Forcola di Livigno

A 2315m border pass linking Livigno to the Bernina, long straights through a craggy glacier-rimmed valley.

The SS301 climbs from the high duty-free town of Livigno toward the Forcola di Livigno, a 2315m pass on the Italian-Swiss border that connects onward to the Bernina Pass and St Moritz. The Italian side has few hairpins, instead running as long straights and gentle ramps up a dramatic open valley hemmed by grey craggy peaks and glaciers, narrower and quieter than the neighbouring Bernina. It is a short-season alpine link, usually open only from around mid-June into autumn, and a favourite of cyclists chaining together the passes around Livigno. Mind the very short opening window with snow closing it most of the year, the high altitude and rapid weather changes, and the narrow exposed carriageway near the summit.