Passo Gavia, Italy
I came upon another fork in the road shortly after leaving Stelvio. I checked the map and it showed the smaller road went to Gavia pass and was closed from October to May. However, there was nothing indicating the road was actually closed so I decided to go that way. I passed a few small villages and then came upon a gate on the road which was open, so I kept on going. The condition of the road kept getting worse. After a while I felt like I must have been the only one around for miles. The road down the mountain was in very poor condition and was covered with debris fallen from above. Some of the road had even fallen away down the mountainside and there were no guard rails. I started worrying that I would have to turn back. This picture was taken by me with a timer at one of the few spots where there was enough room to pull aside and not block the road.
After two hours I finally connected with the road that led to Stelvio Pass from the south side. It was late afternoon and after a while the roads were filled with cars of weekenders coming from mountain getaways. It was bumper to bumper traffic almost all the way back to the foothills. The autostrasse is a toll highway that you pay to get off of. When I got off the autostrasse to get to my hotel in Bazzano, I unknowingly went into the cash only lane. The toll was about $22 and I didn't have any Lira (I was getting by with a credit card till then). Cars started piling up behind me so the guard finally got frustrated with me and let me through free of charge.