Anfo Ridge Road is a pure Italian adventure

Located in the province of Brescia, in the Lombardy region of Italy, driving the infamous Anfo Ridge Road is a lifetime experience. This old military road is certainly breathtaking and has a fearsome reputation.

Anfo Ridge Road

Is Anfo Ridge Road unpaved?

Set high on the slopes of the Orobie Alps, the Anfo Ridge Road is mostly unpaved. The road has 4 short unlit tunnels. It was closed for 6 years because of a landslide but the route was cleared again in 2009. In 2010 some new tunnels were built to bypass the narrowest parts. It’s an old military rote, following an original path back to Roman times. It’s hard, scenic and beautiful but bit dusty and stony.

How long is the Anfo Ridge Road?

The road is 20.1km (12.48 miles) long, running east-west from Anfo to Passo del Maniva. The drive has it all: important rock fall risk, unsecured precipices, dangerous drop offs, tight corners and a narrow, full of holes way. The road has a maximum grade of 12 percent and the speed is limited to 20 km/h. It is closed to vehicles with a width of 2,50m and a height of 3,20m. It has never had much traffic because the bad conditions of the road where abundant stones are scattered. Since there was clearly no effort made to make the road again consistently navigable, this state is expected to continue.

Is the Anfo Ridge Road open?

It’s an exposed high mountain road, climbing up 4 mountain passes: Passo Baremone, at 1.450m (4,757ft) asl; Passo della Spina, at 1.521m (4,990ft) asl, Passo della Berga, at 1.527m (5,009ft) asl, and Passo del Dosso Alto, at 1.727m (5,666ft) asl. The road is usually open from June until the end of October, but can be also closed after heavy rains.
Pic: Nord Pfalz