More than 80 curves before you
East Mountain's Port , essential for asphalt enthusiasts whether on two or four wheels, is part of the italian road SS38 _(Strade Statali 38) _.
With a height of 2,757 meters , is the second highest mountain pass in the Alps, after the Col de l'Iseran (2,770 m), and has become famous for being the top of the Giro d'Italia since the 1950s of the 20th century.
considerate one of the most spectacular roads in the world , the SS38 built it between 1820 and 1825 the engineer Carlo Donegani commissioned by the Austrian Empire , of which present-day Italian Lombardy was then a part, and has changed very little since the 19th century.
The SS38 is one of the most spectacular roads in the world
Originally it was used to connect Milan with the center of Austria, but since 1919 it has been an Italian highway that runs, in part, in parallel to the Swiss border and serves for access ski resorts or just to enjoy it tracing its more than 80 historic curves.
THE MOST PECULIAR ITALY
The Stelvio Pass is located in the commune of Bormio , at the limit of the Bolzano province , a curious Italian region where German is spoken and identity documents are in both languages. It is 260 kilometers from Verona, 104 from Bolzano and 90 from Davos, in Switzerland.
During the World War I was the scene of terrible battles between Austrians and Italians that left thousands dead from the bombs, but, above all, from the cold.
At this point in the **Alps there is perpetual snow and it is possible to ski in summer in Alta Valtellina **, where there are good resorts and spectacular Livrio, Geister and Nagler glaciers. It is convenient to know them before climate change kills them.
However, if you want to drive you should keep in mind that the Stelvio Pass is closed between November and May , when the snow makes it impassable, although you can also find it in the warm season. On June 30, 2017, a spectacular snowfall fell that left up to 20 cm thick.
Your route starts here, in Bormio
Our route begins at town of Bormio , starting point if we come from Italy or Switzerland. despite being located just 22 km from the top of the Stelvio Pass , reaching it can take a long time due to the twisty road that we have to travel.
Bormio , at 1,225 meters above sea level, is located in the highest part of Valtellina valley , surrounded by mountains and glaciers that already advance us the landscape through which we are going to ascend.
Mountain and ski tourism has proliferated in this town a wide range of hotels for all pockets , where the elegant ** Baita Clementi stands out, which occupies a typical alpine chalet** built following the architecture of the area.
A RIBBON ROLLED UP IN THE MOUNTAIN
The climb starts with 180 degree bends. The average slope of the ascent is 7.1% with sections of more than 10%, which makes it noticeable even in the ears. For the most sensitive it is convenient that chew gum.
One of the funniest things is that the curves are numbered , so you know how much you have left because the top is past curve 48.
The curves are numbered so you know how much you have left
The landscape is spectacular, it crosses meadows and mountain streams ; but, as we ascend, it is more rocky: with less vegetation and good visibility that allows us to anticipate if we see a vehicle or cyclist descending.
We also went through illuminated tunnels, mountain cuts and galleries which gives an idea of how difficult it must have been to build this road with the means of the 19th century, pick and shovel. Along the way there are also some mausoleums of homage to the Italian dead in the first Great War.
When you reach the top, the bars, restaurants, hotels, and souvenir stalls make you wonder: what is this doing here with what it costs to get there? In the end, you realize that it is full of people who, like us, have been called by globalization.
The top has a large sign that still indicates Coppi Summit , the name it receives each year the highest point of the Giro d'Italia and the Stelvio has the honor of having won it in multiple editions. It is a tribute that is made from 1965 to the late Italian cyclist Fausto Coppi.
A tradition is stick a sticker on the top sign , something that all motorists who reach it and many cyclists and motorists do. And of course the rigorous photo of the curves traveled , the image is spectacular, and a selfie to record the challenge.
What is all this doing here?
Stelvio's name it is taken by this port of a tiny nearby town , but now it is already a famous name.
Moto Guzzi released a model with this name in 2009 that has had different generations and the first Alfa Romeo SUV Stelvio has also been called after this spectacular road.
Once the top is reached, there is still the descent on the opposite slope, until traffic : some 13 kilometers and others 40 curves with a average slope of 7.5%, which reaches 12%.
The road is narrower that of the ascent but the driving just as exciting. Recommended to have good brakes, good hands and, for those who get dizzy, biodramine or stay on land.
POWERFUL GASTRONOMY
Trafoi is 1,570 meters above sea level and from this town you can visit the ** Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio **, one of the oldest in Italy and an enormous area in the heart of the Alps.
Besides being able to admire forests, waterfalls and lakes , has a wide range of adapted hiking trails to the level of fatigue you accumulate.
Hiking in the Stelvio National Park
The gastronomy of the area is clearly Italian (you know you are going to eat well), but marked by the alpine influence.
To the delicious pizzas and pastas, we must add cheeses and sausages (salume) of the area, such as the lard , a cured and flavored bacon that is cut very thin and is delicious; either polenta , a paste made with corn flour that can be an accompaniment to meat or the base for a kind of cake with different sausages, cheeses and cooked in the oven. A dish to face any cold wave.
BOOKS FOR THE TRAVEL‘
This story, by Alessandro Baricco. The famous author of Seda dares with the world of the automobile (essential for lovers of the sector) with a story with surreal overtones in which a circuit is built with the life of a person. One of the chapters is dedicated to the bloody battles of World War I in this area.
The substance of evil of Luca D'Andrea , is a black novel of those that you can not put down. Set in the italian alps , is a real puzzle in which the reader has the same data as the researchers.
You dare?