Italy, Liguria and Piedmont, Italy
A historic road linking Genoa to the Piedmont plains through wooded Apennine ridgelines.
Length
30 km
In miles
18.6 mi
Driving time
33 min
Atlas rating
7.8 / 10
The run
Genova to Ovada, following the SS456. Drive it in either direction, though the views usually favour the climb.
Season
Open year round in normal conditions, with the usual care after rain or frost.
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. Every road in the library carries a driving and scenery score set by the same method. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 8 April 2026
Nearby
68 km away
Passo del Bracco
A ridge top Ligurian road with sweeping sea glimpses above the Cinque Terre coastline.
121 km away
Col de Turini
Legendary Monte Carlo Rally stage stitching together forested hairpins above the Roya valley.
136 km away
Basse Corniche
A sea level corniche skimming every harbour and cove between Nice and the Italian border.
137 km away
Grande Corniche
Napoleon's high road above Monaco, immortalised on film, staring down onto the principality.
140 km away
Colle dell'Agnello
One of the Alps' highest paved passes, remote and narrow near the French border.
140 km away
Moyenne Corniche
The middle ribbon of the three Riviera corniches, threading Eze's clifftop village.
Drive here from
Plan around it
Curated drives
Italy, Dolomites
The Great Dolomites Drive
Four legendary passes strung between limestone cathedrals, the definitive alpine day.
Italy, Italian Alps
Stelvio Pass
Forty-eight numbered hairpins stacked like a staircase into the sky.
Italy, Lake Garda
Lake Garda Mountain Loop
Gardesana corniche tunnels, then a climb into olive terraces above the water.
A to B journeys
4 days
London to Lake Garda
The classic run south from England to the Italian lakes, taken the long way through the Alps rather than straight down the autoroute.
4 days
London to The Dolomites
The best pass driving in Europe sits at the end of this one, reached through Germany and Austria rather than Switzerland.
2 days
Munich to Lake Como
A short journey with an outrageous amount of great road packed into it, including the Stelvio if the season allows.
Longer journeys
4h 15m
The Great Dolomites Drive
Four legendary passes strung between limestone cathedrals, the definitive alpine day.
1h 30m
Stelvio Pass
Forty-eight numbered hairpins stacked like a staircase into the sky.
3h 20m
Lake Garda Mountain Loop
Gardesana corniche tunnels, then a climb into olive terraces above the water.