A curvy road with 75 hairpin turns to Colle della Lombarda
Italy, europe
41.6 km
2,354 m
extreme
Year-round
Col de la Lombarde-Colle della Lombarda is a seriously epic high mountain pass sitting at 2,354m (7,723ft) right on the border between Italy and France. It's the perfect gateway connecting the Alpes-Maritimes in southeastern France with the Province of Cuneo over in Italy's Piedmont region.
Perched high above the Isola 2000 ski resort in the Alps, this road is absolutely wild — we're talking 75 wickedly sharp hairpin turns on a completely paved road that demands serious respect. The French call it the M97, while the Italians know it as Strada Provinciale 255 (SP255). Since its completion in 1971, it's been a summer-only adventure for most vehicles.
Plan on spending about 1 to 1.5 hours driving it without stopping. The views? Absolutely stunning. You'll spot remnants of WWII scattered around the upper sections — blockhouses and barracks that tell their own stories. There's a small parking area at the summit where you can catch your breath.
The full route stretches 41.6 km (25.84 miles) from Isola on the French side down to Vinadio in Italy, running south to north. Oh, and this is a proper bucket-list pass — the Tour de France didn't tackle it until 2008. Fair warning though: some sections hit a gnarly 17% gradient, so you'll definitely feel your engine working for every meter of elevation gained.
Where is it?
A curvy road with 75 hairpin turns to Colle della Lombarda is located in Italy (europe). Coordinates: 42.3479, 12.7043
Road Details
- Country
- Italy
- Continent
- europe
- Length
- 41.6 km
- Max Elevation
- 2,354 m
- Difficulty
- extreme
- Coordinates
- 42.3479, 12.7043
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