Rifugio Genova-Figari

Rifugio Genova-Figari is an alpine hut (rifugio) in the Maritime Alps, located at 2,015 metres above sea level on the shore of the artificial Lake Chiotas, within the municipality of Entracque in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy. It sits at the foot of Monte Argentera, the highest peak of the Maritime Alps, and lies inside the Parco delle Alpi Marittime (Maritime Alps Natural Park). The hut is owned and operated by the Ligurian Section of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), based in Genoa. The original Rifugio Genova was built in 1898 by the CAI Ligurian Section on a promontory at about 1,920 m in the Gias del Monighet area, in the centre of the Chiotas basin. It was the first hut in the Maritime Alps. In the 1960s and 1970s, the construction of the Chiotas and Colle Laura dams by ENEL flooded the basin, submerging the old hut. ENEL built a replacement structure on the shore of the new lake, completed in 1975 and inaugurated on 14 August 1981. The hut was renamed to honour Bartolomeo Figari, an early 20th-century pioneer of alpinism and ski-mountaineering and a former president of both the CAI Ligurian Section and the CAI nationally. The current building is a three-storey stone masonry structure with a semi-basement. It offers bar and restaurant service, private rooms and dormitories, with a capacity of 60 beds. A winter room (locale invernale) with 12 beds, a stove and cooking facilities remains available outside the main season. The hut is a key base for mountaineering routes on Monte Argentera and neighbouring peaks, for hiking, climbing and bouldering, and it lies on the red route of the Via Alpina and on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA). Since 2007 it has had satellite internet access and a webcam, installed under the Piedmont Region's Wi-Pie programme. Access on foot takes about one and a half hours from Lake Rovina (1,535 m) in summer, following a direct path and then ENEL service roads; in winter the approach from Entracque takes around eight hours. The hut is open seasonally, typically from mid-June, and is a well-known hospitality and nature destination in the Gesso Valley.

The history of Rifugio Genova-Figari begins in the late 19th century, when the Maritime Alps were still little known and lacked mountain huts. At the 1896 National Congress of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), the need to develop the area was recognised, and the Ligurian Section was tasked with filling the gap. After several reconnaissance surveys, the section decided to build a hut at the Gias del Monighet soprano, in the Vallone della Rovina, at an altitude of 1,914 m, to support climbing routes on the Argentera massif. Construction began on 22 July 1897 and was completed on 10 September of the same year. The hut, named Rifugio Genova, was inaugurated on 15 August 1898. It was the first hut in the Maritime Alps. The original structure was a masonry building measuring 8.40 m long, 4.10 m wide and 4.50 m high to the roof line, divided into two rooms: one with 10 bunks used as a dormitory, the other as a kitchen-living room. The attic served as a room for mountain guides. The construction cost was approximately 3,000 lire. It stood on a promontory at about 1,920 m in the centre of the Chiotas basin, in the area known as Gias di Monighet. The fate of the old hut was sealed in 1968, when work began on the Chiotas Dam. The reservoir created by the Chiotas and Colle Laura dams flooded the entire Gias del Monighet area in the 1970s, submerging the historic building. ENEL, the utility carrying out the project, replaced the old hut with a new structure on the shore of the newly formed Lake Chiotas. The new building was completed in 1975, but its inauguration was delayed until 14 August 1981 because of prolonged work on the dam. The hut retained the old name Genova alongside that of Bartolomeo Figari. Bartolomeo Figari was a historical figure of the early 20th century, a pioneer of alpinism and ski-mountaineering. He served several times as president of the CAI Ligurian Section and, after the Second World War, worked extensively on the reconstruction of huts damaged during the conflict. He was President General of the CAI from 1947 to 1956, contributing to two landmark developments: the creation of the Corpo Nazionale del Soccorso Alpino (National Alpine Rescue Corps), to which he left all his possessions on his death in 1965, and the Italian conquest of K2. The current hut, owned by the CAI Ligurian Section of Genoa, stands on the shore of Lake Chiotas at 2,015 m. It is a three-storey stone masonry building with a semi-basement. The semi-basement houses the winter room with 12 beds, a stove and cooking facilities. The ground floor contains the kitchen, dining room and services; the first floor has beds in small rooms, and the second floor has two common dormitories. The hut has running water inside and outside, an electrical system and wood-stove heating. It offers bar, restaurant and small-hotel service and has a capacity of 60 beds. Since 2007 it has had satellite internet access, installed by the Piedmont Region under the Wi-Pie programme, and a webcam providing an updated view of the Chiotas basin every five minutes during the opening period. The hut is a base for ascents of Monte Argentera (south summit 3,297 m, PD-; north summit 3,286 m, F), Cima dell'Agnel (2,927 m, E), Cima Brocan (3,054 m, PD), Baus (3,067 m, E), Punta Ciamberline (2,792 m, E) and Cima della Valletta Scura (2,862 m, E). It is also a stage on traverses to Rifugio Soria Ellena, Rifugio Morelli-Buzzi, Rifugio Remondino and, across the French border, Rifugio Cougourde. It lies on the red route of the Via Alpina (stage R143 between Rifugio Morelli-Buzzi and Rifugio Soria Ellena) and on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA), between Rifugio Soria Ellena and Terme di Valdieri. A equipped climbing wall and bouldering blocks are located near the hut.

• 2007

  Satellite internet and a webcam are installed under the Piedmont Region's Wi-Pie programme.

• 1981

  The new Rifugio Genova-Figari is inaugurated on 14 August after delays in dam works.

• 1975

  ENEL completes the replacement hut on the shore of Lake Chiotas.

• 1968

  Work begins on the Chiotas Dam, which will flood the original hut's site.

• 1898

  Rifugio Genova is inaugurated on 15 August, the first hut in the Maritime Alps.

• 1897

  Construction of the first Rifugio Genova begins on 22 July and ends on 10 September.

• 1896

  CAI National Congress recognises the need to develop the Maritime Alps and entrusts the Ligurian Section with building a hut.

A historic, CAI-owned alpine hut in the heart of the Maritime Alps Natural Park, positioned as a hospitality, nature and mountaineering hub at the foot of Monte Argentera.

• Private rooms and dormitories (60 beds total)

• Winter room with 12 beds, stove and cooking facilities

• Bar and restaurant service

• Local artisanal products

• Mountaineering, hiking, climbing and bouldering base

1. 1Rifugio Genova Figari official websiterifugiogenova.it
2. 2Chi siamo – Rifugio Genova Figaririfugiogenova.it
3. 3Rifugio Genova-Figari – Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Rifugio Genova-Figari – Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org