The last light left the peaks at eight forty-five, and the temperature dropped ten degrees in as many minutes. I was sitting on the terrace of the Rifugio Lagazuoi, at 2,752 meters, wrapped in a wool blanket that smelled of woodsmoke. Below me, a sea of clouds filled the valleys, turning the surrounding peaks into islands of stone floating in a white ocean. The hut keeper, a man named Giorgio who had worked this mountain for thirty years, brought me a grappa and pointed to a gap in the clouds. 'Tomorrow,' he said, 'the weather breaks. You will see Cortina from here.' He was right. But that night, the view I had was enough.
What to Expect from a Rifugio Stay
A rifugio is a mountain hut in the Italian Dolomites, operated by the Italian Alpine Club or private families. They range from basic shelters with bunk beds and shared bathrooms to comfortable lodges with private rooms, hot showers, and full restaurants. The Rifugio Lagazuoi, where I stayed, is on the higher end, accessible by a cable car from the Falzarego Pass or by a steep two-hour hike. Dinner was polenta with mushroom ragu, followed by apple strudel. Breakfast was bread, jam, cheese, and coffee strong enough to wake a dead man. The dormitory beds cost forty-five euros per night, including dinner and breakfast. Private rooms cost ninety euros.
The Alta Via Trails
The Dolomites are crossed by eight long-distance trails called the Alta Via, each taking five to fifteen days to complete. The most famous is Alta Via 1, which runs from Lago di Braies to Belluno over twelve days. I walked a four-day section from Cortina d'Ampezzo to Alta Badia, staying in a different rifugio each night. The daily hiking distance was eight to fifteen kilometers, with elevation gains of five hundred to one thousand meters. The trails are well-marked with red-and-white paint blazes, and the signage includes estimated hiking times that are surprisingly accurate. What the signs do not convey is the constant distraction of the scenery. Every corner reveals a new spire, a new meadow, a new view that stops you in your tracks.
History Written in Stone
The Dolomites were the front line of the Italian-Austrian conflict in World War I, and the mountains are still scarred by that history. Near Lagazuoi, you can walk through tunnels carved by soldiers into the rock, using headlamps to navigate the dark passages. The tunnels connect artillery positions, observation posts, and supply routes. At the open-air museum of Monte Piana, trenches and barbed wire still mark the ridge where thousands of soldiers died not from enemy fire but from avalanches and cold. The rifugio keepers know this history well, and many will tell you stories over dinner. Giorgio's grandfather fought in these mountains. He showed me a photograph from 1916 of soldiers standing on the same terrace where we were sitting.
Planning Your Trip
The Dolomites are busiest in July and August, when rifugios fill up weeks in advance. I traveled in late June and found space by booking two weeks ahead through the individual rifugio websites. September is also excellent, with cooler temperatures and the beginning of autumn colors. The nearest airports are Venice, Treviso, and Innsbruck. Rental cars are essential for reaching trailheads, though some areas are served by local buses. A four-day hut-to-hut trek cost me 340 euros in total, including accommodation, meals, and cable car tickets. For the quality of the experience, this is one of the best values in European mountain travel.
