Platigliole Pass: a memorable road trip
Passo delle Platigliole is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.908m (9,540ft) above sea level located in the Alps, in the province of Sondrio, Lombardy, near the Italian and Swiss border. It's one of the highest roads of Europe.
Make sure you get your vehicle and yourself well-prepared before driving this road. You first have to climb the Passo dello Stelvio. There is a little road starting south from the Bormio side of the pass height (the other at the exact top ends soon), hidden at the parking area at the cable car station. It’s a 4x4 road climbing up within a lunar landscape.
This road is soon gravelled, but apart from two short bad sections with 25% you can otherwise ride this road on the way up to 3.018m (9,901 ft) above the sea level, on the Rifugio Piccolo Pirovano. The road ends at this point where the snow, skiers and glacier starts. There are 3 other hotels in the zone. Never underestimate this track! The area becomes very windy and accordingly cold.
This narrow gravel road is certainly breathtaking and it has a fearsome reputation. This road becomes very steep already at its first turn. Along the road you get some nice views over the Stelvio pass. The runway conditions vary from flat passages to other hardly rideable steep sections. The road is difficult and it’s a nightmare in the wet or dark (or both). There is little room for error on this road. Do not travel this road in severe weather conditions. Avalanches, heavy snowfalls and landslides can occur anytime, being extremely dangerous due to frequent patches of ice. It's one of the highest roads of the country.