June 13, 2003&lt;br /&gt;
Pfitscher Joch, Austria - Italy.&lt;br /&gt;
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I did manage to make it up the Italian side to the Pfitscher Joch (2275 m asl), even though it is closed to motorized traffic. The paved road from Sterzing, Italy ends just past the small town of Stein. From there, 10.5 kilometers of gravel road leads to the top of the pass. It was at the gate across the road where I met two officials from the Guardia di Finanza, that eventually let me take the drive up the road as long as I took it slow. Taking in the magnificent scenery into the valley below and stopping for a few photos along the way, I waved them through in their 4WD as I was going slower than they expected. I spent the night before in Mayrhofen, Austria, a town in the valley that leads up to this same pass, but from the Austrian side.