Explore Trentino-Alto Adige
The Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio (or the Stilfser National Park) is one of Italy’s major national parks: it extends north to the Swiss Engadine and southwest into Lombardy and covers the whole Ortles (Ortler) mountain range. The park is topped by one of Europe’s largest glaciers (the Ghiacciaio dei Forni) and crossed by the Passo dello Stelvio (2758m), which misses being the highest pass in the Alps by just 12m.
Ski tourism has made its mark, and the park is as crisscrossed by lifts as anywhere in the Alps, but it’s still a remarkable place. People come here for the high trails and glacier skiing in summer, or for the chance of seeing wildlife such as the red and roe deer, elk, chamois, golden eagle and ibex. A railway line running from Merano to Malles and connecting buses from stations along the way into the side valleys makes all places of interest below easily accessible.
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Crossing the Passo dello Stelvio
Crossing the Passo dello Stelvio
The journey across the Ortles mountains over the Passo dello Stelvio (Stelvio Pass) to Bormio in Lombardy makes for a white-knuckle drive. This amazingly convoluted route consists of 48 switchbacks and turns but is well worth it for both the thrill and the view. Motorbikers love it and cyclists view the climb as the ultimate challenge – it’s often an important stage of the Girò d’Italia. Beware that this is one of the last Alpine passes to open to traffic each year, and it’s not unknown for the road to stay closed until July if there’s been a late fall of snow. If you’re travelling by public transport you can access the pass by bus from Malles, one early morning, the other mid-afternoon. The end point of the route, Bormio, is a rather snooty resort with a sprawl of hotels in its cobblestoned core.
