The 10 Most Beautiful Rifugios in the Dolomites
The Dolomites really are the stuff of dreams. A sea of dagger-like summits and craggy escarpments that soar to snow-capped tops and drop to cow-filled pastures, this region ranges across the north-eastern portion of the Italian Alps. Within are some of the country’s most startling sights. Move over Colosseum, for this is the home of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo mountains, the mighty glacier of Marmolada, and the aquamarine waters of Lake Braies. And that’s just scratching the surface.
A major hiking and skiing destination, the Dolomites also come peppered with highland rest huts known as rifugios. Lots of walkers say that they’re what make trekking and trailing in Italy the best of all Europe’s alpine nations. Why? Well…Italian rifugios often sit in eye-wateringly wonderful locations, serve hearty regional food, and have a buzzy vibe all of their own. Here are 10 of the very best…
1 | Rifugio Lagazuoi
No guide to the most beautiful rifugios in the Dolomites could possibly skip this one. Capping the rocks of Lagazuoi mountain just west of Cortina d’Ampezzo, the hut soars to 2,752 metres above sea level. It’s built on the remains of haunting World War One bunkers and is still owned by the same family who raised it back in the 1960s. Today, Rifugio Lagazuoi is known for its tactical location on the Alta Via 1 – the most popular thru-trek in the Dolomites and the region’s answer to the Pacific Crest or the Appalachian Trail. View wise, you’ll get to enjoy sweeping 180-degree vistas of the Passo Falzarego with the Cinque Torri and serrated Civetta Monte in the distance.
insider tip
Pre-book a session in the sauna. It's €20 per person but has to be one of the most altitudinous saunas in the Alps!
2 | Rifugio Re Alberto Primo
Rifugio Re Alberto Primo is hidden away in the strange highland world of the Rosengarten group, a subset of the Dolomites that string down the tight Val di Fassa south-west of uber-charming Canazei town. It’s a part of the region where the peaks turn to needle-like obelisks and the stone is famed for its pink tint at sunset. You’ll have to work to reach the hut. It’s at the end of a zigzagging path that requires some scrambling. Then, you’ll enter a lunar-like valley that’s topped by the iconic Vajolet Towers (a series of particularly wonderful bluffs). The rifugio is just below them, offering a place to stay in the very bosom of the range.
insider tip
Rifugio Vajolet is another stunning mountain hut that sits at the point where the trek gets challenging. You can lunch there if you're not one for heights!
3 | Rifugio Fredarola
Shouldering its way above the colossal ski circuit of the Sella Ronda around the hulking Piz Boe mountain, Rifugio Fredarola is abuzz with life in the winter months. People flock in to sip hot chocolates and bubbling prosecco during days on the pistes. There’s an indoor grill where the speciality is fine Italian Chianina cuts done over charcoal. Oh, and the views are second to none. Head outside to the wrap-around terrace and you’ll be faced with the majestic snow plumes of the Marmolada Glacier. That caps off the highest mountain in the Dolomites at a formidable 3,343 metres above sea level.
insider tip
Take the nearby cable car to Sass Pordoi to reach the top of the Piz Boe above Rifugio Fredarola. It's blow-your-mind trekking up there.
4 | Rifugio Prospero Marchetti
We’re cheating here a little with Rifugio Prospero Marchetti. Instead of being smack dab in the heart of the jagged Dolomites, it sort of lingers on the edge of the famous range. But it’s worthy of a mention because of its high roost above the treeline around Lake Garda! Yep, look south and west from the balcony outside and you’ll see the great sweep of perfect blue that is Italy’s largest lake. On the other side of the peak – Monte Stivo – you can survey the Adige River, which is widely considered to be the boundary of the Dolomites. You can even sometimes make out the tops of the Piccole Dolomiti (the small Dolomites) to the southeast. Rifugio Prospero Marchetti is also a charmer in its own right. It was recently totally refurbed and now comes with pine-clad interiors, a crackling fire, and a menu of Trentino pastas and soups.
insider tip
Reserve for lunch in the middle of the summer – lots of people hike up here from Lake Garda!
5 | Rifugio Vandelli
Under the monstrous top of the often-twisted-in-clouds Croda Marcora (3154m), Rifugio Vandelli is the last pitstop on the way to lovely Lake Sorapis. The hike in weaves around the side of a high bluff with chain assistance, so it’s not your average walk in the path. But the reward is a hidden cleft in the high Dolomites, where milky-blue waters spread between scree ridges. After dipping your toe in the lake, head to Vandelli for a lunch of polenta and pasta with regional Veneto wines. The best seats are right out front, because they look straight over to the mighty Zwölferkofel dolomite in the opposite valley.
insider tip
Swimming isn't officially allowed in Lake Sorapis but there were lots of people doing it when we visited in August. Make of that what you will!
6 | Rifugio Lavaredo
Even in the fairly dramatic world of rifugios in the Dolomites, Rifugio Lavaredo has a special reputation. A mix of timber-clad walls and stone chimneys, it’s all dwarfed by the colossal cliffs that rise before it. They’re known as the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, the Drei Zinnen in German, or the Three Merlons in English – think a trio sheer-cut dolomite that’s among the most disarming sights in the Alps. Built in 1954, the hut has long been a jump off point for serious rock climbers looking to conquer the Merlons. But you don’t have to dangle from a rope to enjoy a strudel and a coffee on the balcony!
insider tip
The easiest way to Rifugio Lavaredo is on the 101 hiking path. It takes about 20 minutes from the nearest car park.
7 | Rifugio San Marco
Clutching the slopes of the mountains that shoulder atop the Ampezzo Valley south of Cortina, Rifugio San Marco enjoys a place a little away from the more beaten track of the Dolomites proper. Above, the serrated Forcella Grande ridges dominate the skyline, but the hut is on the lush alpine pastures beneath the treeline, bathed in the fragrances of pine and meadow air. The most dedicated climbers can get stuck into some proper Grade II scrambling above the rifugio, but we prefer a prosecco and a cheese panini on the terrace.7 |
insider tip
The hikes on this side (east) of the Ampezzo Valley tend to be harder than those on the west, so cross over for something more accessible.
8 | Rifugio Fratelli Fonda Savio
Rifugio Fratelli Fonda Savio graces a stunning pass in the Sesto Dolomites. They lie east of Cortina d’Ampezzo, and a trailhead to reach the hut starts just past the gleaming waters of Lake Misurina. It will zig and zag up through a valley of rough white scree below a series of imposing summits. Then, the path levels onto a narrow ridge, where the painted shutters of Rifugio Fratelli Fonda Savio sit cradled under the wild Cima di Eötvös mountain. Family owned, the old lodge has a menu of Italian-Austrian cuisine in the form of potato cakes and cheesy tagliatelle.
insider tip
This one's close enough to aforementioned Rifugio Vandelli to plan a multi-day hiking trip that links the two together.
9 | Rifugio Nuvolau
Perched precipitously on the very top of Nuvolau mountain, this rifugio seems to defy gravity as it lurches over the sheer edges of the central Dolomites. Lunch here was no easy affair, what with vertigo going haywire on the al fresco terrace. The view is simply unfathomable. Ranging 360 degrees, it encompasses the Sesto Dolomites to the east, the Cinque Torri rock-climbing towers just below, and the amazing escarpments above Falzarego Pass to the north. Rifugio Nuvolau claims to be the oldest continuously running hut in the whole of the Dolomites, with a history that goes back to 1883.
insider tip
Check out the challenging via ferrata routes that start on the south side of the rifugio. Don't attempt them unless you've got all the gear and know exactly what you're doing!
10 | Rifugio Rosetta
It might not look like it, but Rifugio Rosetta is actually among the easiest huts to reach for those flying into northern Italy. That’s because it crowns the Belluno Dolomites, which are the closest of all to the plains around Venice. However, you’re likely to forget the proximity of the flatlands the moment you lay eyes on Rosetta’s world of grykes and rocks and crevices, soaring thousands of feet above the ski town of San Martino di Castrozza. There’s food: A medley of Italian and Germanic cuisine, including sauerkraut and polenta with wild mushrooms. And you can stay overnight to conquer hikes like the Giro della Pala or the sometimes-snow-caked Ghiacciaio della Fradusta.
insider tip
The nearby Parco Nazionale delle Dolomiti Bellunesi is a must if you're in this region. It's a gorgeous corner of the mountain range and has loads of hikes.
