Rifugio Camillo Giussani

Rifugio Camillo Giussani (commonly Rifugio Giussani, German Giussani-Hütte) is a mountain hut of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), Sezione Cortina d'Ampezzo, situated at 2,580 m above sea level in the Forcella Fontananegra, the great saddle between the Tofana di Rozes (3,225 m) and the Tofana di Mezzo (3,244 m) in the Ampezzo Dolomites of northern Italy. It is the principal refreshment and overnight base in the heart of the Tofane, a compact massif rising directly above Cortina d'Ampezzo, and the Dolomites' Alta Via 1 long-distance trail passes by the hut. The hut operates as a hospitality business rather than a mere shelter: it offers bar service, a restaurant serving typical local dishes, and overnight accommodation, and it is a favoured staging point for hikers and alpinists. Its most convenient approach is from Rifugio Dibona (2,083 m) on path 403, about one and a half hours on foot; it can also be reached via the spectacular Olivieri via ferrata or the historic Lipella via ferrata. From the hut, climbers and via-ferrata enthusiasts can reach the summits of the Tofana di Dentro, Tofana di Mezzo and Tofana di Rozes, and a dense network of iron routes — including the Formenton, Gianni Aglio, Giuseppe Olivieri, Lipella, Ra Bujela, Ra Pegna, Scala del Menighel, Tomaselli and Sentiero Ferrato Maria Luisa Astaldi — starts in its immediate surroundings. The present building was opened on 17 September 1972, entirely newly built and named after the mountaineer Camillo Giussani. It continues a lineage of shelters on the same saddle: the Tofanahütte, inaugurated on 16 August 1886 by the Ampezzo section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club and destroyed in the First World War, and the Rifugio Cantore, opened on 5 September 1921 by the newly founded Cortina section of the CAI in a nearby Italian wartime barrack and dedicated to the Alpini general Antonio Cantore. In the 1990s the remains of the old Tofane hut were converted into a winter bivouac, while the former Cantore hut fell out of use and now stands abandoned. The hut is run by the Dapoz family, who welcome guests and strongly recommend booking, especially as tourist numbers in the Dolomites have grown markedly in recent years. Its official website presents it in Italian, German and English as "nel cuore delle Tofane" — in the heart of the Tofane.

The history of the Rifugio Camillo Giussani is the history of three successive shelters on the Forcella Fontananegra, the great saddle between the Tofana di Rozes and the Tofana di Mezzo in the Ampezzo Dolomites. The first was the Tofanahütte, inaugurated on 16 August 1886 by the Ampezzo section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DÖAV). It was the first shelter in the Tofane and served climbers and travellers in the massif above Cortina d'Ampezzo. It was destroyed during the First World War, when the Dolomites front ran directly through these mountains and the Forcella Fontananegra became a contested position. After the war, the region passed to Italy and the newly founded Cortina section of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) prepared a nearby Italian wartime barrack as a shelter. This new hut was opened on 5 September 1921 as the Rifugio Cantore, dedicated to the Alpini general Antonio Cantore, who had been shot by an Austro-Hungarian sniper at the Forcella Fontananegra in July 1915 during a front inspection. The Cantore hut served for decades as the refuge on the saddle. The present hut was opened on 17 September 1972. It was completely newly built and named after the mountaineer Camillo Giussani. From this point the Rifugio Camillo Giussani became the active shelter of the CAI Cortina section on the Forcella Fontananegra, while the older structures were progressively retired. In the 1990s the remains of the old Tofane hut were converted into a winter bivouac, providing a minimal winter shelter on the site of the 1886 building. The former Cantore hut, by contrast, is no longer used and stands abandoned. The Giussani hut itself continues in operation, run by the Dapoz family, offering bar, restaurant and accommodation services and acting as a base for the classic Tofane climbs and the many via ferrata routes that surround it. The Dolomites' Alta Via 1 passes by the hut, reinforcing its role in the modern long-distance hiking network of the Dolomites.

• 1990

  In the 1990s the remains of the old Tofane hut are converted into a winter bivouac; the former Cantore hut falls out of use and is abandoned.

• 1972

  The present hut, completely newly built and named after the mountaineer Camillo Giussani, opens on 17 September.

• 1921

  The Rifugio Cantore, prepared by the newly founded Cortina section of the Club Alpino Italiano in a nearby Italian wartime barrack, opens on 5 September.

• 1915

  Alpini general Antonio Cantore is shot by an Austro-Hungarian sniper at the Forcella Fontananegra during a front inspection in July.

• 1886

  The Tofanahütte, the first shelter in the Tofane, is inaugurated on 16 August by the Ampezzo section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DÖAV) at the Forcella Fontananegra.

A historic CAI mountain hut in the heart of the Tofane, positioned as an essential staging point for hikers and alpinists in the Ampezzo Dolomites.

• Overnight accommodation

  Beds for hikers and alpinists at 2,580 m; booking is strongly recommended.

• Bar

  Bar service for guests and passing hikers.

• Restaurant

  Restaurant serving delicious typical dishes of the area.

1. 1Rifugio Giussani, nel cuore delle Tofane!rifugiogiussani.com
2. 2Rifugio Camillo Giussaniwikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Camillo Giussanide.wikipedia.org