• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

(Photo: Will Spaetzel)

Drive the storied Stelvio Pass, one of the Alp’s highest and most scenic mountain passes—its heart-stopping corkscrews and 60 hairpin turns once derailed famed race-car driver Stirling Moss and have starred in countless car commercials, TV shows, and movies. From Merano, drive west on SS38 about an hour to the Stelvio National Park, stopping at a few leg-stretching points of interest—like the botanic trail or the 700-step staircase canopied by 500-year-old larch trees. Continuing on the park’s main road, begin the zigzagging, fifteen-mile climb up the pass. At the top, rest up at Livrio, a summer-only ski resort (it’s closed the rest of the year because of the high risk of avalanches) located at an altitude of 10,400 feet on a glacier with thirteen miles of trails. You could join the Italian ski team on the trails—they train here during the summer months—or just calm your nerves with a whiskey-soaked “Bambardino” in Livrio’s bar (open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for non-guests).

Published on Jun 16, 2008 as a web exclusive.