Stelvio Pass

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Some of the 48 hairpin turns near the top of the northern ramp of the Stilfser Joch

The Stilfser Joch (Italian: Passo dello Stelvio; German: Stilfser Joch), located in Italy, at 2757 m (9045 ft.) is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, and the third highest in the Alps after the Col de la Bonette (2802m, 9192 feet) and slightly below the Col de l'Iseran (2770 m, 9088 ft.).

[edit] Location

It is located in the Italian Alps north of Bormio in the province of Sondrio and south of Stilfs in the province of Bolzano-Bozen, some 75 km (47 mi.) from Bolzano, close to the Swiss border, as the Umbrail Pass joins the Stilfser Joch's southern ramp nearby. The "Three languages peak" (Dreisprachenspitze) above the pass is so named because this is where the Italian, German and Romansh languages meet.

The road connects the Valtellina with the upper Adige valley (Vinschgau) and Meran. The most important mountain range next to the Stilfser Joch is the Ortler Alps. Adjacent to the pass road there is a large summer skiing area. Important mountains nearby include Ortler, Monte Livrio, Monte Scorluzzo and Monte Zebrù.

[edit] History

The original road was built in 1820-25 by the Austrian Empire to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardia with the rest of Austria, covering a climb of 1871 m. The engineer and project manager was Carlo Donegani (1775-1845). Since then, the route has changed very little. Its sixty hairpin turns, 48 of them on the northern side numbered with stones, are a challenge to motorists. Even Stirling Moss went off the road here during a vintage car event in the 1990s, with an onboard video of his incident being shown on satellite TV.

Before the end of World War I, it formed the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Italian Kingdom. Even the Swiss had had an outpost and a hotel (which was destroyed) on the Dreisprachenspitze. During World War I, fierce battles were fought in the ice and snow of the area, with gun fire even crossing the Swiss area at times. The three nations made an agreement not to fire over Swiss territory, which jutted out in between Austria (to the south) and Italy (to the north). Instead they could fire down the pass, as Swiss territory was up and around the peak. After 1919, with the expansion of Italy, the pass lost its strategic importance.

The Stilfser Joch retains an importance for sport when it is open from June to September. Countless cyclists and motorcyclists struggle to get to the highest stretch of road in the Eastern Alps. The Giro d'Italia often crosses the Stilfser Joch (it was crossed by the Giro for the first time in 1953, when Coppi beat Koblet).

Bormio regularly hosts World Cup ski racing; its Pista Stelvio is among the most challenging men's downhill courses on the circuit.

In 2008, Moto Guzzi started selling a Stelvio model, named after the famous mountain pass.