Toblerones & Tiramisu - Mont's 1,000km Stelvio Trip (It's a bit wordy)

[Mont]

I mean't to post this last year but life got in the way, and I'm now on the sofa nursing a 4 week old baby girl, waiting for her next feed during the craziest moments I've ever lived through, so no better time than any to reminisce about when I could actually leave the house and do something petrolheady. I'm not sure if anyone here is interested but figured I'd put up some pics and ramble a bit on what I could remember of it.

When I found out last summer that my wife was expecting I immediately panicked myself in to thinking I needed one last road trip before I became knee deep in dirty nappies and milky puke. Stelvio was always up there on my to-do list and @gav525's Euro trip convinced me that a run through the Swiss Alps in to Stelvio was what was needed. My wife hates long car journeys and as much as I enjoy my trips to the Nurburgring with my mates I knew I wanted this one to be a lone-wolf trip.

What Car?

I thought my Supra was great on the German autobahns so should be perfect to get me down through mainland Europe to Switzerland and Italy, but I also figured the MX5 would be more fun in the twisty roads once I got to the Alps. After a bit of research though I soon realised though it was too much driving and was working out pretty expensive so I looked in to flying and hiring a car.

This is where I discovered that Hertz had an offer on for Abarth 595 Turismos for less than 100 Euro for 4 days out of Bergamo Airport near Milan.

So flight and car booked and with some assistance from a couple of you guys I mapped out a route which took me west towards Switzerland then over the Swiss Alps before down Stelvio and in to Lake Garda.

I pre-booked a couple of hotels and a few days after our 12-week baby scan last September I jumped on a Ryanair flight to Bergamo.

Day 1: Bergamo to Blitzingen

A quick and painless early morning flight from Belfast International to Bergamo, out the front door and up to the rental carpark led me to this wee roller skate.

I've always had a wee thing for Abarths, especially hearing a few of them with aftermarket exhausts, so I was looking forward to driving one. I don't know if this was standard kit but this one had a built in TomTom sat nav, but when I plugged my phone in to the usb it brought up Apple's Carplay so I could use Google Maps and Spotify I threw my bag in to the tiny boot and made my way out to the toll road towards Milan. Once through the city and out in to the countryside the roads got quieter and the mountains larger.

Through a few tunnels before heading up in to the hills towards the Swiss border I didn't really stop other than for a vignette for the Swiss motorways. The scenery really started to get interesting before reaching my first pass which was the Simplon Pass at just over 6,500ft.

A short run after I ended up in Blitzingen which was my first stop for the night. It was only when I went looking for a bite to eat at dinner I realised that it's true that Switzerland really is feckin' expensive. Basic pub-cooked £20 pizza and a £5 Coke it is then.

*The village of Blitzingen. Not my picture. I don't own a drone or that tall - thanks internet*

 

[scub]

more?

 

[Mont]

Day 2: Blitzingen to Davos

Day 2 was a big day. I’d alot of driving ahead from Blitzingen to Davos taking in the Grimsel Pass, Furka Pass, Gotthard Pass, Tremola Pass & San Bernardino Pass.

I was very lucky with the weather this weekend and this day was no exception. Around 23 degrees C and pretty much clear roads.

Not far from Blitzingen I passed the air strip that Top Gear used for a drag race scene in the episode they did on Stelvio. I only realised when I was driving passed it.

After passing through a couple more traditional Swiss villages I reached Grimsel.

I’d been tempted to book the hotel at the top of of the pass but didn’t want to spend the night in the middle of nowhere. When I got to the top of the Grimsel Pass I really regretted not booking it. The lake was so still and clear. It was beautiful.

Back down the Grimsel Pass and this is where I realised one big issue with hiring a car for a road trip like this. The brakes! I started tearing down the pass when about halfway down they started to squeal badly and its only when hurtling towards a hairpin I realised I’ve no idea what pads are on this car and when they were last changed. Probably wise if I ease off a bit. I had this in the back of my mind the rest of the weekend and decided I wasn’t going to be properly attacking any twisty roads over the next few days as I didn’t fancy falling off any mountains in a little Fiat. Ultimately though I really came to fall in love with Switzerland’s countryside anyway so I was still happy to take it all at a more leisurely pace and take in the scenery.

Once down the Grimsel it was straight on the to the Furka Pass before stopping halfway up at the famous Belvedere Hotel. To be honest I didn’t see what the fuss was about it. Also it was packed with other tourists so I got a few quick pics and headed on.

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Next on to the Gotthard Pass, I opted to take the old cobbled road for the craic rather than the modern road into the village of San Gottardo before descending down the Tremola Pass which was a 5km stretch of more cobbles and 24 hairpin bends. Apparently these have been there since the late 1820s. It was definitely something a bit different.

An hour’s drive along one of the Swiss motorways took me to the base of the St Bernadino Pass. This was worth the trip alone. A fast sweeping smooth road with plenty of room for cars each way. I loved it and it turned out to be my favourite road on the whole trip. The Swiss army where there that day too with a couple of tanks so part of the pass was manned with guys with machine guns. I figured best not to stop to take pics of the tanks.

I even got a salute on the way past one of the soldiers.

After an 8 hour journey I got to my hotel in Davos, the highest city in Europe. Being a city I was expecting a bit of atmosphere even out of skiing season, but it was dead, and even more expensive to eat and drink in than the previous night. The one thing there was an abundance of though were electric mountain bikes. They were everywhere in Davos. Cycling was actually everywhere all weekend and every single one of the passes had plenty of people riding up and down them.

Anyways, another £20+ pizza for dinner, a stein of beer and early night. Stelvio tomorrow.

 

[Mont]

Day 3: Davos to Lake Garda via Stelvio

Another hot and sunny day in Switzerland, I left Davos and headed for the Fuorn Pass. This one was another fast smooth one with plenty of room for passing.

A quick stop at the top for some Swiss chocolate and eyeing up this old Porsche.

I then headed down through the tight streets of Santa Maria Val Mustair before turning off up towards the Umbrail Pass. Umbrail was the tightest pass of the trip. Some parts barely wide enough for two cars and barriers few and far between.

I hate heights, so was kinda glad to be get that one over and done with.

Getting up close to the snowy peaks now.

Straight after Umbrail I spotted a guy sat taking pics of everyone driving by and realised this was me at the top of Stelvio. Same kind of set up as Nurburgring. Strike a pose and cough up a few Euro for the pic.

Stelvio is pretty much just a street with mostly souvenir shops, cafes and bratwurst stalls but was still nice soaking up the atmosphere. A few skiers too. As I’d arrived at midday the place was pretty busy, cafes bunged but some nice cars and bikes sitting about. After a bratwurst it was time to tackle the Stelvio Pass itself - what I’d been waiting for the whole trip - and it was actually a bit meh, especially compared to St Bernadino the day before. I’d arrived too late in the day so there was plenty of traffic and cyclists making their way down. It was a slow descent and at some points I had to stop for some campervans to do three point turns round the hairpins. I’d seen plenty of videos of the top half of the Stelvio Pass in videos but the lower half down through the tree-lined tight twisty roads was actually alot more fun once I cleared slower traffic.

Once I got to the bottom of Stelvio that was the end of the passes for the trip. After that it was boring main roads and motorway until I reached Riva Del Garda at the top of Lake Garda. That was 7hrs after leaving Davos.

Riva Del Garda is a stunning wee town and somewhere I’d like to maybe take the wife some time for a weekend break or something.

I won't bore you with any more pics of this place but anyways, pizza for the third night, because Italy……. before finishing off with a plate of Tiramisu and a Gelato cone.

Day 4: Lake Garda to Bergamo

The return flight in to Belfast was too early in the morning as it would have meant leaving the hotel at 5am, so I booked a late afternoon flight home from Bergamo to Dublin and Aircoach back to Belfast. It mean’t I could have a lie in before the uneventful drive down the west side of Lake Garda with the only real highlight being the tunnels from the opening chase scene in Quantum of Solace. You know, the one with the black Alfa 159s.

I’m glad I gave myself plenty of time to go this way as it’s slow enough moving down the lake before some toll roads back to Bergamo to leave off the Abarth.

After 1,000km I was kinda sad to leave this little thing to be honest. It wasn’t a great driving position. The seating position was too high and the pedals are odd feeling and high too. Also the boot is tiiiny, but it still never failed to put a smile on my face. It wasn’t fast but it was still sharp enough when I needed it to be. It had enough pace along the motorways and I’d argue it was a perfect choice for the small windy passes. In Italy I got quite a few waves from other Abarth drivers and very little bother from other drivers in general. The interior was spot on; leather seats, air-con and sat nav. I don’t think I could spend the money to buy one though.

I’d say that Stelvio is not the best driving road in the world. Not to me anyways. The Saint Bernadino Pass on the other hand suited me much better. I’d rather smooth fast twisty roads than hairpin after hairpin. Switzerland was just stunning. Everything about it was amazing. I’d go back again in a heartbeat, although I know I was incredibly lucky with the weather. Italy was nice too although the tolls were a bit confusing at times. Italian drivers certainly have no patience at toll booths especially when my card got stuck in one of the unattended toll pay points.

If you’re still awake after reading this congrats lol. I’m not a writer so I hope this was at least semi interesting, and my memory isn’t that great any more so I’ve probably missed plenty.

I took quite a few videos with my GoPro but watching them back they’re pretty dull. You can’t really hear the bark off the exhaust, and I wasn’t really driving hard enough to look exciting. Also, most pictures are in portrait rather than landscape because I'd initially just intended to post these on Instagram. I regret not taking more nicer ones.

I can’t see anyone being able to head to northern Italy any time soon but for anyone interested in costs I probably spent about £500 all weekend on flights, car, hotels, petrol, food and drink. It can be done much cheaper, especially if shared costs with someone else. I pushed the boat out and treated myself to some niceish hotels but I also seen plenty of little tavern type hotels and Airbnbs advertised when I was doing my research.

 

[Lyons]

Fantastic! Looks like a great experience. I’d love to do something like that in my own too.

 

[thefool1983]

Great write up!
Spent a lot of time around lake Garda, as that's where we got married. And the wife's friends got married there too.

Never knew the Stelvio pass was in such close proximity!
Have drove from Riva to Bergamo once.
Boring enough as you say. The Italian motorways were ropey enough, but I like the way they work and the traffic flows (no outside lane-hogers, and speed restrictions in the outside lanes etc).

The east side of the lake is a nicer drive. More scenic and busier, with plenty of interesting wee towns.

Will have to look into some of the other locations you mentioned for the next trip to that area!

 

[gav525]

Great write up mate and glad my thread gave you some inspiration!

Totally agree about the Stelvio done it twice now and probably won't do it again. Umbrail leading up to it is good though.

And again agree about San Bernardino, love it! Spent one afternoon going up and down it, had it to myself pretty much which was great.

Gutted I can't get over this year again, but plans in place for next year so fingers crossed

 

[DaddyCC]

Nice write up there Stelven You seemed to remember quite a lot no matter what you say. I take it you'd still recommend people to drive the pass just to say they've done it even if personal choice is meh?

 

[Cro]

Thats class dude, fair play doing it all on your todd. At that price for a rental it almost seems silly to take something of your own across, did they add on any ridiculous extras?

 

[Mont]

Nice write up there Stelven You seemed to remember quite a lot no matter what you say. I take it you'd still recommend people to drive the pass just to say they've done it even if personal choice is meh?

I’d still say people should go if part of a road trip, but I’m on the fence as to whether people should make the journey just for Stelvio. It certainly felt more like a tourist stop than the Mecca for petrolheads that I was expecting it to be. If I was to go back though I’d make sure I was getting there as early in the morning as possible.

Thats class dude, fair play doing it all on your todd. At that price for a rental it almost seems silly to take something of your own across, did they add on any ridiculous extras?

Once I priced fuel, ferries and extra hotels it made less sense for me to take my own car. I think I’d also have needed at least 7-10 days to have done it properly and not wrecked myself.

Hertz needed a €3,000 hold on my credit card for the Abarth but this wasn’t taken off my card at the time. Other than that there were no real extras. I told them I was going to Switzerland and paid them €16 for a cross border fee plus £12 for separate car excess cover at carhireexcess.co.uk

 

[Blackie]

Great write up indeed! Looks like it was an epic trip!

 

[FM155]

Great trip and good memories!
The wee 500's are a bit of a paradox, quick-ish but I hate the driving position and the overall shape. I like the t-jet engines overall though as they are so light but the 500 isn't light at all. I'd love to put one in an older lighter car for the craic.

 

[Cooper]

Brilliant trip. Bursting to take the Lotus on this sort of adventure but flying in and out is hard to beat!

 

[svensktoppen]

That's superb

Did a trip like that a few years ago in the Lotus, was amazing.

You'll remember this trip!

 

[svensktoppen]

Brilliant trip. Bursting to take the Lotus on this sort of adventure but flying in and out is hard to beat!

It's basically a (very long...) day of German autobahn down to the Austrian border, and another (very long...) day of French autoroute at the other end. And then as many mountain passes as you can fit in between.

For us it's another day either end through England or Ireland unfortunately. But take in the Lakes, Snowdonia, and a bit of Irish scenery and it's one heck of a trip.

Two weeks to really enjoy it.

I racked up 4k+ in the Hondus a few years ago doing just that. She loved it

 

[Chris100]

That looks epic, definitely been added to my list.

 

[Mont]

It's basically a (very long...) day of German autobahn down to the Austrian border, and another (very long...) day of French autoroute at the other end. And then as many mountain passes as you can fit in between.

For us it's another day either end through England or Ireland unfortunately. But take in the Lakes, Snowdonia, and a bit of Irish scenery and it's one heck of a trip.

Two weeks to really enjoy it.

I racked up 4k+ in the Hondus a few years ago doing just that. She loved it

That's pretty much what I'd originally planned to do but was thinking the other way round to you. Down through England, in to France, on to Stelvio then up through Germany, in to Holland and Amsterdam ferry to South Shields before the final drive to Cairnryan.

An Elise would be good craic for a road trip like that. I ran in with an English guy doing the passes in an Atom, which I thought was brave!

 

[svensktoppen]

Lol, passes in an atom would be brilliant! Getting to them in an atom - maybe not so much

 

[gav525]

Yeah that first leg through the UK is a pain really!

A couple of ways I've done it so far are early morning Belfast to Cairnryan ferry, scenic drive to Newcastle then the party boat to Amsterdam that night. Then either do the leisurely option of the Ring/German car museums, or head straight on down to the likes of Lake Lucerne ready for the passes the next day. This is my favourite option, quite like the Amsterdam ferry.

Or overnight to Liverpool, spend the day driving through England, hotel near the tunnel then early train next morning and just keep driving til you get close to the passes. This is the most boring option, hateful drive.

Had looked at driving down to Rosslare and across to France, but even more boring driving involved.

Need to get an RMS euro road trip done, always more craic when there's a load of cars to play with on the passes

 

[Carson]

That looks like a great way to spend a weekend. Some unreal scenery and it never comes across half as good in photos.

 

[andy9eleven]

Great read. Looks like a great trip. Had been planning something similar for May/June this year, and taking in some museums, but obviously that’s not happening now.

The dilemma I was having was the “waste” of time getting there. If you lived in England and could jump in the tunnel it would be grand, but it is an extra day out and home to get back to NI which is rubbish when you’re an employee with a holiday allowance! Plus fuel costs driving down are more than a flight.

Just checked Hertz and the wee 500 is for nothing really. Definitely doing it your way!! Thanks for posting this.

 

[Gambit]

That looked a brilliant weekend

 

[gav525]

Both have their advantages tbh, we flew into Italy and hired a diesel fiat 500 and had just as much craic lol, and a lot cheaper like you say. Plus you're straight into the driving with no days wasted in the UK or on boring autoroutes.

But there's something good about doing it in your own car, more of a sense of achievement, especially if it makes it home again in one piece. I still have the toll and vignette stickers from all the countries on the C63 as its a nice wee reminder and tells a story. Even the chip on the front bumper doesn't bother me as it reminds me of the day we took a shortcut across the Italian countryside and an old volvo we were following flicked up a bolt that bounced off the car. Battle scar!

I want to do more of the museums though, wife was fine with ferrari and Ducati, but she's not up for the likes of porsche and mercedes so next time I'll head over, do the Ring, do the museums then lift her at Frankfurt Airport to continue down into the alps.

 

[Cossers]

Rem sitting close to where you took that pic in riva! It’s a lovely place and with a car it’s a great hub to explore from for a week!

we were ther in sept 2018 and were planning it this year again! We will wait and see......epic trip you had

 

[svensktoppen]

You can break up the transport bits though. German museums or Rhine Valley. Wales/Lakes/Cotswolds in England. Alsace/Loraine in France, and Paris and Normandie. And so on. Make a trip of it, basically think of it as a grand tour of Europe.

We did just that on the way back through France, spent three days on that instead of one.

Germany was just one long day though, but we spent a day around the alpine lakes before the Austrian border. If I did it again I'd probably go via Rhine too.

Anyway, you'd definitely need two weeks to really enjoy it.

Fly and drive gets all the scenery for less money and time, just not the satisfaction of doing it in your special car.

Horses for courses really.

Amazing trip either way!