Passo dello Stelvio: The Highest Climb of the Giro d'Italia

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The climb at a glance

The Passo dello Stelvio sits in the Ortler Alps in northern Lombardy, on the border with Switzerland. Three paved roads meet at the summit: the Prato side from the south-east, the Bormio side from the south-west, and the Umbrail Pass side from Switzerland. The Prato ascent is the legendary one.

From the village of Prato allo Stelvio the road climbs almost without interruption for 24.3 km, weaving through 48 numbered hairpins — the Trenta — that stack across the mountain's eastern face like stitching on a coat.

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Giro d'Italia history

The Stelvio made its Giro debut on 6 June 1953. Fausto Coppi, then 34 and racing what would be his final Giro victory, attacked alone on the upper slopes and crested the pass in thick snow to gain the time he needed to seal overall honours. He won the Giro by just under four minutes.

Since then the pass has appeared in the Giro roughly every three to five years, depending on road conditions — snow has cancelled planned stages more than once. When included, the Stelvio is almost always designated the Cima Coppi, a prize introduced in 1965 to honour the highest point of each year's race.

The 2014 Giro stage that crossed the Stelvio from the Bormio side in driving snow — with Nairo Quintana attacking on the descent of the Val Martello — is the most-watched single stage in modern Giro history, and produced a lasting controversy over whether neutralized descents should be enforced in extreme conditions.

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Iconic moments

1953 is the foundational moment. Coppi, already a beloved national figure, rode away from a field of specialists on a road that was still partly unpaved. Photographs of him cresting in the snow, the carbon of his breath visible in the cold, are part of Italian sporting iconography.

1975 belongs to Francisco Galdós, who won the summit finish ahead of Fausto Bertoglio and effectively settled that year's Giro. The race that year was one of the closest in modern history — Bertoglio won overall by just 41 seconds.

2014, the snow stage. The image of Quintana descending the Val Martello in near-whiteout conditions, his team car lost in the fog behind him, is the visual reference for what 'extreme' means in professional cycling.

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How to ride it

The Prato ascent is a climb of three parts. The first 10 km from the valley floor are gentle — 5 to 6% through conifer forest and apple orchards. This is the section where riders go too hard, seduced by the rolling terrain.

At km 10 the road enters the Trafoi basin and the hairpins begin. From here to km 20 the gradient sits between 7 and 9%, with hairpins stacked in groups of three and four. The legendary 'wall of switches' — visible from kilometres away — is between km 14 and km 18.

The final 3 km from the Forcola junction are the crux. The gradient exceeds 10% consistently, the air is thin, and the wind at 2700 m is rarely still. Carry a windbreaker even on hot valley days, and do not underestimate the cold on the descent — it is one of the longest paved descents in the Alps, and hypothermia at the bottom is a real risk for underdressed riders.

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When to ride

The Stelvio is typically open only from June to September — the Prato side is sometimes closed until late June due to snow clearing. July offers the most reliable weather and the longest days. Early morning starts from Prato are essential in peak season: the lower road is narrow, and tour buses descend with limited visibility.