Capanna Cadagno

Capanna Cadagno (German: Cadagnohütte) is a staffed alpine mountain hut located at 1,987 metres above sea level near the Alpe di Piora in the Val Piora, a high side valley of the Valle Leventina in the Lepontine Alps. Administratively it lies within the municipality of Quinto in the Swiss canton of Ticino, above the Ritomsee reservoir and beside the small Lago di Cadagno. The hut is owned and run by the Sezione Ritom of the Società Alpinistica Ticinese (SAT), which in turn belongs to the umbrella Federazione Alpinistica Ticinese (FAT). The building was constructed in 1934 and has been almost completely renovated twice, in 1993 and again in 2013–2014. It is a classic Swiss alpine club hut: it offers 74 beds in rooms of various sizes, along with toilets and showers, a dining room seating 100 people, and an outdoor terrace with tables. The kitchen focuses on regional products and homemade specialities. In winter, a reduced offering remains available with a dormitory of 24 beds, a four-bed room, and a lounge with wood heating. The hut is guarded (staffed) from early June to mid-October. It is reached on foot from the mountain station of the Ritom funicular in about 1½ hours, or via a number of high passes from neighbouring valleys and huts — for example from the Lukmanier Pass over the Passo dell’Uomo, from Alpe Casaccia over the Passo delle Colombe or Passo del Sole, from the Cadlimo, Dötra, Bovarina and Prodör huts, and from Airolo through the Val Canaria. The area is popular with hikers, nature lovers, mountain bikers, schools, families and groups, and the hut sits on the classic Bike Route 65, the “Gottardo Bike” from Andermatt to Biasca. As a commercial offering, Capanna Cadagno functions as a hospitality and accommodation brand: it sells overnight stays, meals and drinks, and acts as a base for outdoor activities in the Piora region. Its website provides booking, prices, access information, a photo gallery and details about the surrounding region and activities, and is published in Italian, German and English. The hut’s identity is closely tied to the protected Piora landscape and to the scientific interest of Lago di Cadagno, which is studied by the Centro Biologia Alpina (CBA).

Capanna Cadagno was built in 1934 as a mountain hut for alpinists in the Val Piora, a high side valley of the Valle Leventina in the Lepontine Alps of Ticino. It stands at 1,987 metres above sea level near the Alpe di Piora, above the Ritomsee and beside the Lago di Cadagno, in the municipality of Quinto. From its foundation it has belonged to the Sezione Ritom of the Società Alpinistica Ticinese (SAT), which is affiliated with the umbrella Federazione Alpinistica Ticinese (FAT). The hut was almost completely renovated twice: once in 1993 and again in 2013–2014. These renovations modernised the building while preserving its role as a traditional alpine club hut. Today it offers 74 beds in rooms of various sizes, toilets and showers, a dining room for 100 people, and an outdoor terrace. The menu emphasises regional products and homemade specialities. In winter a reduced facility remains open, with a 24-bed dormitory, a four-bed room and a lounge with wood heating. The hut is guarded from early June to mid-October. Access is on foot: about 1½ hours from the mountain station of the Ritom funicular, or via high passes from the Lukmanier Pass (over the Passo dell’Uomo), from Alpe Casaccia (over the Passo delle Colombe or Passo del Sole), from the Prodör hut (over the Passo Predèlp and Passo del Sole), from the Cadlimo hut (over the Lago di Dentro and Lago di Tom), from the Dötra hut (over Acquacalda and the Passo del Sole), from the Bovarina hut (over the Passo di Gana Negra and Passo dell’Uomo), from Airolo through the Val Canaria (over the Bocchetta di Föisc or Bocchetta del Camoghé), and from Lurengo over the Passo Forca. The Piora valley itself is reachable by mountain trails, by a single-lane road to the Ritom dam at 1,850 m, or by the steep Ritom funicular (maximum gradient 87.8%). The surrounding area is used by hikers, nature lovers, mountain bikers, schools, families and groups, and the hut lies on the classic Bike Route 65, the “Gottardo Bike” from Andermatt to Biasca. The nearby Lago di Cadagno is a site of scientific interest studied by the Centro Biologia Alpina (CBA). The hut’s website, published in Italian, German and English, provides booking, prices, access information, a photo gallery and details on the region and its activities, and notes seasonal operational details such as the summer season start and temporary closures of the Ritom funicular and the Altanca–Piora road.

• 2014

  The 2013–2014 renovation is completed.

• 2013

  A second major renovation begins (completed 2014).

• 1993

  The hut undergoes an almost complete renovation.

• 1934

  Capanna Cadagno is built as an alpine hut in Val Piora.

A traditional, association-run alpine hut offering simple, regional hospitality in the protected Piora landscape, aimed at hikers, bikers, families, schools and groups.

• Overnight stays (74 beds in various room sizes)

• Dining room for 100 people

• Outdoor terrace with tables

• Regional products and homemade specialities

• Winter dormitory (24 beds) and four-bed room

• Toilets and showers

1. 1Capanna Cadagno official websitecapannacadagno.ch
2. 2Capanna Cadagno – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Capanna Cadagno – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org