13 Gourmet mountain huts on the Dolomites
Walking in nature, crossing forests dotted with alpine huts, steep moraines, ridges with views of immense valleys or climbing rugged and high peaks. An intense day of skiing in the winter cold. All very picturesque. But after hours of walking, when the boots on your feet will have become too heavy and your legs will begin to send requests for help, the idea of a refuge where you can stop for a steaming plate of polenta, will be the only wonder you can think of.
You are lucky! You are not only among the most beautiful mountains in Italy, but also in one of the places that boasts the most delicious mountain cuisine and the most organized refuges.
Here then is a short list of the huts we most appreciated for a gourmet stop.
1. TALSCHLUSSHÜTTE - RIFUGIO FONDOVALLE
It is located at the bottom of the Fiscalina Valley and offers a beautiful view of the Dolomites, nestled in a pleasant valley surrounded by high mountains. It is located at the entrance of the Parco delle Tre Cime and is both a pleasant point of arrival for an easy walk through the valley, and a good starting point for more challenging trekking routes that lead to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo and the Alte Vie.
In addition to offering a pleasant view of nature, it offers a decidedly refined cuisine for a mountain refuge. Excellent traditional and more innovative dishes, with excellent local products.
2. COL DL'ANCONA
This hut is located in San Martino in Badia, in the middle of the Kronplatz ski area. Although the context to reach the refuge is less picturesque, its terrace offers a regenerating view of the beautiful snow-capped mountains and forests that surround the ski slopes. It is an excellent stop especially in winter, between one descent and another, but it can also be reached by car in any season.
It offers a traditional mountain cuisine, among which the succulent cheese dumplings and one of the best strudel of Südtirol are a must.
3. PLATTKOFELHÜTTE - RIFUGIO SASSOPIATTO
Surrounded by the Natural Parks Puez Odle and Sciliar-Catinaccio, between Val Gardena and Val di Fassa, this is a beautiful wooden mountain hut, completely renovated and very comfortable for overnight stay. It can be an excellent stop to break the long treks on the High Roads of the Dolomites, or an easy landing place for a walk from the Sella Pass. It is immersed in a prairie frequented by many marmots.
It offers excellent dishes, also for dinner with a fixed menu, and a breakfast with delicious local products.
Sassopiatto mountain hut
4. RIFUGIO PASSO PRINCIPE
Literally set in the rock of the Catinaccio Group, on a saddle that can be reached through rough hiking trails, is a small wooden hut, with a familiar and welcoming atmosphere. It serves excellent hot dishes to refresh tired hikers, such as canederli in broth, eggs, potatoes and speck, and, of course, apple strudel.
The massif that hosts the Rifugio Passo Principe
5. RIFUGIO TSCHÖTSCH ALM
This hut is reached by a steep but short walk from Compatsch and offers a pleasant view of the Alpe di Siusi, a sunny terrace and delicious South Tyrolean dishes.
6. RIFUGIO VALLANDRO
In the valley of Braies, in the area of Prato Piazza, this refuge is located in a small saddle with a spectacular view of the Dolomites of the Natural Park Fanes - Sennes - Braies. The paths around the refuge provide a breathtaking view of the mountains, and are of easy and medium difficulty.
The hut has a beautiful panoramic terrace where you can dine in the sun with a steaming plate of polenta.
7. RIFUGIO TIESERALP - ALPE DI TIRES
Located in the Catinaccio Group, in the shade of the mountain Denti di Terrarossa, this completely renovated lodge is a beautiful piece of modern alpine architecture. A wooden hut, with a characteristic red roof, with a welcoming and elegant glassed-in dining room. The dishes are all inviting, even those of the fixed menu served in the evening to hikers. The canederli and polenta are particularly good.
The red roof of Rifugio Alpe di Tires
8. CAPANNA PIZ FASSA
At an altitude of 3,152 meters, on Piz Boè, and with an incredible 360 degree view of the Sella Group, this small and spartan hut will require a little effort to reach. It's an excellent stop for the night, to admire a beautiful sunset, an even more fascinating sunrise that colors the Marmolada pink, and above all to enjoy steaming homemade bread freshly baked after a busy day of trekking.
Sunrise from Capanna Fassa
9. RIFUGIO PIAN DI CENGIA
Only a "few" steps away from the Tre Cime, you will find this cosy hut with red windows that offers excellent South Tyrolean cuisine and a beautiful view of the Dolomites of Sesto.
The hut is also very comfortable for overnight stays, or for a short break between one hiking route and the next.
10. ÜTIA VACIARA
In San Martino in Badia, in the shadow of the Sasso Putia, there is this family-run malga that offers delicious dishes prepared with products grown and bred on the owners' farm. The game and the first courses are unforgettable.
It can be reached by walking along the Roda de Pütia, or by climbing up from the Valle dei Mulini in Longiarú, with a very long and demanding walk, but quite gentle, that crosses a green valley dotted with farms and wooden mills.
11. RIFUGIO PEDERÜ
In San Vigilio, you can reach this refuge by car or on foot, through a forest wedged in a beautiful valley flanked by high Dolomite mountains. It is also an excellent starting point for summer hikes and winter snowshoe hikes to the Fanes - Sennes - Braies Nature Park, or for a snowcat excursion with return trip on a toboggan.
It is a spacious meeting place for families and also offers good food, especially soups such as goulash or barley soup with Ladin turtres.
The path to Rifugio Pederü
12. RIFUGIO PISCIADÚ
Between Alta Badia and Val Gardena, you will find this refuge framed by rugged mountains and the blue lake of the same name. To reach it you have to make some effort, but the view is relaxing and picturesque, the lake offers the opportunity to cool your legs and sunbathe, and the meal of traditional South Tyrolean dishes, such as the canederli, will be worth the trip.
The mountain theater of Rifugio Pisciadú
13. RIFUGIO SCOIATTOLI
At the edge of the ski slopes, or of the summer hiking trails, with a view of the 5 Torri massif and close to the historic trenches of the Great War, you will find this hut with a panoramic terrace, which offers a refined stop in the mountains. The cuisine is elegant and tasty, you can also stay in a very cozy atmosphere, and for the lucky ones, after dinner you can relax in the outdoor heated fir-tree pool.
