Five must-drive mountain roads in Italy
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Ah, Italy. Home of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Alfa Romeo and Pagani. And some of the very best mountain roads to drive them on. Actually it doesn’t matter if you’re behind the wheel of a 500hp supercar or a Fiat 500 these five drives will make you fall in love.
San Boldo Pass
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If you like to hear the sound of your engine then the San Boldo is for you. There are no less than five tunnels in its 11 miles to act as echo chambers for your personal concert of internal combustion. Also in the mix are six bridges and 18 hairpin bends. It’s quite the arm-twirling experience. Find out more.
Stelvio Pass
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The Stelvio Pass will take you over into Switzerland on probably the world’s most famous mountain road. Unfortunately that also makes it one of the world’s busiest. Get your timing wrong and it will be packed with tourists on two wheels and four, going crazily fast or painfully slow. But get up at dawn before the crowds and you’ll find it’s well worth the effort. Find out more.
Great St Bernard Pass
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Hang on lads, I’ve got an idea. Head to the Great St Bernard Pass to recreate your very own Italian Job. It’s a glorious drive where time has stood still since Michael Caine and company paid their cinematic visit. The views are IMAX spectacular and the road is amazing whether you’re in a Mini or a Miura. Find out more.
Maloja Pass
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One of the few passes spanning the Swiss/Italian border that’s open year-round, the Maloja serves a ski area and whether you’re climbing or descending it’s a double-diamond black run for drivers. There’s 800m of elevation change in just a couple of miles. Find out more.
Gardena Pass
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The Gardena Pass, or Grödner Joch, is one of the most exhilarating drives in the South Tyrol. It climbs to over 2,000m and the views are simply astounding. It’s switchback central and gets very busy at peak times, so plan your journey carefully as overtaking a slow-moving tourist is no mean feat. It’s generally pretty smooth and well looked after so if you do have it to yourself it’s a proper test of driver and machine. And if you do have to take things slower then the scenery more than makes up for the adrenalin loss.