Stilfser Joch VI
Ortler Alpen
Stelvio Pass in the Ortler Alps, Italy. View of the eastern ramp – the masterpiece of engineer Carlo Donegani. The first road was built between 1820 bis 1826 on behalf of the Austrian monarchy and was intended to connect Tyrol with Lombardy.
In 1859, Austria had to cede Lombardy to the Kingdom of Italy and the border ran over the Stelvio Pass. During World War I, there were fierce battles on the Stelvio, the traces of which can still be seen everywhere today.
From this perspective, the difficulty of building the road becomes clear. The east ramp counts 48 serpentines up to the pass summit. I photographed this view with morning light on a day in late June. It is not without reason that one also speaks of the “Queen of the Alpine Roads”.





























