Italy · June 2027
The Italian Alps Grand Tour
Stelvio. Como. Dolomites. Seven Days Above Ordinary.
A seven-day circular journey through Northern Italy's most celebrated roads, lakes and mountain passes.
Beginning and ending in Milan, this carefully curated route combines the elegance of Lake Como, the legendary hairpins of the Stelvio Pass, the dramatic beauty of the Dolomites and some of Italy's finest cultural and gastronomic experiences. Six nights in five-star hotels. Roads that define what driving is for.
Milan · Lake Como · Valtellina · Bormio · Stelvio 2,757m · Passo Gavia · Dolomites · Lake Garda · Franciacorta · Milan
Day 01 · Milan → Lake Como
The first elegance. Lake Como at golden hour.
Members depart Milan and drive north through the Brianza hills to the western shore of Lake Como. The afternoon is for Bellagio — on foot, without agenda. The private visit to Villa del Balbianello is arranged for late afternoon, when the other boats have gone and the light from the west turns the lake completely gold.
Villa del Balbianello — private visit after closing. The garden. The view. The silence.
Day 02 · Lake Como → Valtellina → Bormio
Into the mountains. The valley of wine.
The road east from Como follows the lake shore before climbing through the terraced vineyards of Valtellina — one of Italy's most dramatic wine landscapes. Nebbiolo grown on steep granite slopes, harvested by hand. A private tasting at a small producer before continuing to Bormio, high in the Stelvio valley at 1,225 metres.
Private tasting with a Valtellina producer. Sforzato DOCG — the wine of the Alps.
Day 03 · The Stelvio Experience
48 hairpins. 2,757 metres. The road the world knows.
Departure from Bormio at 6:15am. The Stelvio before the world arrives is a different road entirely — 48 hairpins cut into the mountain face, visible from space, familiar from every motoring publication ever printed. We ascend slowly. At the summit: coffee, the Ortler massif at arm's reach, and absolute clarity of purpose. Descent via the Umbrail Pass into Switzerland, then Livigno for lunch.
Summit breakfast at 2,757m. Descent via the Umbrail into Livigno — a road few know.
Day 04 · Bormio → Passo Gavia → Dolomites
The Gavia. Less famous. More demanding.
The Gavia has no barriers in places. The road narrows where the mountain falls away. Less photographed than the Stelvio and more honest for it. After the summit at 2,621 metres, the route descends east through Passo Tonale and into the Dolomites — a landscape shift so dramatic it requires a moment to adjust. The evening: a private wellness experience in the mountains.
Passo Gavia summit at 2,621m. No barriers. Total concentration required.
Day 05 · The Dolomites Grand Loop
Gardena. Sella. Pordoi. The greatest loop in Europe.
The Sella Ronda — Passo Gardena, Passo Sella, Passo Pordoi, Passo Campolongo — in a single morning. Four passes connecting four valleys, the Dolomite peaks rising on all sides without apology. In the afternoon, Alta Badia and a private visit to the Messner Mountain Museum: Reinhold Messner's extraordinary meditation on altitude, endurance, and the particular discipline of going higher.
Messner Mountain Museum — private late access. The Dolomites from inside and out.
Day 06 · Dolomites → Lake Garda
The descent south. The lake at dusk.
The drive south from the Dolomites is a long, considered descent through the Adige valley — progressively warmer, the olive trees appearing by degrees. Lake Garda arrives in late afternoon light. A private olive oil tasting at an estate above the lake, then dinner in one of the historic villages along the western Brescian shore.
Private olive oil tasting above Garda. The lake, the light, the groves.
Day 07 · Lake Garda → Franciacorta → Milan
The Gardesana. Then the cellar. Then home.
A final morning on the Gardesana — the lakeside road cut into the western cliffs of Garda, threading tunnels and viaducts above the water. South through Brescia into Franciacorta, where a private cellar visit concludes the journey: the wine that Lombardia kept for itself, tasted below ground, in the place where it was made.
Private cellar visit in Franciacorta. The vintage reserved for guests who arrive by arrangement.
“The Stelvio teaches you something about driving that no other road can. Then the Dolomites teach you something about beauty. Rarely does a single journey offer both.”
Journey Highlights
Seven days. One country at its finest.
Lake Como
Villa del Balbianello · private visit · golden hour
Stelvio Pass
2,757m · 48 hairpins · dawn ascent
The Dolomites
Sella Ronda · Messner Museum · Alta Badia
Wine Experiences
Valtellina Sforzato · Franciacorta private cellars
Italian Gastronomy
Curated dinners · alpine rifugio · lakeside tables
Cultural Heritage
Private access · off-schedule · by arrangement
What Is Included
Every detail, arranged.
The Grand Tour Society manages every element of the journey. Members arrive, drive and experience. Nothing is left to chance.
- Six nights in five-star hotels and mountain retreats
- Curated driving routes with daily roadbook
- All dinners in exclusive locations, private or Michelin-recognised
- Private visit to Villa del Balbianello, Lake Como
- Early-morning Stelvio ascent before public access
- Private wine tasting with a Valtellina producer
- Messner Mountain Museum private access
- Lake Garda olive oil estate visit
- Franciacorta private cellar visit
- Dedicated concierge throughout the journey
- Full route planning, pre-journey briefing and roadbook
Curated Moments
Beyond the drive.
Villa del Balbianello — after hours
One of the most celebrated gardens on Lake Como, usually closed to private visits. We arrange access in the late afternoon, when the light from the west is at its finest and the last public visitors have departed.
The Stelvio before anyone else
Departure at first light to reach the summit before it opens to general traffic. 48 hairpins in near-silence — no coaches, no motorcycles, no delay. The experience the road was built for, before it became a destination.
Valtellina — Sforzato with the producer
An evening at a small estate in the Valtellina with the winemaker present. Sforzato is made from dried Nebbiolo — a wine of exceptional concentration, rarely tasted in its own valley. This is that evening.
Messner Mountain Museum, Alta Badia
Reinhold Messner's extraordinary museum complex built into the Dolomite rock. A private visit to the Corones site — an architectural marvel and a serious meditation on what mountains ask of the people who go into them.
Who This Journey Is For
Designed for those who travel differently.
This journey is designed for travellers who consider driving a genuine pleasure rather than a means of transport — and who expect the same standard in their hotels, their meals, and their cultural encounters. Members understand that the road is the destination, and that arriving first is less interesting than arriving well.
The Italian Alps Grand Tour suits those with an interest in Italian heritage — its wine, its food, its mountains, its architecture — who prefer private access to public queues, and small groups to organised tours. It is not an event. It is a week among people who share a particular sensibility about how to spend time.
Duration
7 Days / 6 Nights
Region
Northern Italy
Season
June 2027
Accommodation
5-Star Hotels
Distance
Approx. 1,500 km
Some journeys are measured in miles.
Others are measured in memories.
The Italian Alps Grand Tour belongs firmly to the latter.
Places on this journey are limited to eight members. Enquiries are welcome from those who share our commitment to exceptional driving, genuine hospitality, and the particular pleasure of a road taken seriously.
All enquiries are handled in complete confidence. We will respond within 48 hours.