Less than a month remains before the Giro d'Italia passes through Colle delle Finestre, the iconic climb of the 108th edition, but in recent days concerns had emerged due to the abundant snowfall at high altitude.

Colleagues from L'Eco del Chisone went up to the pass yesterday and documented the situation with a video - you can watch the footage here - and with these words:

The risk seems to be receding that on Saturday, May 31st, the Giro d'Italia might not be able to pass through the Colle delle Finestre due to recent snowfall at altitude, approximately 30-40 cm on the watershed between Val Susa and Val Chisone.

Even on an international media scale, the situation (monitored hour by hour by RCS and its institutional representatives) had raised alarm, considering snow accumulations between 1.50 and 2 meters. The white mantle, thanks to the high temperatures of recent days, has significantly lowered, also allowing a snow plow to ascend from Meana.

At 2,178 meters of altitude, obviously, the situation in May can undergo changes related to new precipitation, but Metropolitan City technicians monitor the state of things daily, also because there are many maintenance interventions under the authority's responsibility (not just rolling the unpaved road), necessary to make the passage of riders possible.

And regarding Metropolitan City, here is the statement issued today by the Authority: "Made famous worldwide by the Giro d'Italia's passage at Colle delle Finestre and on the road leading to Colle del Nivolet, the high-altitude roads managed by the Metropolitan City of Turin will once again be protagonists of a summer tourist season that promises to be positive for the alpine valleys surrounding the capital." The Metropolitan Vice Mayor Jacopo Suppo, who is responsible for public works, emphasizes: "Every year, the Transportation and Mobility Department, through Directorates 1 and 2, invests significant financial and human resources and deploys numerous mechanical means for road cleaning and restoration."

In Val di Susa, operations have been ongoing for several days to allow the reopening of Provincial Road 172 of Colle delle Finestre for the Verres-Sestriere stage of the Giro d'Italia, scheduled for Saturday, May 31st. Provincial Road 172 connects Meana with Depot di Fenestrelle, after crossing the 2,176 meters of the Pass and intersecting the municipal road that climbs from Usseaux to Pian dell'Alpe. The first operations at altitude on the road now known worldwide thanks to the Giro d'Italia and Tour de l'Avenir involved removing the substantial snow cover present in the unpaved section up to the Pass, located at km 19, and also in the paved section up to Pian del Colle. Operations with snow plows and wheeled loaders were carried out by operational staff from Directorate 2 of Metropolitan City and the Mechanical Means Center of Grugliasco.

Next week, weather permitting, ordinary maintenance operations on Provincial Road 172 will begin in preparation for the summer reopening, which include checking the dry-stone walls above and below the roadway, removing vegetation that might potentially obstruct transit, and spreading fine stabilized material, with the goal of making the road surface as passable as possible for users. Once the unpaved section is adequately restored and dried, a final rolling of the road surface is planned in view of the Giro d'Italia's passage, a now consolidated practice for important cycling races.