What are the most spectacular roads in Italy?

Located in the southern part of Europe, Italy is a dream for drivers as it hosts the mountain passes (the Alps), coastal drives (Adriatic, Ionian, Tyrrhenian, and Ligurian), and some of the most famous scenic routes in the world.

Choosing only a few roads to drive in the country is nearly impossible, as there are about 600 spectacular routes.
Stelvio Pass is Europe's most famous road. At an elevation of 2,757m (9,045ft) above sea level, the pass is located in the northern part of the country. It's one of the highest roads in Europe. Featuring 48 hairpin turns, the road through the summit is a marvel of engineering.

If you prefer coastal drives, you must experience the breathtaking Amalfi Coast Road. The road follows the shoreline from Sorrento south to Salerno. The road has been featured in films since cameras started rolling at 24 frames per second. If you want to feel like James Bond, don’t skip Strada della Forra.
A small car with a functioning horn is recommended. For skilled drivers only. The drive is known by motorcyclists from all over Europe, as it is impressive and not without danger in a few narrow and steep spots. If you prefer roads with a story, don’t miss the Strada delle 52 Gallerie, a WWI military mule road. Built on the massif of Pasubio, it was constructed in this position to stay away from Austro-Hungarian artillery fire.

Col Sud de Menouve

Col Sud de Menouve

Col Sud de Menouve is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.429m (7,969ft) above the sea level, located in the Valle d’Aosta region, in northwestern Italy.

Val Mara Road

Driving the impossible turns on the Val Mara Road

Val Mara Road is the name of a challenging drive running across the border of Switzerland and Italy, to the south of Lago di Lugano.

Lago Agnel

Lago Agnel

Lago Agnel is a high mountain reservoir at an elevation of 2.332m (7,650ft) above the sea level, located in the Province of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont.

Monte La Mula

Monte La Mula

Monte La Mula is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 1.934m (6,345ft) above the sea level, located in the Calabria region of southern Italy.

Ceresole Tunnel

Ceresole Tunnel is the steepest tunnel in the Italian Alps

Located in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, Ceresole Tunnel is said to be the steepest tunnel in the Alps, with gradients of around 14-16%.

Diga della Maina

How To Travel The Challenging Diga della Maina

Diga della Maina is the name of a narrow high dam located in the province of Udine, in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, in Italy. It’s one of the most spectacular bridges in the world.

Malga Trela

Malga Trela

Malga Trela is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.181m (7,155ft) above the sea level, located  in the Province of Sondrio, Lombardy region of the Alps in northern Italy.

Colle Ciarbonet

Driving the historic military road to Colle Ciarbonet in the Piedmont Alps

Colle Ciarbonet is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2,290m (7,513ft) above sea level, located in the Province of Cuneo, in the Italian region of Piedmont. This ancient military track offers a technical and scenic driving experience through the rugged Unerzio Valley.

Coletto di Laus

Driving the rugged track to Coletto di Laus: A rocky climb in Cuneo

Located in the heart of the Maritime Alps, in the Province of Cuneo, the ascent to Coletto di Laus is a journey through some of Piedmont’s most aggressive high-altitude terrain. Reaching an elevation of 1,948m (6,391ft) above sea level, this unpaved track links the isolated village of San Bernolfo with the stunning Lago di San Bernolfo and the Rifugio Laus. It is a route where the definition of a "road" is pushed to the limit, demanding a high-clearance vehicle and a driver who knows how to navigate a path made of loose stone and glacial debris.

Passo dei Contrabbandieri

Contrabbandieri Pass

Passo dei Contrabbandieri (Smugglers pass) is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.581m (8,467ft) above the sea level, located in Trentino-South Tyrol in northern Italy. The road goes through the ruins of several WWI fortifications. It's one of the highest roads of the country.

Testa Crevacol

How to drive the old military road to Testa Crevacol?

Testa Crevacol, also known as Tête de Crévacol, is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2,502m (8,208ft) above sea level in the Aosta Valley, Italy. Located in the Pennine Alps near the Swiss border, the summit is reached via a historical military track known for its loose stone surface and alpine drops.

Picco Palù-Großer Moosstock

Is the road to Picco Palù in South Tyrol difficult to drive?

Picco Palù is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2,490m (8,169ft) above sea level, located in the Italian province of South Tyrol.

Vallone di Chavannes

Vallone di Chavannes

Vallone di Chavannes is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.184m (7,165ft) above the sea level, located in the Valle d’Aosta region, in northwestern Italy.

Croce di Poverzone

Croce di Poverzone

Croce di Poverzone is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.908m (6,256ft) above the sea level, located in the heart of the Valtellina, in Italy.

Malga di Pinalto

Malga di Pinalto

Malga di Pinalto (Penaud Alm) is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.328m (7,637ft) above the sea level, located in South Tyrol, northern Italy.

Rifugio Genova-Schlüterhütte

Genova-Schlüterhütte Refuge

Rifugio Genova-Schlüterhütte is a high mountain hut at an elevation of 2.304m (7,559ft) above the sea level, located in South Tyrol in northern Italy.

Mutegg

Mutegg

Mutegg is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.624m (8,608ft) above the sea level, located in Italy’s South Tyrol region. It’s one of the highest roads of the country.

Corna Pass

Corna Pass: A high-clearance 4x4 challenge on the roads of the Mediterranean Alps

Corna Pass (also known as Passo della Corna or Pas de la Corne) is an international high mountain pass at an elevation of 1,046m (3,431ft) above sea level, situated on the border between Italy and France. This route is strictly for experienced 4x4 drivers looking for a technical challenge in the Ligurian Alps.

Rifugio Fronza alle Coronelle - Kölner Hütte

Fronza alle Coronelle Refuge

Rifugio Fronza alle Coronelle - Kölner Hütte is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2.341m (7,680ft) above the sea level, located in the province of South Tyrol in northeastern Italy.

Champillon

Champillon

Champillon is a high mountain plateau at an elevation of 2.092m (6,863ft) above the sea level, located in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy.

Passo Vezzena

Passo Vezzena

Passo Vezzena is a mountain pass at an elevation of 1.402m (4,599ft) above the sea level, located in Trentino in the northern Italian region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

Rifugio Averau

Averau Refuge

Rifugio Averau is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2.418m (7,933ft) above the sea level, located in the province of Belluno in Italy.

Rifugio Chalet de l'Épée

Chalet de l'Épée Refuge

Rifugio Chalet de l'Épée is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2.383m (7,818ft) above the sea level, located in the Aosta Valley region of north-western Italy.

Strada degli Alpini

Strada degli Alpini

Strada degli Alpini is the name of the sharply winding and precipitous ascent in a steep and narrow zig-zag road located in the Province of Treviso, in the Italian region Veneto.

Passo Barbacana

How to drive the military track to Barbacana Pass?

The Barbacana Pass (Passo di Barbacana) is an international high mountain crossing at an elevation of 2,180m (7,152ft) above sea level, located in the Alpes-Maritimes on the border between Italy (Piedmont) and France. The Italian side is accessed via an old unpaved military road starting from San Bernolfo. Logistically, the pass is a dead-end for motor vehicles; while the Italian side is a technical 4x4 track, the French side consists strictly of a walking path, making a cross-border transit impossible.

Col Rodella

Col Rodella

Col Rodella is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.462m (8,077ft) above the sea level, located in Val di Fassa, in South Tyrol in northern Italy.

Doss dei Cembri

How to drive the unpaved road to Doss dei Cembri?

Doss dei Cembri is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2394m (7,854ft) above sea level, located in the Autonomous Province of Trento, in Italy.

Rifugio Pomedes

Pomedes Refuge

Rifugio Pomedes is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2.303m (7,555ft) above the sea level, located in the heart of the southern Alps in the Veneto region of Northern Italy.

Rifugio Pulpito

Rifugio Pulpito: A brutal climb in the heart of the Ortler Range

Rifugio Pulpito (also known as Kanzel-Hütte in German) is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2,354m (7,723ft) above sea level, located in the South Tyrol province of northern Italy. Situated within the breathtaking Stelvio National Park, the climb to the refuge offers some of the most dramatic views of the Ortler massif.

Monte Fana-Pfannspitze

Monte Fana-Pfannspitze

Monte Fana is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.502m (8,208ft) above the sea level, located in the Trentino-South Tyrol region of Italy.

Cimetta Rossa

Cimetta Rossa: Driving the High Mountain Trail in Valle d'Aosta

Cimetta Rossa is a mountain peak at an elevation of 2,499m (8,198ft) above sea level, located in the Valle d’Aosta region of northwestern Italy. The route to the summit is primarily used as a service road for local ski infrastructure.

Rifugio Capanna Tondi

Capanna Tondi Refuge

Rifugio Capanna Tondi is a high mountain refuge at an elevation of 2.347m (7,700ft) above the sea level, located in the Veneto region of Northern Italy.

Col di Tsomioy

How to drive the unpaved road to Col di Tsomioy?

Col di Tsomioy is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.464m (8,083ft) above sea level, located in the Valle d’Aosta region, in Italy.

Col du Mont

Everything you need to know about the road to Col du Mont in the Aosta Valley

Col du Mont is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 2.169 m (7,116 ft) above sea level, located in the Aosta Valley region, in Italy.

Col dei Rossi

The epic unpaved road to Col dei Rossi in the Dolomites

Col dei Rossi is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 2.371m (7,778ft) above the sea level, located in Trentino in the region Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, in Italy.

Punta Bianca

Driving the road to Punta Bianca is not a piece of cake

Punta Bianca is a secluded white beach located in Sicily, Italy, with a horrible road where you can easily damage your car.