An awe-inspiring road to Costalunga Pass

Passo di Costalunga (Karerpass) is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.745m (5,725ft) above the sea level, located in the province of South Tyrol in Italy.

Passo di Costalunga

The road to the summit (also known as Karerpass) is paved. It’s called SS241 and links Bolzano through the Eggental and the Welschnofen Valley with the Fassa Valley. The drive is definitely worth it. Don’t forget your camera! The summit is more a plateau or a crest. You can find some hotels, souvenir shops and restaurants and a farmer renting horses. From the pass summit you have a panoramic round view by nearly 360 ° over to the Ortler mountain, to the Cevedale massif and the Adige Valley. The climb is pretty steep, hitting an 11% through some of the ramps.

The pass has been climbed by the Giro d’Italia bicycle race. There are 2 routes to reach the summit. Starting from Cardano, the ascent is 26.6 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 1.462 meters. The average percentage is 5.5 %. And starting from Pera di Fazzo, the ascent is 10.32 km long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 401 meters. The average percentage is 3.8 %.