Val Venosta: Merano to Lake Resia and the Stelvio

Route description

Above Merano, the village of Tirolo leads on foot to Tyrol Castle, the seat of the counts who gave the whole region its name; it now holds the South Tyrol history museum. Back in the valley, take the SS38 west up the Val Venosta, or Vinschgau, through apple orchards and past castles on every spur. The valley is dry and sunny, and a cycle path runs alongside the road.

At Sluderno, Churburg Castle keeps a famous collection of armour shown on guided tours. Just across the valley is Glorenza, or Glurns, a tiny town still enclosed in its 16th-century walls with three gate towers and arcaded streets. Then climb to Burgusio, where Marienberg Abbey stands white against the forest at 1,340 metres, among the highest Benedictine abbeys in Europe.

Follow the SS40 north towards the Resia pass and the Austrian border. At Curon, a church tower rises from the water of Lake Resia, the last trace of the village drowned when the dam was built in 1950. There is parking on the shore. The road on to Austria is easy, but this route turns back down the valley to Prato allo Stelvio.

From Prato the SS38 climbs 48 numbered hairpins to the Stelvio pass at 2,757 metres, one of the highest roads in the Alps, then drops to Bormio in Lombardy. The pass is usually open from late May or June to early November. Large motorhomes should think twice: the hairpins on the northern side are very tight, and in summer the road is crowded with cyclists and motorbikes.