Alps Passes (eg: Stelvio) and Internet Mythology…

Midday on the Stelvio in Mid October – 2 cars visible… Not as busy as myth would suggest!

Internet myths regarding the wonder of the Alps roads abound.  I’ve searched and these articles might be called “Best roads in Italy”, or “5 Passes in the Alps you have to drive” or whatever… You know the ones! Many simply perpetuate information that is mildly or maybe completely incorrect. I have a sneaking suspicion that the vast majority of these articles on the subject of fantastic European roads are written by folk who haven’t been there and perhaps don’t even drive a car in Europe. What I am alluding to will have happened to anyone who has been present at a news worthy event (motorsport in particular, but not necessarily) anywhere. You were there, but when you read the articles and watch the TV report on it later, you wonder how you were at the same event. They (the journalists) get the numbers wrong, the day wrong, the names wrong, the brand of car and any other actually factual information wrong. The facts are seemingly lost in the ‘art’ of creating ‘entertainment’. In the case of blog articles on Austrian, Swiss and Italian Passes, I think someone wrote an article once that was half true (maybe the same journalists from above). The rest have just copied, pasted and tweaked the original with a few more myths that sound reasonable  along with extra hyper colour-saturated photo

I’m a bit of a driving (and riding) enthusiast. I haven’t driven all the passes in the Alps but I have driven all the key ones (bar a couple) and the majority of the ‘lesser ones’ (excluding France, I’m getting to them on the next trip). What I have found is that the realty is, in most cases, vastly different to what has been widely reported. I will write a blog on my preferred Alpine passes soon enough. For the moment though and for the sake of some actual factual info, here are my top 5 favourite myths you can find on the interweb:

TOP FIVE EUROPEAN ALPS, MOUNTAIN PASSES AND ROAD INTERNET MYTHS –

1. Myth 1 – The “Italian” side of the Stelvio. There is no “Italian side” of the Stelvio Pass. Both ends of the road over the Pass are in Italy. The Pass itself is in Italy. I see this written again and again. “We started out on the Italian side…”, “If you leave the Italian side of Stelvio and head towards Switzerland…” blah blah blah (thanks Jalopnik). The road effectively begins (or ends) in Bormio (Italy) and as far as I am concerned the road is back on the flat in a town called Agumes (Italy). At no point does the road enter  Switzerland. Near the top though, on the Bormio side, there is another road that leads down into Santa Maria (Switzerland) known as the Umbrail Pass Road. Interestingly most articles never mention this road??

1. Myth Two – The Stelvio is too crowded to be enjoyed. While on the Stelvio, they say “The Stelvio is over rated” OR “The Stelvio isn’t a drivers road” OR The crowds are ridiculous and ruin it”. Bulls*@t! The Stelvio is an engineering master piece and I have had some excellent races up and down it with other enthusiastic drivers. The view from the top towards the Agumes end is the most amazing view of a mountain road in Europe full stop. The millions of pictures you have seen do not convey the scale. You must go and see it yourself. Traffic? Did you visit at midday in August and it was busy? Of course it was busy, all of Europe is busy during the ‘busy ‘ season. Can I suggest early June or late Sept/Oct. I have more or less had the road to myself. There were parking spots available right next to the “Highest Sausage in Europe” and only 50 – 100 other Pass enthusiasts wandering around. they say “Oh the road is narrow in places”. And they are right,on the Bormio side it is narrow and care should be taken as per almost every other road in Italy. Do go though, but remember it generally doesn’t open until the 1st of June after winter and closes for the winter around mid November. Hey and if you do have to visit in the high season check out some of my suggested unheard of and little known brilliant Italian roads and passes blog.
2. Myth Three – The Amalfi Coast road is an amazing drivers’ road!!  Blah Blah Blah… No, the Amalfi Coast is NOT an amazing drivers’ road. It’s just not!! Yes the scenery is stunning. The way the villages on this coast are built is amazing. The road is an engineering tour de force BUT the good bit is only the section between San Pietro and the outskirts of Positano. That’s the bit that really is (out of season) a very enjoyable drive. There is no room for errors though! Did I mention that section is all of 7kms long and will take you less than 15 minutes plus stops, and you will stop. In season between say mid June and late August you will stop because everybody is stopped. I am told (as I have not visited at this time of year) the whole Amalfi Coast is a mess best avoided at that time of year. When we visited in November,  the road could still be busy in the tight bits but the good bit I am describing was great fun (bar the concern of disappearing over the edge having misjudged how tight a radius the next corner was). The road remains busy as there is simply no other way to drive between the villages of the Amalfi Coast. Positano to Amalfi (the town) isn’t too bad, but it’s no drivers’ road due to all the obstacles.  Amalfi to Salerno is almost unpleasant in places and no place for a ‘fang’. It’s very narrow, busy, twisty and challenging to drive without collision. Having said that there is a certain pleasure in driving this road and not swapping paint with on-coming locals or smashing each others mirrors off. BTW you might be thinking “fair enough I’ll park and then walk to soak up the views and the atmosphere”… Yes, at the end closest to Capri you will be able to park and walk, but between Amalfi and Salerno there is almost nowhere to walk except on the road and, of course, there is hardly enough room on the road for the cars. There certainly isn’t a beautifully made boardwalk or other arrangement for pedestrians to admire the stunning vistas in safety. The Amalfi Drive road is a bit of a weird one. Amazing, but hard work. Challenging but a must see. Beautiful beyond belief in the wide view but close up it could do with a good sweep and a hard rubbish pick up day. I guess walking around the villages or taking the ‘Path of the Lemons’ behind Minori and Maiori is the least stressful way to get a good look at just how crazy these towns perched on a cliffside are. They are also a great way to get fit as you will not have seen so many steps to walk down (and up) anywhere else.
3. Myth Four – You don’t need a Porsche or Ferrari to enjoy the Alps. The perception you need a Porsche or Ferrari to enjoy a drive through Alps is rubbish. Most Alps roads are really too tight to get a serious turn of speed out of a truly fast car. Agile, not too wide and quick enough to be interesting is what is required. An MX5 may well be all you need to have an enormous amount of fun. The customers that rent the supercars from various companies offering $14,000, four day trips over five passes must feel a little cheated by the end. Doing 50kph behind a farmer moving hay or continually getting stuck behind an RV just as you get to the good bit in your 458 while a Panda rips past with road width to spare could get annoying, fast!

   

4. Myth Five – Myths about the The Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Some facts.. I have just driven this pass for the third time and just read an article suggesting turning around before you get to the ‘toll’ booths at the other end. The article implied you will pay again to get back and made no mention of the discount rates available out of season or the generally tricky nature of the road for most of the season.  I once again wonder whether the writer ever went there. I have found that early in the season it’s not a lot of fun as there is water across the road everywhere from melting snow – much of it mid corner… Its hard to pin down but certainly this year (2018) the price is less after Summer. I paid €26 for a car mid October. The ticket covers you for the whole day. You can come and go seemingly as often as you like. There is also a discount multi day pass available for about double the day entry charge. My suggestion – go later in the year, early in the morning, pay only €26 and tackle what is a very challenging road. The speed is largely unregulated, you are surrounded by others of the same spirit and they are probably driving much more interesting machinery.  For me, it’s not the prettiest alpine pass although the roads approaching it carve through very attractive areas. It is, however, a must-do. Frankly if you have to drive north/south through this part of the Alps it’s a bargain compared with the boredom of the Brenner or Felbertauerntunnel (which are €11 – €12 toll anyway).