Reschen Pass, Mountain pass at Austria-Italy border, Tyrol

Reschen Pass links the Upper Inn Valley with the Vinschgau region across the main Alpine ridge at 1,507 meters (about 4,944 feet). The road runs between Nauders in Austria and Graun im Vinschgau in Italy, passing Lake Reschen with its tower rising from the water.

The crossing formed part of the Via Claudia Augusta, a Roman road built in 50 AD to link northern and southern territories. For centuries it remained one of the main trade routes over the Alps.

The name Reschen comes from a farm near the pass first recorded in 1393 as "an dem Reschen"; the surname means roughly "the sharp one". The Italian name Passo di Resia was coined by Ettore Tolomei during the Fascist Italianization of South Tyrol. The sunken bell tower of Alt-Graun, now in Lake Reschen, is the village's best-known landmark and a frequent photo stop.

The road stays open year-round and is well maintained, though winter tires or chains are advised during snowfall. Fuel stations and rest areas are available on both sides of the border in nearby towns.

The tower rising from Lake Reschen is the bell tower of the old parish church of St. Katharina in submerged Graun. It survived not because of its height but because it was the only building not demolished before the reservoir was flooded in 1950. At low water it stands in a lagoon and can be walked around.