Passo del Tonale

Passo del Tonale had a strategic role for both the Austrian defence and the Italian attacks. Today it is the link between Val di Sole and upper Val Camonica. The road to reach the pass rises from Ossana in val di Sole. The start is at the crossroads to Pejo. The difference in height is about 900 metres with an average slope of 6 percent. The climb runs smooth for about two kilometres, then at the entrance of the town of Vermiglio, the slope becomes more strenuous. This is the most tiring stretch. Leaving the village of Fraviano, the valley narrows and in summer, the forest provides cool air and shade. After having climbed 9 kilometres, on the left you can see the traces of the Great War: Fort Strino. Continuing the climb, you reach a more strenuous stretch about a kilometre long. Then the slope drops slightly. The view of the Presanella glacier accompanies the last two kilometres that are a comfortable ride. The slope is just over 3 per cent and in a few minutes you reach the top of the pass where we find the War Memorial: a crypt that preserves the burial recesses of the fallen. On the sides you can admire one of the most important ski resorts of the Alps, halfway between Trentino and Lombardia. The Giro d’Italia has passed on this road in several editions. In 2010 it was a stage finish. Swiss cyclist Johann Tschopp won the stage. He broke away from the pack on the Gavia with Gilberto Simoni, during the last Giro in which the champion from Trentino took part.