Cason di Lanza Pass winds very remote through the Alps

Passo del Cason di Lanza is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.552m (5,091ft) above the sea level, located in Udine, a province in the autonomous Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy, bordering Austria. The final 6km hit gradients of up to 16%.

The winding road to reach the pass is asphalted but narrow and links the municipalities of Paularo and Pontebba. The road is pretty narrow and oncoming traffic is always problematic and scary. The road winds very remote through the Alps. The pass, also called Pas di Lance and Lanzenpass, has been climbed several times by the Giro d’Italia bicycle race. In case of emergency you’ll need to wait hours for some rescue. In some parts the road is in terrible conditions. Snow can be found until June.

There are 2 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Pontebba, the ascent is 15.6 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 991 meters. The average percentage is 6.4 %. And starting from Paularo, the ascent is 15.4 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 912 meters. The average percentage is 5.9 %. The final 6km hit gradients of up to 16%.