Alpine mountain pass Passo Stelvio, situated in the nature park with the same name, is with its height of 2757 m the highest mountain pass in the Eastern Alps. It connects the Italian regions of Alto Adige and Lombardy, as well as serves as a pass into Switzerland. The road passing through Alto Adige region comes from the direction of Merano, and it is the most impressive out of the three Alto Adige access roads. This direction is a real challenge for cyclists, bike riders and car drivers favoring sports ride through turns. From the village of Trafoi to Passo Stelvio, you have to master 48 edgy turns and an ascent oat a 15% gradient. The road to the Lombardia region comes from the direction of Bormio and is not too winding which will make your journey less tiring. Along the road, there are many rest stops with beautiful views of the landscape. The third access road comes from the direction of Switzerland, from the lovely, peaceful village of Sta. Maria. This is the least crowded road of the three, from which you will also have beautiful view towards the Swiss Müstair valley and the Swiss National Park. The access roads from the directions of Merano and Sta Maria are closed from November to May, while the road coming from the direction of Bormio is opened throughout the winter, depending on the snowfall amount.
On the Passo Stelvio pass there is a number of small stores where you can buy suovenirs. A bit further, a couple of hotels are situated. During summer, the pass and the parking lots around it full of cars and motorbikes whose owners have decided to reach their destinations through Passo Stelvio. A bit further up from the hotels, there is the station of the lower gondola, which takes tourists, mountaineers and skiers to the glacier. We decided the middle of August was a great time for using the opportunity to ski on 10 cm of freshly fallen snow. The peak of the glacier part of the resort reaches 3450 m and it is not unusual that a cold front brings snow in summer.
Somewhat older gondola takes you from Stelvio to Trincerone, where you take a bit newer gondola to the Livrio hotel, that is, to the part where the slopes are opened during summer. In spring, you can ski all the way down to the hotel on the pass, having at your disposal 20 km of slopes that are very well cared for. Later on, as the snow melts, skiing is possible to Trincerone gondola station, to which the glacier expands. Depending on the state of the glacier and the snow cover, the part of the resort from the Livrio hotel to the peak of the glacier is opened in August, when skiers have 10 km of slopes on their disposal. Whether you visit the glacier in spring or in summer, you will be thrilled by the versatility of its trails. They are mostly classified as red and lay on the different sides of the glacier, so you don't have the impression of descending down the same slope, as it is the case with most glacier runs. One day ski lift pass is EUR 34 + EUR5 deposit for key card. It is also possibly to buy a return gondola ticket, at the price of EUR 16 for Stelvio-Trincerone gondola and EUR 20 for Stelvio-Livrio gondola.
From the Livrio hotel, you can take one of the two parallel tow ski lifts, Geister 1 and 2, that cover three mostly red trails. On the other side of the glacier there is the Payer tow ski lift that covers two red trails, and on far right there is the Cristallo toe ski lift covering two blue trails. About ten meters form the upper station of the Cristallo tow ski lift, there is a gazebo overlooking the Valfurva valley. The Geister trail overlooks the 3905 m high Ortler peak. On the glacier there is a small snowpark and pretty much off-piste terrain. During summer, ski lifts on Passo Stelvio glacier operate from 8 a.m to 16:30 p.m., with the break between 13 p.m. and 14 p.m.. Both gondolas operate from 8 a.m to 17 p.m. without a break.
The thing that may unpleasantly surprise you is the bad condition of the Livrio hotel and the neighboring mountain lodge, whose windows are nailed with wooden planks. Both buildings crave total renovation. The hotel's offer follows its outer look - it is scarce and and expensive. For example, goulash with polenta costs EUR 10. Other resort's hotels and lodges are also in need of extensive renovation, except for the Thöni 3000 hotel that is newer. However, bad tourist and hotel offer is in Passo Stelvio made up for with natural beauties, exceptional serpentine ride and excellent ski slopes.
Near Passo Stelvio there are the well known resorts of Bormio (also known for its thermal spas) and Livigno (with its duty free shopping zone), as well as the Swiss National Park. Visiting Passo Stelvio is not a hard decision to make. However, some precautionary measures have to be taken before ascending it - check out your car's cooling system and brakes. Driver gloves and anti-nausea tablets for your passenger may come in handy as well.
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