Stelvio National Park (Italian: Parco nazionale dello Stelvio; German: Nationalpark Stilfser Joch) is a national park in northeast Italy, established in 1935. The park is the largest in Italy and covers part of two regions: Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and Lombardia, in 24 municipalities.
Stelvio National Park has borders with the Swiss National Park, Adamello Brenta Natural Park, and Adamello Regional Park (Italian: Parco regionale dell'Adamello). Together, these parks comprise 400,000 hectares of protected natural environment. The park includes an extensive territory of valleys and high mountains, ranging from 650 m to 3,905 m in height.
The Stelvio National Park was established in 1935 and its 134,620 hectares in the heart of the Central Alps, which include the entire Ortler-Cevedale mountain range, make it the largest Italian park. It covers the four provinces of Trento, Bolzano, Brescia and Sondrioand offers a unique scenery of glaciers, waterfalls, glacial lakes and waterways, extensive woodlands, cultivated areas, mountain farms which are inhabited the whole year round, Alpine villages and distinctive villages.
The landscape of the national park is characterized by the presence of intact alpine areas and areas which have been cultivated for centuries. Here one may indeed meet lush forests, green mountain meadows, pastures and farms and examples of rural architecture, but also factories, sawmills and mills preserved all over the valleys.
The landscape diversity ensures there are vast ecosystems rich in flora and fauna. Every area is covered by a varied and colourful flora. Nature lovers may find countless plant species in the park territory, even very rare ones such as the glacier buttercup that grows at over 3500 meters above the sea level or the soldanella pusilla (snowbell).
All the areas of the park are inhabited by numerous specimens of alpine fauna.
There are herds of deer and roe deer in the dense woods, chamois can be spotted higher up, and alpine ibexes in the valleys.
Foxes, marmots, ermine and squirrels are also present. There are many species of birds, such as ravens, woodpeckers, grouses, owls and golden eagles.
The so-called "park guides" accompany visitors throughout the year, even in winter, with accommodation facilities in the Park premises.
In addition to nature trails, botanical trails and wildlife areas you can also follow cultural and environmental itineraries that include visits to ancient buildings, museums and strongholds.
Mountain
Stelvio National Park is the largest in Italy and the Alps, it is also home to the largest glacier in Italy, Forni. There are 269 named mountains in the park. At 3,905m, Ortler is the highest and the most prominent mountain in the park. The area covers 1,300 square kilometers of mountainous territory, and 75% of its surface is above 2,000 from the sea level.
The namesake Stelvio Pass is the highest paved tarmac road in Italy. It is a civil engineering triumph, a ribbon of tarmac is 48 km long with 70 hairpin bends soaring at 2,757m in the sky and back down. Historically, it was finished in 1825, so that Austria could control Lombardy, its imperial foothold in Italy back then. There are still the words ‘Stilfser Joch’, Stelvio’s Austrian name, on maps and on some signposts.
Interestingly, the nearby Dreisprachenspitze mountain represents the old meeting point of three languages: Italian, Swiss Romansh, and German. Famous Italian auto car maker Alfa Romeo named their top SUV model after this pass. Also, Stelvio Pass is the access point to one of the largest summer ski areas of the Alps. There are more than 20 km of slopes between the Stelvio Pass and Monte Cristallo (3,439m), which are served by 6 ski lifts.
Another well known pass is Gavia Pass. Both passes are extremely popular among cyclists. Both are often included in the famous cycling event Giro d’Italia. At the top of Gavia Pass there’s a statue of Madonna delle Vette, the protector of cyclists. There are convenient parking facilities and restaurants that make them ideal trailheads for numerous excursions.
The mountains of the national park are mainly composed of metamorphic rocks (gneiss, phyllite, schists) and to a smaller degree from igneous rocks (granit). In the north-western part of the park there are mostly sedimentary rocks (primarily the dolomite).
Apart from classic ascents to Ortler and Gran Zebru / Koenigspitze there’s somewhat legendary high altitude trek called Thirteen Peaks after 13 spectacular summits above 3,000m along the way. The trek runs over 17km with almost 2,000m of elevation gain (and drop) over glaciers of medium difficulty and requires alpine skills and adequate equipment (an ice axe, crampons, a cord).
Major Hikes and Attractions
Stelvio National Park is under management of three different regional administrations: Lombardy, Trentino, and South Tyrol. The sections of the park are naturally divided by glaciated craggy ridges.
Lombardy
The topography of the Lombardy sector is more complex than the two others, so we start with it. Apart from the valleys to the west and south from the park’s highest mountain Ortler, there is the Fraele Valley with two huge artificial lakes and almost no other presence of civilization, and the area around the Gavia Pass.
Close to the Stelvio Pass there’s the Umbrail Pass between Italian Lombardy and the Swiss canton of Graubunden. Piz Umbrail right above the pass is a perfect panoramic viewpoint. The trail couldn’t be classified as easy, but still doable with some scrambling over 500m elevation gain through the severely weathered and unstable limestone.
Another convenient and relatively easy summit is Monte Scorluzzo with the trailhead at the Stelvio Pass and mere 300m above it. Finally, Dreisprachenspitze makes another perfect destination for a short and very rewarding panoramic walk.
The Glacial Trail
There are two modifications of the trail - a higher and more difficult (alto) and a lower easier and less demanding (basso) one. The latter trail takes about 2 hours to complete and features the largest glacier in Italy - Forni.
The trail starts from Rifugio dei Forni and follows the dirt road to Rifugio Branca. Along the trail, you can observe the signs of glacial forces and information posts. Right after the Branca hut the trail descends to a small lake in front of the glacier.
Monte Confinale Panorama
One of the most spectacular viewpoints is available at the summit of Monte Confinale. The trail to Manzina Lake (Lago della Manzina) is relatively straightforward. The lake itself is a worthy destination. Then after additional 350m of elevation gain you can reach Piero Giampaolo bivouac and a small glacier behind it. Turn left and follow the trail to the summit of Monte Confinale for the unbeatable panorama.
The Cedec Valley - Rifugio Casati
The demanding trail to Rifugio Casati doesn’t provide any technical challenges but relatively long (8.5km one way and 1.2km of elevation gain) and takes at least 4 hours to reach the high altitude world of glaciers. But the rewards of the trail outweigh any struggle during the ascent. It is better to start early in the morning to have a lot of extra time. Going up the Cedec Valley you’ll be exposed to spectacular views of Gran Zebru (Koenigspitze), a tranquil valley shaped by mighty glaciers, and funny marmot whistles.
The Peio Valley
It is a particularly large valley with numerous hiking opportunities ranging for all skill levels. This is the valley where the legendary 13 Peaks Trek starts at the Rifugio Guido Larcher al Cevedale. For those who are less into alpinism, there’s much more feasible but no less spectacular loop trail over 5 scenic high altitude lakes: Lago delle Marmotte, Lago Lungo, Lago Nero, Lago del Careser, and Lago della Lama. Finally, there are several especially panoramic summits such as Cima Boai and Cima Vegaia each taking a whole day to complete.
The Rabbi Valley
Famous for the Saent waterfall, the Rabby Valley is another attraction in the Trentino sector of the national park. The most popular trail in the valley is a demanding hike from the large parking area at the very end of the tarmac road up to the Saent waterfall, and then much higher to the Rifugio Silvio Dorigoni. The total elevation gain is almost 1,000m, so it is advised to start early. The target mountain hut is surrounded by the cirque of 3,000m+ towering peaks like Hintere Eggenspitze (Cima Sternai), namesake Cima di Rabbi, and Cima di Saent. A brief walk from Dorigoni mountain hut brings you to the scenic Sternai Lake.
The Hammer Valley
Literally, the Hammer Valley, is an adjacent and very large valley with Martellerhütte (Rifugio Martello) being one of the most popular hiking destinations. For spectacular panoramas I suggest scaling Punta dello Scudo and Lyfispitze.
The Ulten Valley (Val d'Ultimo)
The valley is famous for its untouched nature, steep meadows, lush forests, and numerous crystal clear mountain lakes. There are many picturesque wooden fences along the hiking trails in the valley. One of the most popular panoramic treks goes through the summits of Hasenöhrl (3,257m), its smaller subpeak Kleines Hasenohr (3,131m), and then to Tuferspitz (3,097m).
Major Cities and Resorts
Bormio
Bormio will host the Winter Olympics 2026 along with Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites. Bormio region has an ancient and rich history. There are signs of several prehistoric settlements in the region. In fact, Bormio has been well known since Roman times thanks to the thermal waters with therapeutic properties. In his work Naturalis Historia, Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) who was born in a nearby Como very likely referred to the natural hot springs of Bormio when mentioning marvelous nature and the heat of countless hot springs between the high alpine passes. Much later in 535-536 AD, Cassiodorus also mentioned Bormio’s hot springs.
Livigno
Livigno is probably the most remote ski resort in the Alps. Due to the absence of highways nearby, the town is reachable only through high alpine mountain passes. In fact, there are just three roads to Livigno. Two link it to Switzerland. High altitude mountain pass Forcola di Livigno is open in summer only, and the second pass is the toll road Munt la Schera Tunnel. The third road over Foscagno Pass links Livigno to other parts of Italy. Livigno enjoys a special tax status as a duty-free area. Italian VAT (value added tax) is not paid. Interestingly, these tax advantages were recorded as far back as the sixteenth century. For visitors and inhabitants that guarantees significantly more attractive prices.
Solda
Located at 1,840m above sea level in a hollow right at the foot of the park’s highest mountain Ortler (which is also the highest for the whole South Tyrol) Solda is an original mountain village with unlimited outdoor leisure opportunities and a cutting-edge infrastructure. Solda can be characterized by healthy air, crystal clear water, pristine nature, and sustainable life-style practised ubiquitously. The village was absolutely unknown until 1800. Back then due to its remote location, in 1802, the Austrian newspaper "Innsbrucker Wochenblatt" compared it to "Siberia of Tyrol", "where farmers dine with bears and kids ride on wolves".
The New Church in the village of Solda
We hope you liked this guide to the Stelvio National Park and will choose it as a destination for your next adventure. Don’t forget to update your PeakVisor app, it comes in very handy in the mountains !
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