November · Mixed
Wet in the north, mild in the south, and the coast roads are yours alone.
Verdict
Mixed
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 17 May 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
Dolomites
Four Dolomite passes in a single circuit of the Sella massif, the finest loop in Europe.
34.2 mi · Rating 9.7 / 10
All four passes need to be open, roughly May to October
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
Gran Paradiso
The road from the Italian Job, hairpins to a lake plateau at 2600 metres.
12.4 mi · Rating 9.6 / 10
Open June to September, closed to cars on summer Sundays
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
Dolomites
War tunnels, a small lake and the Lagazuoi towers, quieter than its famous neighbours.
20.5 mi · Rating 9.4 / 10
Winter closure in heavy snow years
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
Dolomites
A brutal ramp to a dam under the Marmolada glacier, the roof of the Dolomites.
18.6 mi · Rating 9.3 / 10
Closed or difficult after heavy snow
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