Italy
23 scored roads in Italy, reranked for motorbikes rather than for cars, with the fit score shown next to each one.
Riders and drivers want different things from the same map. A single track lane that ruins a weekend in a wide car is often the best thing you will ride all year, and a fast open A road that flatters a grand tourer can be a dull hour on a bike.
Every country page below reranks the scored library for corner quality and scenery, drops the width penalty that applies to cars, and flags the seasonal gravel and noise restrictions that increasingly decide where bikes are welcome.
Checked by the Drivers Atlas desk
Scored and written by the Drivers Atlas editorial desk, drawing on driven routes across the UK and Europe, mapping data and member road reports. Checked against current closure and restriction notices for Italy. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 3 March 2026
Ranked
01 · Lombardy and South Tyrol, Italy
Eighty four hairpins stacked above the treeline make this Europe's most theatrical mountain pass.
30.4 mi · Rating 9.9 / 10 · Fit 10.4 / 10
Closed roughly November to May
02 · Campania, Italy
A cliffside ribbon of hairpins clinging above turquoise water and pastel towns.
31.1 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10 · Fit 10.2 / 10
03 · Veneto, Italy
Twenty nine hairpins climb to a wide open saddle ringed by the jagged Cinque Torri.
10.6 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10 · Fit 10.2 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
04 · Gran Paradiso
The road from the Italian Job, hairpins to a lake plateau at 2600 metres.
12.4 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10 · Fit 10.1 / 10
Open June to September, closed to cars on summer Sundays
05 · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Twenty eight numbered hairpins climb to the highest paved point of the Dolomites road network.
8.1 mi · Rating 9.5 / 10 · Fit 10.0 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
06 · Dolomites
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
34.2 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10 · Fit 9.6 / 10
All four passes need to be open, roughly May to October
07 · Lombardy, Italy
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
19.3 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10 · Fit 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
08 · Trentino and South Tyrol, Italy
Sheer Dolomite towers on both sides make this short link one of the world's great scenic drives.
6.8 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10 · Fit 9.5 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
09 · Lombardy, Italy
Cycling's cruellest climb doubles as a brutally steep, tightly hairpinned driving test.
7.8 mi · Rating 8.7 / 10 · Fit 9.4 / 10
Snow possible December to March
10 · Dolomites
War tunnels, a small lake and the Lagazuoi towers, quieter than its famous neighbours.
20.5 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10 · Fit 9.3 / 10
Winter closure in heavy snow years
11 · South Tyrol, Italy
Limestone spires of the Sella group frame every one of this pass's flowing bends.
7.5 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10 · Fit 9.2 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
12 · Dolomites
A brutal ramp to a dam under the Marmolada glacier, the roof of the Dolomites.
18.6 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10 · Fit 9.2 / 10
Closed or difficult after heavy snow
13 · Lombardy, Italy
A tunnel like gorge road carved into rock above Lake Garda, once called the world's best road.
4.3 mi · Rating 9.2 / 10 · Fit 9.2 / 10
14 · Trentino
Narrow, savage and empty, a proper hill climb road with no barriers to speak of.
24.9 mi · Rating 9.1 / 10 · Fit 9.1 / 10
Closed by snow from November to May
15 · Trentino
Open meadows under the Pale di San Martino, one of the great Dolomite views.
18.6 mi · Rating 9.1 / 10 · Fit 9.0 / 10
Kept open in winter but often snowy
16 · Piedmont, Italy
One of the Alps' highest paved passes, remote and narrow near the French border.
12.4 mi · Rating 9 / 10 · Fit 9.0 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
17 · Lombardy and Graubunden
Switzerland's link into the Stelvio is a quieter alternative with the same drama.
9.3 mi · Rating 9 / 10 · Fit 9.0 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
18 · Lombardy
A wild single track crossing between Val Camonica and the Val Sabbia.
28 mi · Rating 9 / 10 · Fit 8.9 / 10
Closed by snow through the winter
19 · Veneto and South Tyrol, Italy
The gentlest of the Sella Ronda passes but with knockout views of the Sella massif.
3.7 mi · Rating 8.9 / 10 · Fit 8.8 / 10
Occasional winter closures in heavy snow
20 · Liguria, Italy
A ridge top Ligurian road with sweeping sea glimpses above the Cinque Terre coastline.
23.6 mi · Rating 8.4 / 10 · Fit 8.3 / 10
Before you go
Parts of Tyrol and several Swiss and Italian valleys restrict loud motorcycles or ban them on specific days. Fines are high and bikes are impounded.
A two thousand metre pass can be fifteen degrees colder than the valley you left forty minutes ago. Pack for the summit, not the start.
Filling stations are rare above the tree line. Fill in the valley before every pass rather than assuming there is something at the top.
Common questions
The Dolomite pass loop, the Col de Turini, the Furka Susten Grimsel triangle and the Transfagarasan all rank at the top for corner quality on two wheels.
Yes. Several Tyrolean valleys and some Swiss roads restrict motorcycles above set noise limits, and a few close to bikes on specific days. Check locally before you ride.