stelvio - Lonely Planet

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142
Stelvio
Highlights
Juggle your German and Italian phrasebooks and get ready to intersperse guten tags with salves
as you criss-cross the unmarked border between Trentino and Alto Adige (p143)
Explore fine paths over high passes on the Val di Rabbi to Martelltal walk (p144)
Wander through beautiful cool pine and larch woodlands with peek-a-boo mountain vistas above
the Val di Rabbi (p144)
Look out for chamois and red deer in the German-speaking Martelltal (p144) – famous for its
summer strawberries and winter cross-country skiing
s t e lv i o
Signature food: Sauerkraut
and sausages
Celebrated native: Andreas
Hofer (Tyrolean patriot)
Famous for… Spas
It’s not quite Yellowstone, but 1346-sq-km Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio is
northern Italy’s (and the Alps’) largest national park, straddling the regions
of Trentino-Alto Adige and Lombardy and bordering with the Parco Nazionale
Svizzero in neighbouring Switzerland.
The park is primarily the preserve of walkers who come here to enjoy the
extensive network of well-organised rifugi and marked trails which, while often
challenging, don’t generally require the mountaineering expertise necessary
in the nearby Dolomites. Stelvio’s central massif is guarded by Monte Cevedale
(3769m) and Ortles (3905m) protecting glaciers, forests, numerous wildlife species
and myriad cultural traditions, both Italian and South Tyrolean. Fewer than 100
years ago, this majestic land served as the front line in WWI and remnants of old
defences along with a small museum bear testament to the slaughter.
Less blemished with ski facilities than other regions, Stelvio's primary run is
at the Passo dello Stelvio (2757m), the second-highest road pass in the Alps. The
pass is approached from the north from the hamlet of Trafoi (1543m) on one of
Europe’s most spectacular strips of asphalt, a series of tight switchbacks covering
15km, with some very steep gradients. The road is also famous among cyclists,
who train all winter to prepare for its gut-wrenching ascent (it has often featured
in the Giro d’Italia).
Stelvio can be approached from Merano (from where you have easy access to
the Val d’Ultimo, Val Martello, Val di Solda and the Passo Stelvio), or from the
Val di Sole in Trentino.
Climate • stelvio • 143
lonelyplanet.com
STELVIO
Stelvio
i
lD
a
Bormio
)
o
im
lt
l l
o)
l
t a
r
(V
l
a
r
ld
Ortles (Ortler)
(3905m)
Fiume Adda
Cima Vertana
(3544m)
a
Zufrittsee
M
(Lago di
(
Gioveretto)
T R E N T I N O
To Bolzano
e
1
Ul
t
So
Solda
(Sulden)
ig
e Ad
Fium
l
Va
Passo dello StelvioTrafoi
(Stilfserjoch) (2757m)
Lago di Giacomo
Livigno
Lago di Cancano
e
Gomagoi
Pizzo di Ferro
(3033m)
V
i n
(V
s c h g
a u
a l
Veno
s t a )
Parco Nazionale
Martell
dello Stelvio
(Martello)
S38
l
S W I T Z E R L A N D
Goldrain
(Coldrano)
a
S28
Schlanders
(Silandro)
e
Spondinig
(Spondigna)
M
p146
te
nt
al
l
a
d
'U
St Walburg
(San Valburga)
S238
V
1 Val di Rabbi to Martelltal
MERAN
(MERANO)
PARCO NATURALE
GRUPPO DEL TESSA
(TEXALGRUPPE)
Mals (Malles)
t
To Innsbruck
Stelvio Map
A L T O
A D I G E
St Gertraud
Monte Cevedale
(San Gertrude)
(Zufallspitze)(3769m)
Cima Sternai
(3443m)
i
Collècchio
L O M B A R D Y
l
rn
f
(2957m)
S38
Monte Confinale
Fo
u
Cima Venezia
Va
(3370m) V a l d i
r
l d
v
(3386m)
a
i
R
Bagni di Rabbi
0
6
12km Monte Sobretta Santa Caterina
a
San Bernado
(3256m)
Corno dei Pejo
V
Tre Signori
Cles
a
0
3
6 miles
(3360m)
Malè
Passo di Gavia
(2621m)
Peio
Terme
e Tuenno
l
Punta di
o
Cusiano
S
Pietra Rossa S300 Passo di Tonale
i
d
S42
To Sondrio
(3212m)
(1683m)
V a l
San Antonio
V
a
Fondo
b
To
Bolzano
b
i
Lago di Santa
Giustina
l
P
Edolo
CLIMATE
Planning
When to Walk
In most years snow should have retreated
from all but the highest ground by mid-June,
R
e
n
To Bolzano
Madonna
di Campiglio
A22
To Trento
and heavy and persistent snow shouldn’t return until early October. Lower-level walks
in the valleys should be accessible from May
to October.
Maps
The Touring Club Italiano’s 1:200,000
Trentino-Alto Adige is ideal for general
planning and access.
PLACE NAMES
Italian names are either used exclusively
or given precedence over German names
in Trentino and Lombardy, but German is
preferred over Italian names in Alto Adige/
South Tyrol (eg Martelltal/Val Martello).
However, in Stelvio you’ll find some path
signposts with both or only one (commonly
German) version, and even with different
spellings in the one language of the same
place (eg Passo Soy and Forcella di Soi).
The locally preferred version is given precedence in this chapter.
Books
Among the Italian-language titles, Escursioni Parco dello Stelvio Trentino e Alto
s t e lv i o
Stelvio’s climate is predominantly alpine
in character. July and August are the wettest months (around 100mm each month).
Afternoon thunderstorms are common,
presaged by towering cumulus then lower,
flatter nimbus clouds. The rainfall for May
and September is considerably lower – as
little as half that of the summer months.
Heavy snowfalls typify winter, although
snow can fall at any time of the year.
In summer the average temperature is
into the 20s°C in the valleys but decreases
markedly with altitude. It’s not uncommon
for summer days to dawn fine and clear, but
become cloudy over the mountains during
the warmest part of the day.
During April and May, in particular, the
föhn, a warm, dry wind, can affect the area.
The temperature rises rapidly, possibly triggering avalanches and accelerating the thaw
of winter snow.
S43
a
PARCO NATURALE
ADAMELLO-BRENTA V
l
L a
i
jo
PARCO REGIONALE
DELL'ADAMELLO
l l a
a n e
e s
P r
d e
n a
é
To
Brescia
d
Ponti di Legno