Rifugio Luigi Vaccarone

Rifugio Luigi Vaccarone is a staffed mountain hut (rifugio) in the Cottian Alps of the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northern Italy. It sits at 2,747 metres above sea level above the Susa Valley, near the Col de Clapier and close to Lago dell'Agnello in the comune of Giaglione. The hut is a commercial hospitality offering operated within the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) network, providing accommodation and food to hikers and mountaineers. The rifugio was built in May 1900 by the Turin section of the CAI and was later transferred to the CAI section of Chiomonte, which operates it today. It is dedicated to Avvocato Luigi Vaccarone, a member of a noble Piedmontese family who in 1863 was among the 200 founders of the Club Alpino Italiano listed in the "prima lista di adesione", alongside figures such as Quintino Sella, Bettino Ricasoli and Giovanni Battista Schiapparelli. As a hospitality business, the hut offers 15 beds in a single dormitory and a simple, abundant and healthy kitchen. Ingredients are carefully selected and, within the limits of its remote situation, come from local producers or from organic and fair-trade markets. Because of its high altitude, supplies are brought in by helicopter at the opening of the season and then carried up on foot during the season, as is waste removal — a reason the management pays close attention to packaging and containers. The adjacent Bivacco Sibille functions as a winter room, and its use during the rifugio's open period is regulated by the manager. The rifugio publishes rates for half-board stays, with discounted prices for CAI members and reduced rates for younger guests. It lies on the Alta Via Val di Susa route between the French Refuge du Petit Mont Cenis and the Italian Rifugio Levi Molinari. The official website notes a seasonal closure, stating "Chiudiamo il 6 Settembre" (we close on 6 September).

The Rifugio Luigi Vaccarone was built in May 1900 by the Turin section of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), making it a product of the late 19th- and early 20th-century wave of alpine hut construction in the Italian Alps. It was subsequently ceded to the CAI section of Chiomonte, which continues to operate it. The hut is named in honour of Avvocato Luigi Vaccarone, a member of a noble Piedmontese family who in 1863 was among the 200 founders of the Club Alpino Italiano present in the "prima lista di adesione", together with better-known figures such as Quintino Sella, Bettino Ricasoli and Giovanni Battista Schiapparelli. Over its long life the rifugio has served as a key stop on high routes through the Cottian Alps. It stands at 2,747 metres above sea level above the Susa Valley, near the Col de Clapier and close to Lago dell'Agnello in the comune of Giaglione. It lies on the Alta Via Val di Susa, between the French Refuge du Petit Mont Cenis and the Italian Rifugio Levi Molinari, and is documented in hiking literature such as Sabine Bade and Wolfram Mikuteit's guide to the Alta Via Val di Susa. In the present day the hut operates as a seasonal hospitality business within the CAI network. It offers 15 beds in a single dormitory and a simple, abundant and healthy kitchen. Ingredients are chosen with care and, within the limits of its remote situation, come from local producers or from organic and fair-trade markets. Because of the altitude, food supplies are flown in by helicopter at the opening of the rifugio and then carried up on foot during the season, as is waste removal; this drives attention to packaging and containers. The adjacent Bivacco Sibille serves as a winter room, and its use during the rifugio's open period is regulated by the manager. The official website lists half-board rates for CAI members and non-members, with reductions for younger guests, and notes a seasonal closure on 6 September.

• 1900

  The rifugio is built in May by the Turin section of the CAI.

• 1863

  Luigi Vaccarone is listed among the 200 founders of the Club Alpino Italiano in the "prima lista di adesione".

• The hut is ceded to the CAI section of Chiomonte, which operates it thereafter.

A historic, remote high-altitude CAI mountain hut offering simple, locally sourced hospitality to hikers and mountaineers in the Cottian Alps.

• Dormitory accommodation (15 beds in a single room)

• Half-board dining (simple, abundant, healthy cuisine)

• Local, organic and fair-trade ingredient sourcing

• Bivacco Sibille winter room (adjacent, regulated by the manager)

1. 1Rifugio Luigi Vaccarone official websiterifugiovaccarone.eu
2. 2Rifugio Luigi Vaccarone – Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Vaccarone – Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org