confluence stands historic Rifugio Forni, a wonderful place to stay, especially if you plan on Walks 17, 18 and 21.
Entry to the northeast section of the National Park is via Südtirol’s Vinschgau/Val Venosta, home to the handy Meran–Mals train that runs through apple orchards. At Spondinig/Spondigna a road heads southwest to the junction of Gomagoi. Here Suldental/Val di Solda slices south to the sun-blessed resort of Sulden/Solda, which offers a host of hotels, a tourist office, ATM, supermarket, year-round SAD buses, chairlifts and a cable car. The spectacular presence of the glaciated giants Ortler and Königspitze make every outing here breathtaking – Walks 29–31.
The famous Stelvio road on the Südtirol side
From Gomagoi the road continues southwest up Trafoiertal/Valle di Trafoi, steep-sided, narrow and edged by a stunning line-up of glaciers and soaring peaks – the setting for Trafoi (Walks 27 and 28). This tiny village serves the great Stelvio Pass, and is the destination of the road and the summer SAD buses. In winter when the road is closed the village’s 80 residents enjoy peace and quiet with no through traffic. The name comes from the ancient Ladin language spoken by the original inhabitants. Sources link the meaning with ‘clover’ or ‘three springs’, in view of the much-visited Drei Brunnen sanctuary nearby (Walk 28). It is home to the 1970s Italian ski champion Gustav Thöni of ‘Valanga Azzurra’ (‘blue avalanche’) fame. It has an ATM, groceries, a fair sprinkling of hotels as well as a camping ground and well-run visitor information centre.
Martelltal/Val Martello turns south off Vinschgau and the train line at Goldrain/Coldrano, not far from Latsches/Laces (tourist office). This magnificent unspoilt alpine valley is a superb introduction to the nature and glacial environment of the Stelvio National Park and it has a good scattering of hotels and guesthouses. The lower–mid reaches are occupied by thriving settlements of shepherds and farmers who have branched out into growing strawberries, while further up the slopes are heavily wooded and home to deer and chamois. A great bonus is the absence of bulldozed ski slopes and lifts.
Year-round SAD buses run via Gand to the lively village of Martell Dorf/Martello (shops and ATM). Here a side road goes on to terminate at the renowned family-run Stallwieshof and start of Walk 37 to Orgelspitze.
From Gand a summer extension serves the upper valley via Waldheim (Walk 38) as far as Gasthof Enzian. This cosy establishment makes an excellent base for Walks 32–36, which wander up paths to natural belvederes taking in waterfalls and glaciers in the shadow of the majestic Cevedale.
Getting there
By plane
Handy airports are located at Milano (Linate and Malpensa www.sea-aeroportimilano.it), Bergamo (Orio Al Serio www.sacbo.it) and Brescia (www.aeroportobrescia.it) for the western valleys of Lombardia, while Verona (www.aeroportoverona.it) is better placed for accessing the Trentino and Südtirol sections. Innsbruck airport (www.innsbruck-airport.com) is useful if approaching from Austria and the north.
By train
From Milano Centrale, Trenitalia trains run via Lecco then along the Valtellina to Tirano, which doubles as the terminus for the Bernina Express from St Moritz in Switzerland. From Brescia, the Trenord railway via Iseo goes as far as Edolo. The main Verona–Brenner Pass line served by Trenitalia is good for Trento, where the FTM branch line heads off to Malè. Further north is Bozen/Bolzano where a line forks off for Meran/Merano and from there Vinschgau/Val Venosta and the terminal of Mals/Malles. Travellers arriving from Austria on the Brenner Pass line can use either Trenitalia or Austrian Rail.
By road
Via Europe’s extensive network of motorways, useful entry points to Italy for the Stelvio National Park are from Austria via the Brenner Pass and the A22 autostrada (motorway), or via Landeck through the Reschenpass. From Switzerland the Umbrail and Bernina passes will be open in summer, otherwise there is the A9 via Como to Milano.
Approaching the Torri di Fraele and Monte delle Scale (Walk 23)
Local transport
It is perfectly feasible to have a car-free holiday in the Stelvio National Park, and thus avoid contributing to air pollution and congestion. An excellent, extensive and reasonably priced network of trains and buses serves villages and valleys across the three regions and nearly all the walks in this guidebook start and finish at places accessible by public transport. This means that the driving is done by experts who know the roads and hairpin bends like the back of their hand, leaving passengers free to sit back and enjoy the magnificent scenery. Where there is no bus, a local taxi is usually available. Strategically placed cable cars and chairlifts are also used on several walks to facilitate ascents.
In Lombardia Perego buses start out from Tirano railway station and serve Bormio and the surroundings areas with Passo dello Stelvio (Stilfser Joch). The company also has a link from Edolo via Aprica to Tirano.
In Südtirol SAD trains link Meran with Mals, and from the intermediate stations buses run up the Ultental, Martelltal, Suldental and Trafoiertal, extending to the Stilfser Joch (Passo dello Stelvio).
The Trentino valleys are served by Trentino Trasporti trains from Trento to Malè with connecting buses to the Rabbi and Peio valleys.
Bus tickets should usually be purchased in advance, either at the bus station or at newsstands or tobacconists displaying the appropriate logo.
Useful expressions
The following expressions may come in useful when purchasing tickets.
| Un biglietto/due biglietti per Malè per favore | One ticket/two tickets to Malè please |
| Andata | single |
| Andata e ritorno | return |
| Quanto costa? | How much is that? |
| Grazie | Thank you |
| Prego | You’re welcome |
The following phrases may be helpful for understanding timetables.
| Cambio a…/coincidenza | change at…/connection |
| Estivo/invernale | summer/winter |
| Feriale | working days (Monday to Saturday) |
| Festivo | holidays (Sundays and public holidays) |
| Giornaliero | daily |
| Lunedì a venerdì/sabato | Monday to Friday/Saturday |
| Navetta | shuttle service |
| Sciopero | strike |
| Scolastico |
