Italy · Hairpins · High alpine · Loop
Great Dolomites Road & Sella Ronda
Grande Strada delle Dolomiti · SS241 / SS48
- Length
- 110 km68 miles
- High point
- 2,239 m7,346 ft
- Driving time
- 3 hours, or a full day with the Sella loop
- Season
- May to October (passes usually kept open in winter)
- Toll
- Free
- Country
- Italy
The Great Dolomites Road links Bolzano and Cortina d'Ampezzo over about 110 km, crossing the Costalunga, Pordoi (2,239 m) and Falzarego (2,105 m) passes beneath some of the most dramatic rock walls in Europe. Halfway along, four passes (Pordoi, Sella, Gardena and Campolongo) form a 55 km circuit around the Sella massif that can be driven as a loop on its own.
The drive
From Bolzano the road enters the Val d'Ega through a narrow gorge, climbs past Lake Carezza and drops to Canazei. The Pordoi comes next: 28 hairpins up, 33 down towards Arabba, all well surfaced and evenly spaced. Beyond Arabba the Falzarego brings you over to Cortina.
For the Sella Ronda, turn off at the Pordoi and go round clockwise or anticlockwise via the Sella and Gardena passes to Corvara, then back over the Campolongo. The corners come constantly but the scenery never lets you forget where you are.
In your Lotus
Hairpin after hairpin plays to a Lotus's strengths: light nose, strong traction out of slow corners, and brakes that do not fade. The Dolomite passes are lower and shorter than the Stelvio, so you can chain several together without it becoming a slog, and the valley towns have plenty of fuel.
Watch out for
- The Sella passes have had traffic restrictions on certain summer days. Check locally before planning the loop.
- Cyclists are everywhere, particularly around the Maratona dles Dolomites in early July.
- Afternoon thunderstorms build quickly in July and August.
