Top of the World
The Gavia Pass has an altitude 2,621 m above sea level and connects-only during the summer season-the province of Sondrio with that of Brescia. The Gavia Pass is, after the Stelvio, the highest Alpine pass in Italy (2,652 m above sea level) and connects Valtellina with Ponte di Legno, in the province of Brescia.
From S. Caterina Valfurva, the climb leading to the Gavia Pass gains about 900 meters of elevation gain in just over 13 kilometers, with an average gradient of 6.5 percent and several easy, rideable sections interspersed with some decidedly challenging ones. The Brescia side from Ponte di Legno, on the other hand, is the most difficult: along the 18 kilometers of road in fact, it also reaches a gradient of 12 percent with a total elevation gain of about 1,380 meters.
