Rifugio Croda da Lago – Gianni Palmieri

Rifugio Croda da Lago – Gianni Palmieri is a mountain hut (rifugio) of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), Sezione Cortina d'Ampezzo, set at 2,046 m above sea level on the south-eastern shore of Lago Fedèra in the Croda da Lago group of the Ampezzo Dolomites, Province of Belluno, Italy. It stands below the east face of Cima Ambrizzola (2,715 m) and faces the Becco di Mezzodì, whose reflection appears in the lake just a few steps from the building. The Dolomites' Alta Via 1 long-distance trail passes by the hut. The rifugio is a seasonal hospitality business rather than a year-round hotel: it is normally open from mid-June to the end of September, and the official website describes an opening season from June to November. It offers 51 beds and 2 emergency places, and serves as a base and destination for hikers, mountain bikers and climbers. The Alverà family hosts guests for quick lunches, home-made desserts and overnight stays. Mountain bikers reach it via the drivable road from Cortina d'Ampezzo, while climbers use the historic routes on the Croda da Lago and Becco di Mezzodì; a crag with a panoramic view lies above Lago Fedèra a few minutes from the hut. The hut has a long and layered history. It was built on the initiative of the Ampezzo mountain guide Giovanni Barbaria "Zuchin" and inaugurated in 1901 as the Barbariahütte. In 1903 it was sold to the Reichenberg section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV), which extended it and reopened it in 1905 as the Reichenberger Hütte. After the First World War it was expropriated along with other DuOeAV huts on Italian territory and handed to the CAI. The Cortina d'Ampezzo section reopened it in 1922 as Rifugio Croda da Lago and enlarged it in 1930. In 1942, at the CAI's request, it was renamed for Renzo Granzotto, an alpinist and Alpini officer killed during the Italian campaign in Greece. In September 1943 German Wehrmacht troops occupied Italy, seized the Rifugio Granzotto and used it as accommodation. After the war the badly damaged hut was restored with financial help from the Bologna professor Gian Giuseppe Palmieri (1892–1961) and reopened in 1948 under the name Rifugio Croda da Lago. It was dedicated to Palmieri's son Gianni, a resistance fighter awarded the gold medal for valour who fell in the war. The rifugio has since been renovated and modernised several times. Today the hut is a well-known stop on the Dolomites' Alta Via 1 (short variant) and a classic Ampezzo destination, reachable by several marked trails from Ru Curto, Pezié de Parù, Lago d'Aial, Cortina d'Ampezzo and San Vito di Cadore, and linked to neighbouring huts such as Rifugio Città di Fiume, Rifugio Cinque Torri and Passo di Giau.

The Rifugio Croda da Lago – Gianni Palmieri was built on the initiative of the Ampezzo mountain guide Giovanni Barbaria "Zuchin" and inaugurated in 1901 as the Barbariahütte. In 1903 it was sold to the Reichenberg section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV), which had it extended and reopened it in 1905 as the Reichenberger Hütte. After the First World War the hut, like all other DuOeAV huts now on Italian state territory, was expropriated and handed over to the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI). The Cortina d'Ampezzo section of the CAI reopened the hut in 1922 under the new name Rifugio Croda da Lago and extended it in 1930. In 1942, at the request of the CAI, it was renamed after Renzo Granzotto, an alpinist and Alpini officer who fell during the Italian campaign in Greece. In September 1943 German Wehrmacht troops occupied Italy, seized the Rifugio Granzotto and used it as accommodation. After the end of the war the badly damaged hut was renovated thanks to the financial help of the Bologna professor Gian Giuseppe Palmieri (1892–1961) and reopened in 1948 under the name Rifugio Croda da Lago. In memory of the generous donor, the hut was dedicated to Palmieri's son Gianni, a resistance fighter awarded the gold medal for valour who fell in the war. Later the rifugio was renovated and modernised several times. Today it is a Schutzhütte of the Cortina d'Ampezzo section of the CAI in the Croda-da-Lago group in the Ampezzo Dolomites, Province of Belluno, normally open from mid-June to the end of September, with 51 beds and 2 emergency places, and it lies on the Dolomites' Alta Via 1.

• 1948

  Reopened as Rifugio Croda da Lago after renovation funded by Professor Gian Giuseppe Palmieri; dedicated to his son Gianni Palmieri.

• 1943

  Seized by German Wehrmacht troops in September and used as accommodation.

• 1942

  Renamed Rifugio Granzotto at the request of the CAI, after the fallen alpinist and Alpini officer Renzo Granzotto.

• 1930

  Extended by the CAI Cortina d'Ampezzo section.

• 1922

  Reopened by the CAI Cortina d'Ampezzo section under the new name Rifugio Croda da Lago.

• 1905

  Reopened as the Reichenberger Hütte after being extended by the new owner.

• 1903

  Sold to the Reichenberg section of the German and Austrian Alpine Club (DuOeAV).

• 1901

  Inaugurated as the Barbariahütte, built on the initiative of the Ampezzo mountain guide Giovanni Barbaria "Zuchin".

A historic, family-run CAI mountain hut in the heart of the Ampezzo Dolomites, positioned as a seasonal refuge and trail hub for hikers, cyclists and climbers on the Alta Via 1.

• Overnight accommodation

  51 beds and 2 emergency places in a seasonal mountain hut.

• Food and drink service

  Quick lunches and home-made desserts for day visitors and overnight guests.

• Trail and climbing access

  Base for the Alta Via 1, historic climbing routes on Croda da Lago and Becco di Mezzodì, and a nearby crag above Lago Fedèra.

1. 1Rifugio Croda da lago / G. Palmieri, immerso nel cuore delle Dolomiti.crodadalago.it
2. 2Rifugio Croda da Lagowikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Croda da Lagode.wikipedia.org