Strada della Forra: The Tremosine Gorge Road

One Way Uphill Since the Landslide

A landslide on 16 December 2023 closed the SP38. The Province of Brescia answered with ordinance 2713/2025, in force from 12:00 on 1 August 2025: the stretch from km 0 at Porto di Tremosine to km 3 at the Forra became one way uphill for all users. After further works the road reopened on 13 March at 16:30.

The one-way climb is now permanent, from the Gardesana junction up to the La Forra restaurant. Downhill traffic runs two way only as far as the traffic lights. So you cannot drive down through the gorge.

Treat the road as the up leg of a loop and plan your descent on another route.

Size and Speed Limits

On the one-way stretch, no vehicle may be wider than 2.20 m or taller than 3.00 m. Buses are the exception. Articulated trucks are banned outright, as are motorhomes and trailers on km 0 to 3, so leave the camper at the campsite or come up by bus.

The speed limit is 30 km/h and overtaking is forbidden for everyone. If you rent a car or a van, check its width and height in the rental papers before you set off. Rental tips are in our car rental guide.

The road is narrow and the rock walls are close.

On Foot and on a Bike

Walking the gorge is mostly off limits. The ordinance bans pedestrians between km 0.95 and km 2.7, and after the reopening the only open stretch on foot is 250 m inside the canyon. For the rest, the Pro Loco guided excursion from May to October includes partial access to the closed stretch, which makes it the only way to see more of the gorge on foot. Cyclists ride the one-way stretch uphill with the traffic, at 30 km/h behind cars, so it is a climb for confident riders. More routes and advice in our cycling guide.

The traffic rules on the lower Strada della Forra, from the Province of Brescia ordinance that reopened the road and the Pro Loco Tremosine notice on the current layout.

From the Gardesana Into the Gorge

The climb starts at Porto di Tremosine on the Gardesana, the lakeside road. The gorge of the Brasa stream is the point: the road was conceived in 1889, when Tremosine could be reached only on foot by the Porto-Pieve path, with goods hauled up by a rope cableway. Designer Arturo Cozzaglio drew it, with backing from Prime Minister Giuseppe Zanardelli, and it opened on 18 May 1913.

Winston Churchill is quoted by the town as calling it the eighth wonder of the world. Take the hairpins slowly at 30 km/h. Regular buses cross the road, and in summer a shuttle runs from Campione to Pieve with limited seats, bookable on +39 0365 953185.

Pieve and the Terrazza del Brivido

Pieve di Tremosine sits 358 m above the lake and holds the town hall of Tremosine. A small Madonna in a niche at Pieve has been the protector of the town's drivers since 1960. Tremosine is one of I Borghi più belli d'Italia, a group of 18 hamlets on the plateau, while Campione down on the shore is known for kitesurfing.

At Pieve the Terrazza del Brivido viewing terrace juts over the drop towards the lake. Pause here before the return leg, since the one-way rule means you will not pass this way again.

Back Down to the Lake

From the plateau the loop returns to the water on ordinary roads. Head north through Bassanega to Limone sul Garda, a lakefront town of lemon houses on the shore below, or go south towards Tignale and continue to Salò. Campione itself stays reachable at all times on the Gardesana, so kitesurfers and beach swimmers are unaffected by the one-way rule.

If you would rather see the road from the water, the private one-hour speedboat from Riva runs past the bay of Limone and the lemon groves on the western shore.

The 1913 Road

Before the road existed, the only link from the shore to Pieve di Tremosine, 358 m above the lake, was a foot path from Porto, and goods went up by rope cableway. The idea of a road through the gorge of the Brasa stream was conceived in 1889. It was promoted by two local priests, Don Giacomo Zanini and Don Michele Milesi, designed by engineer Arturo Cozzaglio and backed by Prime Minister Giuseppe Zanardelli.

The road was inaugurated on 18 May 1913. It runs about 6 km from Campione on the shore up to Pieve, and its switchbacks through the narrow rock gorge are what made it famous.

Churchill and James Bond

The town quotes Winston Churchill as calling the road the eighth wonder of the world. Film fans know it for a different reason: the opening chase of the James Bond film Quantum of Solace, released in 2008, was filmed on these hairpins above the lake. At Pieve a small Madonnina niche has watched over drivers since 1960, a reminder that the bends demand attention in any era.

The Pro Loco Guided Walk

The Pro Loco runs a guided excursion from May to October that starts at 9:45 at the iNFOpoint of Pieve, Piazza G. Marconi 1. It lasts about 5 hours, is rated intermediate, takes a minimum age of 10 and up to 15 people. It costs $5.59 (€5) for adults and $3.35 (€3) for children aged 10 to 12, and an optional lunch at the La Forra restaurant costs $16.76 (€15).

Book on +39 0365 953185. The walk includes partial access to the closed stretch of road, so it is the closest you can get to the gorge on foot.

Bus and the Summer Shuttle

You do not need a car to see the road at all. Regular buses cross the Forra on their way up to the Tremosine plateau, so you can ride the hairpins from a bus window. In summer a shuttle bus also runs from Campione on the shore up to Pieve and the plateau.

Seats on the shuttle are limited, so call ahead on +39 0365 953185 to check availability before you plan a day around it.

From the Water

The road is dramatic from the lake too, since the waterfalls near Tremosine drop down the cliff face below it. The 2-hour panoramic cruise on a historic sailboat from Malcesine costs $45 per person and sails toward the western shore past the falls and the Forra road seen from below. It is not suitable for travellers over 70. For something faster and private, the one-hour luxury speedboat with skipper from Riva del Garda costs $224 per boat for up to 4 people and passes the Ponale waterfall and the bay of Limone.

Every boat trip on the lake is compared on the Lake Garda tours page, and the Malcesine guide covers the sailboat's harbour.

No drive time for the route is posted anywhere official, so treat these as our own estimates. A short drive through the gorge and back down to the lake takes about an hour with a photo stop. A half day lets you add Pieve di Tremosine, the Terrazza del Brivido viewing terrace and a slow lunch on the plateau. A full day covers the guided Pro Loco walk, which runs about 5 hours on its own. Since the climb is now one way uphill, you cannot simply turn around, so decide before you start: exit north via Bassanega and Limone or south via Tignale.

Three ways to plan the Strada della Forra. No official driving time is published, so the hours are our estimates.

Each of these changes how you plan the visit, and each ends with its source.

- Before the road opened in 1913, Tremosine was reached only on foot by the Porto to Pieve path, and goods went up by rope cableway (Comune di Tremosine). - The national government paid half of the construction, the province a quarter and the town the rest, under a special law (Pro Loco Tremosine). - A small Madonna in a niche at Pieve has been the protector of Tremosine's drivers since 1960 (Comune di Tremosine). - The landslide of 16 December 2023 thinned the rock beside the Camino tunnel so much that the road stayed shut until 1 August 2025 (Province of Brescia). - Pedestrians are banned on most of the lower road, so walkers see the gorge only on the 250 m canyon stretch or on the Pro Loco guided walk (Pro Loco Tremosine).

The Forra belongs on a west shore driving day. A natural loop runs up the gorge to Pieve di Tremosine and the Terrazza del Brivido, then exits north through Bassanega to Limone sul Garda for the afternoon, with Campione's kitesurfing bay on the Gardesana below. You need a car for that loop, so look at Lake Garda car rental if you are arriving by train at Desenzano or Peschiera.

More ideas for the western shore are on things to do on Lake Garda, and bases are compared on where to stay.