If Carlo Donegani had re-routed his original plans a little to the left or right and, in the process, picked up an extra 7m of elevation the Stelvio would now hold the throne as the highest paved mountain pass in the Alps.
That claim goes to the French pass the Col de l’Iseran, which tops out at 2,764m. As it stands, the Stelvio is the highest paved mountain pass in the Eastern Alps, cutting through the Ortler Range.
The original road was built between 1820 and 1825, and it still follows the primary route as of today. The pass runs for just over 24 miles from Gomagoi in the north to Bormio in the south and is famed for the 75 hairpin turns, of which 48 are on the northern approach.
There’s no doubting the riding can be tense and gripping with so many switchbacks coming one after another, but the spectacle of the road carving its way up the steep sided valley is one that should not be missed.