Maloja Pass

The pass had considerable importance in the Roman age as an intermediate stage for the transit of people and goods between northern and southern Europe. Fortifications on the pass were painted by artists to camouflage them as rocks.

A popular route from Lake Como to St Moritz, the Maloja pass is unusual in that nearly all of its altitude and corners are stacked in the final few kilometres. The crossing between Italy and Switzerland is clear with the road becoming wider and well-maintained. It isn't until exiting the final village of Casaccia that the famous 12 hairpins appear. The village of Maloja sits at the top of the hairpins but a car park just before the end of the bends has the best views of the pass road.