The village of Stelvio, Stilfs in German, clings to a steep slope above the Val Venosta in South Tyrol, a cluster of old houses and narrow lanes high above the valley floor, and most people who pass the turn-off have their eyes on something bigger. A few kilometres up the valley, at Prato allo Stelvio, begins the most famous mountain road in Europe: the climb to the Passo dello Stelvio, at 2,757 metres, with its numbered sequence of forty-eight hairpins stacked one above the other on the northern face of the mountain.
The road was built by the Austrian Empire in the 1820s, to link Lombardy, then under Habsburg rule, with Tyrol, and it was an extraordinary feat of engineering for its time. It became a front line in the First World War, when Italian and Austro-Hungarian troops fought at altitude among the glaciers, and traces of trenches and fortifications can still be found near the pass. Today it is a place of pilgrimage for riders, cyclists and drivers, and on summer weekends the top of the pass resembles a fairground, with sausage stands, souvenir shops and crowds.
The climb from Prato is a serious undertaking. The hairpins are tight, steep and often crowded with cyclists, cars and buses, and the road is narrow in places, with stone walls and steep drops. Above Trafoi, the views of the Ortler, the highest mountain in South Tyrol, and its glaciers are spectacular. From the top, you can descend south to Bormio or take the Umbrail Pass into Switzerland, one of the highest road passes in the country, down into the Val Müstair. The pass is typically closed from autumn to late spring, often from early November to late May or June, depending on the snow, so check before you go.
For food, the villages of the Val Venosta offer hearty Tyrolean fare, such as speck, dumplings and apple strudel, as the valley is famous for its apples. Prato allo Stelvio has fuel and services. Be aware that the weather at the top can be much colder than in the valley, with snow possible even in summer, so carry warm layers.