Stelvio Pass 2026: The 2,758m Road With 48 Hairpins Is the Second Highest Paved Mountain Pass in the Alps — and One of the Most Photographed Roads in the World for a Reason
Autore: La Redazione di www.tourleaderpro.com
Last updated: April 2026.
Passo dello Stelvio (the Stelvio Pass — 2,758m altitude, on the border between the province of Sondrio (Lombardy) and the province of Bolzano (South Tyrol/Alto Adige)): the second highest paved mountain pass in the Alps (after the Col de l'Iseran in France at 2,770m) and the highest paved pass road in Italy, constructed between 1820 and 1825 by the Austrian engineer Carlo Donegani for the Imperial Austrian government (the Lombardo-Veneto Kingdom) as the military road connecting Milan to Vienna through the Alps. The specific Stelvio Pass road engineering achievement: the 1820-1825 Donegani construction required the specific alpine engineering innovation (the numbered hairpin system — the 48 numbered hairpin turns on the eastern ascent from Prato allo Stelvio in the Val Venosta (the Vinschgau valley) that are visible simultaneously from the Stelvio summit in the specific photographic composition (the road zigzagging down the cliff face with all 48 numbered hairpins visible from the viewpoint above the 41st hairpin) that makes the Stelvio Pass the most reproduced single mountain road image in European travel photography.
The Stelvio Pass opening: the pass road (the SS38 state road — the Stelvio is administered as a state road despite its altitude and its tourist significance) typically opens on June 1 each year (after the winter snowplowing of the 48 hairpin section) and closes on October 31 (before the first permanent winter snowfall of the November season). The specific opening date varies by 2-4 weeks depending on the specific winter snowfall (in heavy snow years (2021, 2022) the opening has been delayed to mid-June; in light snow years the opening occurs in late May): check the Stelvio Pass official website (stelviopass.com) or the ANAS (the Italian Road Authority) website for the specific 2026 opening date from late May onward.
Stelvio Pass: The Drive, the Cycling, and the Practical
The Driving Experience
Stelvio Pass driving practical (the specific 2026 driving guide): the recommended direction (the eastern ascent from Prato allo Stelvio — the 48 numbered hairpins visible from above, the ascending drive that provides the panoramic views over the Val Venosta and the Ortler massif): the eastern ascent from Prato allo Stelvio to the summit covers 24km with 1,808m of altitude gain in the 48 numbered hairpins (the average gradient is approximately 7.5%, with the specific maximum gradient at hairpin 8-14 of approximately 12-14%): the drive requires approximately 45-60 minutes for the ascent in normal summer traffic. The summit (the Stelvio Pass summit village — the hotels, the restaurants, and the specific cluster of souvenir shops at 2,758m): the specific summit experience (the tri-point of Lombardy, South Tyrol, and the historic border with the Trentino) and the view over the Ortler group (the Ortler at 3,905m is the highest peak of South Tyrol and the highest peak of the eastern Alps outside the Bernina group): the western descent to Bormio (38km, 1,533m of altitude loss) is less dramatic but provides the Stelvio National Park forest descent and the Bormio thermal spa as the specific descent endpoint.
The Cycling Tradition
Stelvio Pass cycling (the specific cycling tradition — the Stelvio is the most famous single climb in Italian professional cycling and the second most famous in European cycling after Alpe d'Huez): the Giro d'Italia Stelvio stage (the Stelvio has appeared in the Giro d'Italia 12 times (most recently in 2022) and is identified as the "cima Coppi" (the highest point of the Giro) in the years when the race includes the pass): the Stelvio cycling record (the ascent record for the eastern face (Prato allo Stelvio to the summit — 24km, 1,808m) is approximately 1 hour 5 minutes, set by the professional climbers in the Giro stage): the Stelvio amateur cycling (the Stelvio Bike Day (the annual September event when the pass is closed to motor vehicles for one day and open exclusively to cyclists — check stelviopassbikeday.com for the 2026 date).
Q&A: Stelvio Pass
Is the Stelvio Pass drive safe for non-Alpine experienced drivers?
Yes, with specific caveats: the Stelvio Pass road is fully paved, has guardrails on the exposure-side hairpins, and is maintained by ANAS to Italian state road standards. The specific challenges for the non-Alpine driver: the hairpin width (the Stelvio hairpins are narrow by alpine standards — the road is 5-6m wide on the hairpin apex, with the occasional bus or camper van requiring one vehicle to reverse to the nearest passing point); the gradient (the 12-14% gradient on the steep sections is manageable for any modern car in first or second gear); and the altitude (the 2,758m summit produces mild altitude-related effects (light-headedness, slightly reduced engine power) for visitors from sea-level environments): the specific Stelvio driving recommendation (drive at your own pace, use the passing bays when meeting oncoming traffic, and enjoy the specific 48-hairpin photography stops on the ascent). An automatic transmission is perfectly adequate for the Stelvio; a manual transmission in first gear manages the hairpins without difficulty.