Antonio Locatelli Hut
A historic mountain refuge in Italy’s Dolomites, positioned near the Tre Cime di Lavaredo at approximately 2,405 metres.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Antonio Locatelli Hut is a mountain refuge in the Tre Cime Natural Park of Alto Adige–South Tyrol, Italy. It is also widely known by its German name, Dreizinnenhütte, meaning “Three Peaks Hut,” a reference to the nearby Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The refuge stands at approximately 2,405 metres above sea level and is one of the best-known shelter and hospitality points in the Tre Cime area. The hut’s origins date to the late nineteenth century, when Karl Stemberger, proprietor of the Post Hotel in Sexten, proposed a refuge near the Toblin Pass for the German and Austrian Alpine Club. The location was attractive because of its views toward the Tre Cime, Monte Paterno and the surrounding Dolomite peaks. Construction began in spring 1882 under Stemberger’s supervision, following a design by engineer Rienzner of Toblach. The first structure was a compact, single-storey stone building with a pitched roof. It contained a common room with a kitchen, basic furniture and a separate sleeping room, while an attic provided additional beds. Flooding in the upper Puster Valley delayed the planned 1882 opening, and the refuge was inaugurated in 1883 after expenditure of 1,250 florins. The original building was destroyed by an Italian grenade during the First World War. A smaller refuge was reconstructed on the site in 1922 by the South Tyrol Alpine Club. In 1923, the property was expropriated in favour of the Club Alpino Italiano section of Padua, which later contemplated a larger restoration and expansion. Instead of simply enlarging the rebuilt structure, a new shelter was erected in a slightly different position in 1935. A monument marks the location of the earlier building, and the refuge also carries the complementary name Sepp Innerkofler, commemorating a Dolomite mountain guide. The modern refuge is named after Antonio Locatelli, an aviator, journalist, politician, mountaineer and Alpine-club leader from Bergamo. Locatelli was born in 1895 and became a highly decorated Italian military aviator. He received three gold medals for military valour, and his wartime reputation included participation in the celebrated flight over Vienna associated with Gabriele D’Annunzio. He was shot down and captured in September 1918 but escaped several weeks later while disguised as an Austrian soldier. Locatelli later died in the Lechemti massacre during the Ethiopian War in 1936. A statue of the Virgin of Loreto, regarded as the patron saint of aviators, is kept inside the refuge as a memorial reference to him. The hut serves hikers, climbers and visitors exploring the high Dolomites. Its setting also includes the Piani lakes and a small chapel. Common approaches include the route from the Auronzo Hut and its car park, which is connected to Misurina by a toll road, as well as more demanding routes from Sexten through the Fischlein Valley. Another approach from Lake Landro takes approximately three hours according to the reference description. The hut’s identity is therefore rooted less in consumer products than in alpine accommodation, meals, route access and heritage associated with the Tre Cime landscape.
History
The refuge was proposed in 1881 by Karl Stemberger, owner of the Post Hotel in Sexten, who sought to establish shelter near the Toblin Pass for members of the German and Austrian Alpine Club. The surrounding views of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Monte Paterno and neighbouring Dolomite peaks helped motivate the project. Stemberger supervised construction, while engineer Rienzner of Toblach, president of the relevant Alpine-club section, designed the building. Work began in spring 1882. The initial refuge was a modest single-storey structure built from cut stone and covered by a sloping roof. Its ground floor contained a common room with a kitchen, tables, benches and chairs. A second room served as sleeping quarters for shepherds, and an exterior staircase led to an attic with capacity for as many as ten beds. Severe weather and flooding in the upper Puster Valley in September 1882 prevented the planned autumn inauguration. The shelter opened instead in 1883, after construction costs of 1,250 florins. The First World War brought the destruction of the original building by an Italian grenade. In 1922, the South Tyrol Alpine Club rebuilt a smaller refuge on the site. The following year, the refuge was expropriated for the CAI section of Padua, which intended to undertake substantial restoration and enlargement. The later project resulted in a new building in a slightly different position rather than a straightforward renovation of the earlier structure. The new shelter was completed in 1935. A simple monument identifies the location of the former refuge, while the newer building also acquired the complementary name Sepp Innerkofler, after a Dolomite mountain guide. The present name honours Antonio Locatelli of Bergamo, who was born in 1895 and became a military aviator, journalist, politician, mountaineer and president of the Club Alpino Italiano section in Bergamo. His First World War service included the flight over Vienna associated with D’Annunzio. Locatelli was captured after being shot down in 1918 but escaped in disguise. He died in 1936 during the Lechemti massacre in the course of the Ethiopian War. A statue of the Virgin of Loreto inside the refuge commemorates his connection with aviation. The hut occupies a strategic and scenic position in the Tre Cime Natural Park. It is associated with the nearby Piani lakes and a small chapel, and it functions as a destination and overnight base for people travelling through the high Dolomites. The principal access described in reference material is from the Auronzo Hut and its car park, reached from Misurina by a toll road. The refuge can also be approached from Sexten through the Fischlein Valley or from Lake Landro, with the latter route taking approximately three hours.
- 1935
New refuge constructed
[1]A new shelter was built in a slightly different position instead of simply renovating the 1922 structure.
- 1923
Transfer to the CAI section of Padua
[1]The refuge was expropriated in favour of the Club Alpino Italiano section of Padua, which planned further restoration and expansion.
- 1922
Post-war reconstruction
[1]A smaller refuge was rebuilt after the original structure had been destroyed during the First World War.
- 1883
First inauguration
[1]After weather and flooding delayed the planned opening, the original refuge was inaugurated in 1883.
- 1882
Construction begins
[1]Construction of the first stone shelter began in spring 1882 under Stemberger’s supervision and to a design by engineer Rienzner of Toblach.
- 1881
Refuge proposal
[1]Karl Stemberger proposed a refuge near the Toblin Pass for the German and Austrian Alpine Club, encouraged by the views of the Tre Cime and surrounding Dolomites.
Products and positioning
A historic high-altitude Dolomite refuge combining basic alpine hospitality, route access and cultural memorial value in one of the Tre Cime area’s most prominent landscapes.
Alpine hospitality · 1883
Mountain refuge accommodation
The hut provides shelter and overnight accommodation for visitors travelling through the high Dolomites. Its historical predecessor included sleeping space in both a separate room and the attic, while the present refuge continues the traditional function of serving hikers and climbers near the Tre Cime.
Food service · 1883
Alpine food and refreshments
Food and refreshment service is part of the traditional mountain-hut role of the site. The original 1880s building included a kitchen and a furnished common room, establishing the refuge’s hospitality function for people crossing or exploring the surrounding mountain routes.
Outdoor tourism
Tre Cime route base
The refuge functions as a destination and route base for access to the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, Monte Paterno, the Toblin Pass and nearby Piani lakes. Approaches described in reference material include routes from the Auronzo Hut, Sexten through the Fischlein Valley and Lake Landro.
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