Staller Pass / Passo di Stalle

More precisely from St. Jakob in East Tyrol over to Valdaora in South Tyrol. The almost 40 km long mountain pass road winds its way in 15 hairpin turns over the mountain ridge and reaches a maximum gradient of 10.5% uphill and 18.8% downhill.

Coming from the Austrian side, the route leads through an idyllic mountain forest up to a vast plateau. Here is also the mysterious and still not completely explored Obersee, which can boast a real sensation. A few years ago, the highest shipwreck in the whole of Europe was found here! Speculations about this had been around for a long time, but in 1999 a scientific diving expedition finally brought the certainty that the mountain lake had been fished over 1,000 years ago. At a depth of about ten meters, there is still a well-preserved, 3-meter long dugout, which, according to research by the University of Innsbruck, clearly must come from this region.

A good opportunity to take a break and pass the time until continuing towards Antholz is offered by the local Alpine inn "Oberseehütte". Due to the single-lane road width on the Italian side, an unusual one-way traffic is regulated by traffic lights at Staller Sattel in 30-minute intervals: Between 05:30 in the morning and 10:15 in the evening, the drive from Obersee down to South Tyrol is only allowed from the 1st to the 15th minute, and the drive from Antholzer See up to the pass summit is always allowed from the 30th to the 45th minute of each hour. So, one should bring a bit of patience for the crossing. But also the Antholzer See - incidentally the third largest inland water in South Tyrol - invites you to take an extensive walk or a slightly longer exploration tour into the surrounding mountain world of the impressive Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park. Of course, only in the warm months of the year, as the pass is closed in winter.

From the beginning of November, only access to the ski hut and snack station "Lackenstüberl" is possible. Furthermore, there is also - all year round - a ban on caravans, buses, trucks, and vehicles weighing over 3.5 tons at the pass. The much-discussed toll for the Staller Sattel has not yet been implemented, as it seems that there has not been complete agreement regarding the amount of the fee.