Looking at the history of the road, it’s easy to see how the Stelvio has earned its reputation. Built between 1820 and 1825 by the Austrian Empire, its original purpose was to connect the former Austrian province of Lombardy with the rest of Austria. Much like the rest of this region, the pass was heavily fought over during World War One, with the Stelvio actually forming the border between the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Kingdom of Italy. Meanwhile, the Swiss sat by watching on the side lines. The top above the Stelvio Pass is known as the Dreisprachenspitze (the ‘three language peak’), simply because it’s the point where three languages meet: Italian, German, and the local language of Romansch.