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Holiday itinerary
Eight days for Italy’s highest paved pass: forty-eight hairpins from Prato, the Bormio side, Umbrail into Val Müstair, and the wilder Gavia down to Ponte di Legno. Merano’s promenade and Glurns’ walls are the valley nights between the climbs. Go slow on Gavia; the cloud often sits on the road.
Season: Stelvio, Gavia, and Umbrail are typically June–October and may close for cycling events. Summit 2757 m; check the morning you go.
Landmarks
Forty-eight hairpins of Stelvio climbing out of TrafoiPhoto: kallerna / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Gavia in the cloud, a narrower, wilder roadPhoto: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Merano’s promenade after the South Tyrol descentPhoto: Aconcagua / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Glurns, the smallest town with a full set of wallsPhoto: Tilman2007 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Bormio, spa town at the foot of the national parkPhoto: Mario Gabinio / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0 it)
Umbrail Pass into the quiet of Val MüstairPhoto: Zairon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Holiday itinerary
- Day 1 · Milan
A city start, then the Como shore toward Valtellina. Eat in Milan; tomorrow the road begins to climb.
- Day 2 · Bormio
A spa town and the base for Stelvio National Park. Soak if the legs need it; the forty-eight hairpins can wait until morning.
- Day 3 · Bormio
Drive the 41 Lombard hairpins, then Umbrail at 2501 m into Switzerland and back. A high, circular day that returns you to the same bed.
- Day 4 · Santa Maria Val Müstair
A UNESCO convent valley after Umbrail. Romansh on the signs, quiet streets, a night that smells of wood and grass.
- Day 5 · Ponte di Legno
Gavia Pass at 2618 m is narrow and often in cloud. Take it slow; the village at the bottom feels earned.
- Day 6 · Merano
Promenade and gardens after the South Tyrol descent from Trafoi. Palms again, and a slower clock.
- Day 8 · Verona
Motorway south after Bolzano. The passes are behind you; the Arena is a soft landing.