio ...

s and hiking trails.

Stelvio Bike Day

Each year on the last Saturday of August or the first Saturday of September the Stelvio National Park administration organizes the Stelvio Bike Day. On that day the roads from Bormio and

Prad Prad am Stilfser Joch (; it, Prato allo Stelvio ), often abbreviated to Prad, is a ''comune'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located about west of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Switzerland, and near the Stelvio Pass. ...

to the pass, as well as the road from Santa Maria Val Müstair to the Umbrail Pass are closed to all traffic except for bicycles. On average around 12,000 cyclists participate in the Bike Day, with the majority taking the road from Prad to the pass and the descent over the Umbrail pass to

Val Müstair Val Müstair (german: Münstertal) is a municipality in the Engiadina Bassa/Val Müstair Region in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. It was formed on 1 January 2009 through the merger of Tschierv, Fuldera, Lü, Valchava, Santa Maria Val M� ...

. Since 2017 there has also been a Stelvio Marathon for runners, from

to Glurns, back to Prad and thence through

(Stelvio village) to the pass. The first was held on June 17, 2017, with over 300 participants. The second was held on June 16, 2018 and the third on August 31, 2019.

Appearances in Giro d'Italia (since 1953)

Notes

References

* *

External links

Stelvio National Park

Stelvio Bike Day

The Great European Rally drives down Stelvio Pass every year with up to 100 cars taking part.

Stelvio. Crossroads of Peace

Profile on climbbybike.com

Photos Hairpins, Map, and Cycling Elevation Profile

Michelin map of ''23032 Passo dello Stelvio''

Photo of Stilfser Joch north ramp and Monte Scorluzzo
{{Authority control Mountain passes of the Alps Mountain passes of South Tyrol Climbs in cycle racing in Italy Roads in Italy Ortler Alps