Passo Stelvio

The praise is for the thing people come for: the only place in Italy with genuine summer skiing, running from late May into November. Mornings hold firm snow rather than slush, since July nights still drop below freezing. Mid-summer visits can be almost empty, with no lift lines. Up top there are wide, gentle fields and the panorama of the Ortler, and the climb up the pass's famous hairpins is an attraction of its own.

Operating hours and crowding on the glacier draw criticism. Everything runs on T-bars, which only turn from early morning until midday to avoid the heat, so afternoons are a write-off. By August the snow goes soft fast. Racing squads occupy both the pistes and the lifts, and the skiable area is small, so the pass is widely called expensive for what you get. In summer 2026 heat shut the glacier down mid-season for the first time, and skiing only resumed in September.