Rifugio Barbara Lowrie

Rifugio Barbara Lowrie — commonly shortened to Rifugio Barbara — is a mountain hut (rifugio) in the comune of Bobbio Pellice, in the Val Pellice of the Cottian Alps, Piedmont, Italy. It sits at 1,753 metres above sea level in the locality of Pis della Rossa, in the wild Comba dei Carbonieri, a side valley of the Val Pellice, a few kilometres from Bobbio Pellice and near the Grange del Pis. The building was commissioned in 1928 by Walter and Barbara Lowrie, a Canadian couple, as a hunting lodge; they soon donated it to the Val Pellice section of the CAI-UGET, which converted it into a mountain hut. The rifugio proper was inaugurated in 1931 and has been in operation ever since. The hut is a full-service mountain hospitality business rather than a mere shelter. It offers bar service, a restaurant and small hotel-style accommodation, with 29 beds (expandable to about 40 when needed) in two- to three-bed rooms and a common dormitory. It has an electrical system, a public and emergency telephone, toilets and hot showers. It is also a stage point on the GTA (Grande Traversata delle Alpi) long-distance trail. Access is unusually easy for a hut at this altitude: an asphalt road, somewhat rough and narrow, climbs from the valley to a car park near the rifugio. That same road is a magnet for cyclists, being a demanding ascent of 9.3 km with 1,045 m of elevation gain and an average gradient of 11.2%, rising to 12.5% over the final 6 km. In 2007 the UISP Piemonte added the climb to its official calendar as the Cronoscalata del Barbara, a round of the Trofeo Alpi Cozie; the ascent record of 38'48" was set by Gasparetto Gioele in the 2025 edition. The rifugio is a base for hiking, mountain biking, climbing and bouldering, and for ascents of Monte Granero (3,170 m), Monte Manzol (2,933 m) and Punta Sea Bianca (2,721 m). It is also a crossing point toward Rifugio Willy Jervis (1,732 m) in the Conca del Pra, Rifugio Battaglione Alpini Monte Granero (2,377 m), Rifugio Lago Verde (2,583 m) in the Germanasca valley and Pian del Re (2,020 m) in the Po valley. A short walk leads to the Bruno Peyronel alpine botanical garden near Colle Barant. The surrounding valley has no tourist facilities — only preserved nature, alpine pastures, mountain wildflowers and dark starry skies — a positioning the hut itself promotes as "the place where colours come to life, where you feel at home away from home."

The building that houses the rifugio was commissioned in 1928 by Walter and Barbara Lowrie, a Canadian couple, as a hunting lodge. Shortly afterwards the couple donated it to the Val Pellice section of the CAI-UGET, which converted it into a mountain hut. The rifugio proper was inaugurated in 1931 and has been active continuously since then. It sits at 1,753 m in the locality of Pis della Rossa, in the Carboneri valley, a side valley of the Val Pellice in the Cottian Alps, in the comune of Bobbio Pellice (TO). Over the decades the hut developed into a full-service mountain hospitality business. It is equipped with an electrical system, a public and emergency telephone, toilets and hot showers, and offers bar service, a restaurant and small hotel-style accommodation. It has 29 beds — expandable to about 40 when necessary — in two- to three-bed rooms and a common dormitory. It is also a stage point on the GTA (Grande Traversata delle Alpi) long-distance trail. Access is via the Carboneri valley: after the built-up area of Villar Pellice and before that of Bobbio Pellice, one turns left into the valley and follows it to the car park near the rifugio. The road, asphalt but somewhat rough and with a rather narrow carriageway, is much sought after by cyclists because it is a very demanding climb: 9.3 km long, with 1,045 m of elevation gain and an average gradient of 11.2%, rising to 12.5% over the final 6 km. In 2007 the UISP Piemonte added the climb to its official calendar under the name Cronoscalata del Barbara, as a round of the Trofeo Alpi Cozie. The ascent record is 38'48", set by Gasparetto Gioele in the 2025 edition. The hut serves as a base for numerous hiking and mountaineering opportunities, including ascents of Monte Granero (3,170 m), Monte Manzol (2,933 m) and Punta Sea Bianca (2,721 m), and for crossings to Rifugio Willy Jervis (1,732 m) in the Conca del Pra in Val Pellice, Rifugio Battaglione Alpini Monte Granero (2,377 m) in Val Pellice, Rifugio Lago Verde (2,583 m) in Valle Germanasca and Pian del Re (2,020 m) in Valle Po. Bouldering is also possible in the immediate vicinity. From the rifugio one can reach the Bruno Peyronel alpine botanical garden, near Colle Barant, in a short time.

• 2025

  Gasparetto Gioele sets the ascent record of 38'48" in the Cronoscalata del Barbara.

• 2007

  UISP Piemonte adds the climb to its official calendar as the Cronoscalata del Barbara, a round of the Trofeo Alpi Cozie.

• 1931

  The rifugio is inaugurated and begins continuous operation.

• 1928

  Walter and Barbara Lowrie commission the building as a hunting lodge.

• 1928

  The couple donate the building to the Val Pellice section of CAI-UGET, which converts it into a mountain hut.

A family-friendly, easily accessible high-mountain hut in a preserved alpine valley, serving hikers, cyclists, climbers and boulderers.

• Mountain hut accommodation (29 beds, expandable to 40)

• Restaurant and bar service

• Small hotel-style rooms (2–3 beds) and common dormitory

• Hot showers, toilets, electrical system, public and emergency telephone

• GTA long-distance trail stage point

• Bouldering access nearby

1. 1Home - Rifugio Barbararifugiobarbara.com
2. 2Rifugio Barbara Lowrie - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Barbara Lowrie - Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org