Rifugio Melano Casa Canada

Rifugio Melano Casa Canada is a staffed alpine hut (rifugio) in the Cottian Alps of Piedmont, northern Italy, standing at about 1,060 metres above sea level in the Val Noce within the municipality of Frossasco, in the Metropolitan City of Turin. It sits below the Rocca Sbarua climbing crag and near Monte Freidour, and it is owned by the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), the Italian Alpine Club. The hut is open all year and is best known as a base for rock climbing on Rocca Sbarua, for hiking and mountain-bike itineraries, and for school and family outings. The original Rifugio Melano was built in 1971. In the run-up to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, a plan was made to replace it, and the new building — a blockhouse completed in 2011 — was named Casa Canada. The hut is run by the managers Silvio and Flavia, who describe their role as a hinge between the mountain and the people who visit it, and who emphasise simple, seasonal cooking, hospitality, and the upkeep of trails and climbing routes. As a commercial offering, the rifugio operates as a hospitality and food-service brand: it provides lodging, meals (its polenta is highlighted on its own website), and organised activities such as climbing, school programmes, hiking and MTB itineraries. Its identity is closely tied to the climbing tradition of Rocca Sbarua and to the modern disciplines that have grown around it, including free climbing, mountain biking and snowshoeing. The website casacanada.eu serves as its main public face, presenting hospitality, activities, itineraries and news and events. Above the hut, on the summit of Monte Freidour, a monument has stood since 1994 in memory of the crew of a British transport aircraft that crashed in October 1944 while carrying weapons, ammunition and food for the partisans of the Italian Resistance. This historical layer, together with the hut's alpine-climbing tradition, forms part of the site's identity.

The first Rifugio Melano was built in 1971 in the Val Noce, in the municipality of Frossasco, below the Rocca Sbarua climbing crag and near Monte Freidour in the Cottian Alps. It belonged to the Club Alpino Italiano and served climbers, hikers and visitors to the area. In the run-up to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, a plan was developed to replace the old hut with a new building. The new structure, a blockhouse, was completed in 2011 and named Casa Canada. It stands at about 1,060 metres above sea level and continues the hut's role as a base for the Rocca Sbarua climbing area. Above the hut, on the summit of Monte Freidour, a monument has stood since 1994 in memory of the crew of a British transport aircraft that crashed in October 1944. The aircraft was carrying weapons, ammunition and food for the partisans of the Italian Resistance. In its current form the rifugio is run by Silvio and Flavia, who present themselves as mountain enthusiasts and professionals. On the hut's website they describe their aim of acting as a link between the mountain and its visitors, offering hospitality and simple, refined cooking based on local products and the seasons, with particular attention to the needs of sportspeople and families. They also emphasise promotional initiatives, conferences, events and meetings centred on the mountain, as well as the maintenance of trails and climbing itineraries and the promotion of hiking, mountain-bike and equestrian routes. They state their intention to make Rifugio Melano Casa Canada an alpine hut suited to the needs of alpinists, hikers and climbing schools that frequent Rocca Sbarua all year, and to value the site's climbing tradition while embracing modern practices such as free climbing, mountain biking and snowshoeing.

• 2011

  The new blockhouse hut, named Casa Canada, is completed.

• 2006

  In the run-up to the Turin Winter Olympics, a plan is made to rebuild the hut.

• 1994

  A monument is erected on the summit of Monte Freidour in memory of the crew of a British transport aircraft that crashed in October 1944.

• 1971

  The first Rifugio Melano is built in Val Noce, Frossasco.

A year-round alpine hut and climbing base that combines hospitality, simple seasonal cuisine and outdoor activity programmes for climbers, families and schools.

• Alpine hut lodging

• Mountain meals and polenta

• Climbing access and guiding

• School and family activity programmes

• Hiking and MTB itineraries

1. 1Rifugio Melano Casa Canada - official websitecasacanada.eu
2. 2Chi siamo - Rifugio Melano Casa Canadacasacanada.eu
3. 3Rifugio Melano Casa Canada - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Rifugio Giuseppe Melano - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org