HIKING SEASON IS BACK!

REOPENING OF THE RIFUGIO BRENTEI IN THE BRENTA DOLOMITES

The biggest news of all in the mountains this summer is, without doubt, the re-opening of the “Rifugio Maria e Alberto ai Brentei” mountain hut in the heart of Brenta Dolomites. Managed by mountain guide Luca Leonardi and his family, the hut has been under renovation for two years.

The renovation restored that sense of an authentic mountain lodge to the entire structure, an essential element of the Brentei hut. The atmosphere is particularly resonant here because of the stories and figures connected to it, starting with the almost legendary character of Bruno Detassis, who was invited by the Fossati-Bellani family, owners of the lodge before its donation to the Monza section of the Italian Alpine Club, to manage the building at the end of the 1940s. He carried out this role in person from 1949 to 2000, before passing the torch to his son Claudio, who took over until 2008.

You can get to the Brentei mountain hut by setting out from the car park in Vallesinella, a place famous for the beautiful waterfall, four km away from Madonna di Campiglio, and taking SAT trail no. 317 as far as the Casinei hut before continuing along the “Sentiero Arnaldo Bogani” trail (signpost SAT 318), a journey of about 3 hours. This is the most frequently taken route to get to the hut.

Mountain huts for the whole family

There are various hiking itineraries, that can offer great experiences for families and hikers regardless of their level of fitness. Here are some of them:

In Val di Rabbi valley, in the Stelvio National Park, there’s a two-day trail for families that leads to Rifugio Dorigoni hut in Val Saènt before reaching the lake and the Rifugio Corvo hut, finally returning to Piazzola di Rabbi.

The first day involves three hours of walking from the Malga Stablasolo farmstead to the hut, allowing to admire the waterfalls of Val Saènt on the way. The next day involves a crossing that climbs around 500 m, taking in the spectacular Cima Collecchio on the border between Trentino and Alto Adige before reaching Lake Corvo and the nearby hut of the same name.

Another itinerary for families, is Italian Alps of Fassa, that goes from Val Contrin to Val San Nicolò:

It starts out from Alba, enter Val Contrin and, after crossing the stream, pass by the Rifugio Mèlga Cianci hut and reaches the historic Rifugio Contrin hut in around two hours. Your journey picks up from here the next day, after admiring the dawn breaking over the southern face of the Marmolada, heading towards the Rifugio Passo San Nicolò hut.

The next day, you can embark on a Tour of the Lakes from the Rifugio Larcher hut, visiting them in the following order: Lake Marmotte, Lake Lungo, Lake Nero and Lake Careser. From here, you can return to the car park at the Malga Mare farmstead.

Above Madonna di Campiglio is a loop route that can be taken along the routes that link up the trails on this side of the Brenta Dolomites. From the Campo Carlo Magno Pass, climb to the Rifugio Giorgio Graffer hut below the Grostè Pass. During the months of June and July, it is possible to get from this hut to “Gli orti della Regina”, a high-altitude botanical garden rich in Alpine flower species; naturally, these are there to be admired only.
 
On the second day, an up-and-down walk of two hours will take you to the Rifugio F.F. Tuckett hut at the feet of the Vallesinella glacier. Continue towards Val Brenta to get to the renovated Rifugio Maria e Alberto ai Brentei hut, close to Crozzòn di Brenta and Cima Tosa. The third day sees travellers descend to the Rifugio Casinei hut and, from there, to Vallesinella before returning to Madonna di Campiglio.

Trekking: off the beaten track

A trekking route from the Catinaccio Group to Sassolungo is located in the Fassa Dolomites. The starting point is the Passo Carezza: from here, you can reach the Rifugio Paolina hut and the Rifugio Roda di Vaèl hut along an easy trail. Continue as far as the Cigolade Pass and along the Alta Via dei Fassani trail to reach the Rifugio Vajolet hut, at the feet of the Gola delle tre Torri gorge.

On the second day, climb back up to the Principe Pass and make your way to the Rifugio Alpe di Tires hut via the Molignon and Tires passes. The last day will take the Duron Pass and from there, remaining in the high mountains, towards the Rifugio Sassopiatto hut. A trail is located at the feet of the Sassolungo Group and passes the Pertini, Friederich August and Des Alpes huts.

Pale di San Martino - Trekking around Monte Mulaz

The trekking route around Monte Mulaz is one of the most fascinating trails in this group of the Italian Alps.

It begins by winding its way through the verdant Val Venegia, offering views of the vertical rock walls of Cimòn della Pala, Cima Vezzana, the Bureloni and the sheer face of Cima Mulaz, as far as the Malga Venegia meadow.

After the Malga Venegiota farmstead, make your way to Campanile di Valgrande and Cima Focobon, boasting a spectacular setting. From the pass, you can climb to the peak of Monte Mulaz (2,903 m) for a panoramic view over the entire Pale di San Martino, high above Val Venegia. The detour to the peak, however, requires surefootedness in certain exposed stretches and a familiarity with climbing over rocks; therefore, it should only be attempted by experienced, well-trained hikers.

New project helping to explore Dolomites

Let’s Dolomites, a project created by the Mountain Guides of Trentino, consists of a number of itineraries designed for those seeking a trekking experience in Trentino’s main mountain chains. You can choose between packages of 6 or 3 days, with overnight stays in mountain huts and Alpine farmsteads.

More information: www.campobase.travel

MOUNTAIN ANNIVERSARIES

This year marks the 150^th anniversary of The Society of Tridentini Alpinists (SAT), which was established in 1872 (2 September) in Madonna di Campiglio. The society had a noble goal to promote knowledge of the Trentino mountains, the tourist development of the valleys and Trentino’s culture. The club members were looking after the construction of refuges, as well as hotelier projects, organised alpine guides, and ascending mountains.

150 years ago, in the summertime, explorations of the Trentino Alps were in full swing, with leading figures including a number of British mountaineers belonging to the Alpine Club in London. Mountaineer Francis Fox Tuckett climbed Cima Brenta mountain together with his guides Christian Lauener (CH) and Santo Siorpaes “Salvadòr”.

The SAT hut in upper Vallesinella, right in front of this peak, is named in his honour.
In the eastern Italian Alps, the Catinaccio d’Antermoia was climbed by Charles Comyns Tucker and Thomas Henry Carson along with a guide from Fassa, Antonio Bernard. Today, the peak can be reached by taking an easy Via Ferrata along the western slope, starting from the Principe Pass.

In the Pale di San Martino, for the first time Cima Vezzana mountain was climbed by Douglas William Freshfield with Charles Comyns Tucker. This peak is second in height only to Cimòn della Pala.

General info: https://www.visittrentino.info/en/experience/hiking-and-trekking