Umbrail Pass (, or ) 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 ...

on the

Italy–Switzerland border The border between the modern states of Switzerland and Italy extends for , from the French-Swiss-Italian tripoint at Mont Dolent in the west to the Austrian-Swiss-Italian tripoint near Piz Lad in the east. Much of the border runs across the ...

, connecting Santa Maria in

Val Müstair Val Müstair () 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 Müstair and Müsta ...

with

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 ...

in the Adda valley. On the Italian side, it connects to the

Stelvio Pass The Stelvio Pass ( or ; ) is a mountain pass in northern Italy bordering Switzerland at an elevation of above sea level. It is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the second highest in the Alps, below France's Col de l ...

road and the

Valtellina Valtellina or the Valtelline (occasionally spelled as two words in English: Val Telline; (); or ; ; ) is a valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland. Today it is known for its ski centre, hot spring spas, bresa ...

. It is currently the highest paved road in Switzerland. The sign at the top of the pass gives its elevation as above sea level, but the reference level for Swiss elevation measurements has changed since the sign was erected, leaving as the correct value according to current elevation. The pass is named after the "

Piz Umbrail Piz Umbrail (3,033 m) is a mountain of the Ortler Alps, south of the Umbrail Pass (2,503 m), located on the border between Lombardy (Italy) and Graubünden (Switzerland). The mountain surface is partly of rubble and partly covered by grass, a ...

", a nearby mountain peak.

History

The pass, which in medieval times was the primary route through the region, was initially known as the ''Stelvio Pass'', ''Juga Rætica'', or ''mons Braulius'' (after

Braulio of Zaragoza Braulio (), 585 – 651 AD, was bishop of Zaragoza and a learned cleric living in the Kingdom of the Visigoths. Both as pastor and writer, he is one of the most celebrated of saints of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania that lasted from the 5t ...

). It was formerly used to connect

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

with

Lake Como Lake Como ( , ) also known as Lario, is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of , making it the third-largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore. At over deep, it is one of the deepest lakes in Europe. ...

, which allowed a link between the

Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...

domains in the

County of Tyrol The (Princely) County of Tyrol was an Imperial State, estate of the Holy Roman Empire established about 1140. After 1253, it was ruled by the House of Gorizia and from 1363 by the House of Habsburg. In 1804, the County of Tyrol, unified with th ...

and those in the

Duchy of Milan The Duchy of Milan (; ) was a state in Northern Italy, created in 1395 by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, then the lord of Milan, and a member of the important Visconti of Milan, Visconti family, which had been ruling the city since 1277. At that time, ...

; this role was superseded by the modern

which opened in 1820. In 1901, the modern road was built, and automobile transit began in 1925. The road has been entirely asphalted since 2015. The last unpaved section was a 1.5 km stretch on the Swiss side, running between elevations of . During the

2017 Giro d'Italia The 2017 Giro d'Italia was the 100th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The race started on 5 May in Alghero on the island of Sardinia, and ended on 28 May in Milan. The race was won by Tom Dumoulin, who became the ...

, Umbrail Pass was reached during the stage from

Rovetta Rovetta (Bergamasque: or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about northeast of Bergamo. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 3,61 ...

to Bormio.

References

External links

*
Profile on climbbybike.com

Cycling up to the Umbrailpass: data, profile, map, photos and description
Mountain passes of the Alps Mountain passes of Graubünden Mountain passes of Italy Italy–Switzerland border crossings {{graubünden-geo-stub

History

See also

References

External links