April · Good
Central Italy at its best, with green hills and no crowds. Alpine passes are still shut.
Verdict
Good
Where to base
Milan, Florence or Naples
Roads in the Atlas
12
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. Seasonal notes are reviewed against published closure dates and reopened each spring. How we score roads.
Last reviewed 29 April 2026
Context
Alpine passes in the north, ridge roads through Tuscany and Umbria, and a cliff road on almost every coast. The country works all year if you move around it.
Roads
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
Closed roughly November to May
Campania, Italy
A cliffside ribbon of hairpins clinging above turquoise water and pastel towns.
31.1 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10
Lombardy, Italy
A narrow, unguarded ribbon past Lago Nero that feels wilder than its famous neighbour.
19.3 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
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
Closed roughly November to April
Veneto, Italy
Twenty nine hairpins climb to a wide open saddle ringed by the jagged Cinque Torri.
10.6 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Closed roughly November to April
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
Closed roughly November to April
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
Closed roughly November to April
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
Piedmont, Italy
A gravel topped final stretch of tight hairpins made famous by the Giro d'Italia.
11.8 mi · Rating 9.1 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
Lombardy and Graubunden
Switzerland's link into the Stelvio is a quieter alternative with the same drama.
9.3 mi · Rating 9 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
Piedmont, Italy
One of the Alps' highest paved passes, remote and narrow near the French border.
12.4 mi · Rating 9 / 10
Closed roughly October to June
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
Occasional winter closures in heavy snow