Stelvio and Bernina: two giants of the Alps

Route description

Bormio, an old spa town in upper Valtellina, is the base for the Stelvio. The SS38 climbs from here to the Passo dello Stelvio at 2,757 m, the highest paved pass in Italy, and at the top you look down the famous 48 numbered hairpins that drop towards Trafoi on the other side.

The pass is usually open only from about June to October, and on summer days the road is shared with crowds of cyclists and motorbikes. The hairpins are tight and steep, so long motorhomes should drive with great care and avoid the busiest hours, or enjoy the view from the Bormio side and turn back. From Bormio, the road over the Passo del Foscagno leads to Livigno, a high valley town with duty-free status where many drivers fill up.

From Livigno the Forcola di Livigno crosses into Switzerland, so carry your passport or ID for the customs post. The road joins the Bernina route in the Engadine, and a short detour north brings you to St. Moritz, with its lake and its smart resort centre in a wide valley of larch and lakes.

Heading south again, the Bernina Pass at 2,328 m has glaciers on one side and the turquoise Lago Bianco on the other, with the red trains of the Bernina railway often in sight. The road then drops in long bends through Poschiavo to Tirano, back in Italy, where the railway ends in the middle of town. Like the Stelvio, this is a summer route: snow can close the higher passes well into spring.