The Gavia is one of those passes that people talk about in lowered voices. At 2,621 metres it is among the highest paved roads in the Italian Alps, linking Bormio in the Valtellina with Ponte di Legno in the Val Camonica, and it crosses the rugged, rocky heart of the Stelvio National Park. The summit is bare and wild, with snow patches into July, two small lakes, the dark Lago Nero and the pale Lago Bianco, and a stone refuge, Rifugio Berni, with a restaurant and a view across the glaciers of the Ortler-Cevedale group.
The road is narrow, steep and rough. The western side, climbing from Santa Caterina Valfurva, has gradients up to eighteen percent, lots of blind hairpins and almost no barriers over the drop, and the surface patches and potholes are the norm. On the eastern side, from Ponte di Legno, the climb is a little more forgiving, but still narrow, with passing places that the bus drivers and campers use with practiced calm. Meeting a coach on a hairpin can require reversing. Weather changes quickly at this altitude, and the pass is closed by snow from late autumn until early summer, usually reopening in June.
The Gavia has a famous history in cycling: in the 1988 Giro d'Italia, a blizzard struck as the riders crossed the pass, and Andy Hampsten of the United States attacked in the snow, took the leader's pink jersey that day and went on to win the race (the stage itself went to Erik Breukink). It also has a darker history: the area was a front line in the First World War, when Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops fought at extraordinary altitudes, and the remains of trenches and barracks can still be found on the surrounding peaks.
The nearest petrol is at Bormio or in the valley towns, and Ponte di Legno, with about thirteen hundred residents, may have it, but fill up before the climb and do not trust the gauge. Food is simple and hearty, with polenta, venison stew and pizzoccheri, buckwheat pasta from the Valtellina, served at the refuge.
Go early to avoid traffic and afternoon thunderstorms. Bring a warm layer even in August, because the temperature at the top can be close to freezing, and wear gloves. Take your time, ride within your limits, and the Gavia will reward you with one of the best days in the Alps.