Teglio gave the Valtellina its name, so the locals say, and it also gave Italy one of its most satisfying dishes. Pizzoccheri, short, flat ribbons of buckwheat pasta cooked with potatoes and cabbage, then layered with melted Valtellina Casera cheese and garlic butter, were born in this hilltop village, and there is an academy here dedicated to defending the recipe. After a morning on the passes, a plate of it will fuel you for the rest of the day, or put you to sleep, depending on your constitution.
The village sits on a sunny terrace on the north side of the valley, high above the Adda river, with the Orobie Alps on the other side. Its finest building is the Palazzo Besta, a Renaissance palace with a frescoed courtyard, built by a powerful local family in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Around it, the slopes are covered in terraced vineyards held up by thousands of kilometres of dry-stone walls, where Nebbiolo grapes, known here as Chiavennasca, are grown for the Valtellina Superiore wines. One local speciality, Sforzato, is made from grapes dried for months before pressing, giving a rich, strong red.
At about 1,170 metres, it is not a high pass, and the road is broad, well surfaced and busy, with long, sweeping bends through forest and views over the valley. Aprica itself is a ski resort strung out along the road at the top, with hotels, restaurants and shops, quiet in summer. Just to the east, the narrow road over the Mortirolo, one of the most feared climbs in professional cycling, offers a much more technical alternative for riders who like steep gradients and tight hairpins.
The Valtellina is a long, deep valley, and in summer it can be hot and hazy in the bottom, so the best riding is in the morning or the late afternoon. Traffic on the main road along the valley floor can be heavy, especially on weekends, with trucks and tourists heading for the passes. For fuel and supplies, Tirano, about nine kilometres east, is the main town, and it is also the end of the famous Bernina Express railway from St. Moritz. Aprica and the villages on the valley floor also have fuel stations, bars and restaurants.