Walking in Italy's Stelvio National Park. Gillian Price

and Brescia (www.aeroportobrescia.it) for the western valleys of Lombardia, while Verona (www.aeroportoverona.it) is better placed for accessing the Trentino and Südtirol sections. Innsbruck airport (www.innsbruck-airport.com) is useful if approaching from Austria and the north.

      By train

      From Milano Centrale, Trenitalia trains run via Lecco then along the Valtellina to Tirano, which doubles as the terminus for the Bernina Express from St Moritz in Switzerland. From Brescia, the Trenord railway via Iseo goes as far as Edolo. The main Verona–Brenner Pass line served by Trenitalia is good for Trento, where the FTM branch line heads off to Malè. Further north is Bozen/Bolzano where a line forks off for Meran/Merano and from there Vinschgau/Val Venosta and the terminal of Mals/Malles. Travellers arriving from Austria on the Brenner Pass line can use either Trenitalia or Austrian Rail.

      By road

      Via Europe’s extensive network of motorways, useful entry points to Italy for the Stelvio National Park are from Austria via the Brenner Pass and the A22 autostrada (motorway), or via Landeck through the Reschenpass. From Switzerland the Umbrail and Bernina passes will be open in summer, otherwise there is the A9 via Como to Milano.

      Approaching the Torri di Fraele and Monte delle Scale (Walk 23)

Local transport

      It is perfectly feasible to have a car-free holiday in the Stelvio National Park, and thus avoid contributing to air pollution and congestion. An excellent, extensive and reasonably priced network of trains and buses serves villages and valleys across the three regions and nearly all the walks in this guidebook start and finish at places accessible by public transport. This means that the driving is done by experts who know the roads and hairpin bends like the back of their hand, leaving passengers free to sit back and enjoy the magnificent scenery. Where there is no bus, a local taxi is usually available. Strategically placed cable cars and chairlifts are also used on several walks to facilitate ascents.

      In Lombardia Perego buses start out from Tirano railway station and serve Bormio and the surroundings areas with Passo dello Stelvio (Stilfser Joch). The company also has a link from Edolo via Aprica to Tirano.

      In Südtirol SAD trains link Meran with Mals, and from the intermediate stations buses run up the Ultental, Martelltal, Suldental and Trafoiertal, extending to the Stilfser Joch (Passo dello Stelvio).

      The Trentino valleys are served by Trentino Trasporti trains from Trento to Malè with connecting buses to the Rabbi and Peio valleys.

      Bus tickets should usually be purchased in advance, either at the bus station or at newsstands or tobacconists displaying the appropriate logo.

      Useful expressions

      The following expressions may come in useful when purchasing tickets.

Un biglietto/due biglietti per Malè per favore	One ticket/two tickets to Malè please
Andata	single
Andata e ritorno	return
Quanto costa?	How much is that?
Grazie	Thank you
Prego	You’re welcome

      The following phrases may be helpful for understanding timetables.

Cambio a…/coincidenza	change at…/connection
Estivo/invernale	summer/winter
Feriale	working days (Monday to Saturday)
Festivo	holidays (Sundays and public holidays)
Giornaliero	daily
Lunedì a venerdì/sabato	Monday to Friday/Saturday
Navetta	shuttle service
Sciopero	strike
Scolastico	during school term

      Generally speaking, summer timetables cover the June to September period, but this tends to vary from year to year and place to place. Local tourist offices are always in the know and timetables can be consulted on the websites listed in Appendix D. Several good deals are available for visitors – always enquire locally. Alta Valtellina has an excellent value ‘Welcome Card’ for the Perego bus networks. In Südtirol, ‘Mobilcard’ multi-day passes are recommended for the SAD lines; a multi-trip ticket ‘carta valori’ is also on sale.

      Contact details for bus, train, local taxi, cable car and chairlift companies are listed in Appendix D.

      The Ortler is seen beyond the chairlift (Walk 26)

Information

      The Italian Tourist Board has offices all over the world and can help prospective travellers with general information (see www.enit.it).

      UK: 1 Princes St, London W1B 2AY Tel [phone].

      USA: 630, Fifth Avenue – suite 1656, New York NY 10111 Tel [phone].

      Australia: Level 4, 46 Market St, Sydney, NSW 2000 Tel [phone].

      The many tourist offices in the Stelvio valleys can provide help with local accommodation and transport (see contact details in Appendix D). When making a phone call in Italy, remember to always include the initial zero of the landline number. Numbers beginning with ‘3’ are mobiles and need to be dialled as they stand (in other words without a zero). If calling from overseas preface all Italian telephone numbers with +39.

      The Stelvio National Park websites are www.stelviopark.it and www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.stelvio. Visitor Centres are open throughout the midsummer months. All have a summer calendar of guided walks which visitors can join for a very modest fee. See Appendix D for contact details.

When to go

      The best time to visit Stelvio is July, August and September when the walking days are long, conditions are good, and facilities such as refuges and local transport are readily available. However, as early as June, low to mid-altitude paths will often be snow-free, flowers will be starting to bloom and hotels offer off-season rates. October can mean crystal clear skies, perfect visibility and autumn colours, although there is a risk of early snow. Italy goes off summer daylight saving time at the end of October, giving shorter days for walking.

Accommodation

      Villages and towns throughout the Stelvio National Park offer a good range of hotel (albergo), guesthouse (locanda, Gasthof), bed and breakfast (affittacamera, Garni, B&B) and farm stay (agriturismo) accommodation to suit all pockets. Suggestions are given in Appendix C. Families with small children will appreciate the freedom of a house (casa) or flat (appartamento); rentals are common, usually on a weekly basis – consult the relevant tourist office website.

      Reservation – even in key resorts such as Sulden/Solda or Bormio – is not usually necessary