I'm fortunate enough to live a few hours south of the Italian Alps. Last August, I made some time for a long weekend trip to Passo Stelvio, the highest paved road in Italy and quite famous for it's dozens of switchbacks. I've been to Stelvio many times but this trip was a new one for my riding buddy Tim (Versys 650).
The Uly was packed up and ready to go.
The campground is right at the base of Stelvio but still at a bit of elevation, 5500'. The campsite has a nice view of the Stelvio glacier.
Camping Trafoi: https://www.camping-trafoi.com/
A closeup of the glacier:
On a previous trip here with the wife, we camped here and hiked nearly to the glacier. Trails are well marked and there are several waterfalls coming off the glacier.
I brought my Coleman 1 burner stove but had a spot of trouble getting it level with my well used cookpot. Score: ground-1, risotto-0.
The second attempt went much mo betta.
I don't get tired of this view.
The first day dawned clear with just some clouds at the peak. Time for some ethiopian coffee in my aeropress.
Tim's a late sleeper; I fried up some bangers while waiting for him to get up.
Last edited by dolomoto; 12-28-2022 at 12:15 PM.
Once Tim got up and moving, we rode to the top of Stelvio.
Here's a pic of the switchbacks up the east ramp of Stelvio (pic from previous trip).
The south ramp of Stelvio descends to the town of Bormio. But there's lots of great scenery prior to Bormio.
Since it's Europe, there are lots of tunnel. Some, like this one are light controlled.
We continued on to some more great riding....
In this pic, you can just spot the south side of the Stelvio glacier.
Must...keep...eyes...on...road.
Putting some dino squeezin's in the tank...about $8 gallon.
Back at the top of Stelvio there are several food carts. This one is owned by the guy on the right, Ernstl. I've been buying bratwurst on brown bread from him for a few years now.
After lunch, it was on to Passo Gavia. It's my favorite Italian alpine pass...old broken pavement, no guardrail, narrow roads, stunning views.
We rode around more backroads and headed back to camp; the late afternoon view from the top of Stelvio was stunning.
The next morning was our ride home. Tim elected to go directly home (about 6 hours). I took a more meandering route...
One thing Tim and I didn't get straight was our "wheels turning time". On moto trips, I usually get up with the sun and am wheels turning by 0800. On this day, it was around 1000 before we departed...lesson learned on my part.
Nice view departing.
Zoomed in, you can just spot one of the waterfalls.
It was a bit brisk for perforated leathers. I put my electric vest on under my windproof layer (under my leathers). This is summer in the Alps but expect snow at any day during the year above 6000'.
We said goodbye at the camp office and rode out separate ways.
I went back across Passo Gavia ( https://www.passogavia.it/ )
On previous trips, I spotted this old portion of the road going around the tunnel. Hmmm...is it passable?
Last edited by dolomoto; 12-28-2022 at 12:34 PM.
I did some dismounted recon; didn't look too bad, just had to be mindful of the large loose rocks and mind the foot placement when I dabbed a foot down. This is the view looking back towards my Uly. You can see the barricade and "road closed" (white circle outlined in red) have been tossed aside.
And the view in the direction i was riding.
Would you ride it?
I put my big boy pants on and kept thinking, "muffler acts as skid plate"...lol.
A few spots required a high degree of patience, the drop off the right side varied from several hundred feet to over 1000'. No recovery from there.
Back in the day, this was the road width and they brought trucks thru here.
There's a small memorial to some soldiers that lost their life in 1954 when their truck went over the edge.
The sign says the truck went over at this point.
I survived!
Around the far corner above, this old road joined the main road again at the other end of the tunnel. I met some cyclists who were taking the old road, it would be more fun on a full suspension MTB.
I made it home in good order and started my next trip...Liguria. It's the region between La Spezia (Cinque Terre) and Genoa. I'd ridden it a few years ago and was anxious to get back to it.
Great stuff! Keep them coming!
You're an idiotTaking so many unnecessary risks, and on such an undependable machine no less! Buells will fail without warning and you will die. You should take a more dependable motorcycle (like a Bimmer), and on paved roads ONLY. Stay near your house on a planned route and only get coffee from a well known chain business.
Of course I'm jokingI'm so sorry but my jealousy spiked into the red when I saw the reverse-technique Ethiopian Aero-press, which is my exact camping de rigueur too! Your pics are stunning and the adventure is real! Thanks so much for posting another wonderful travelogue. You just cost Bubbles and I thousands of dollars as we're now planning a trip similar to yours next year
Gotta love the Aeropress!
Oh yea, cool mountains and roads too, I guess...
LoL. In the last 3 years/20k miles, I've not been stranded so I got that going for me.Originally Posted by Cooter
You're an idiot
Of course I'm joking
Yeah, that reverse concept of the aeropress is an advanced technique for sure!
I find trip planning almost as much fun as the actual trip, it's good work.
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