Rifugio Morelli Buzzi

Rifugio Morelli Buzzi is an alpine mountain hut (rifugio alpino) located at 2,351 metres above sea level in the Vallone di Lourousa, a side valley of the Valle Gesso della Valletta, within the comune of Valdieri in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy. It sits in the Maritime Alps (Alpi Marittime), at the foot of the north-east face of Monte Stella, far from the main flows of alpine tourism and in contact with authentic mountain nature. The hut was built in 1931 by the Cuneo section of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) in essentially its present form, and was restored in 1968 and again in 2000. The structure is a two-storey masonry building of stone, resting on a rocky promontory reinforced by a high dry-stone retaining wall. It offers 38 beds in total, including the winter bivouac room, which itself provides 8 beds with mattresses and blankets. The rifugio has running water inside and outside, an electrical system, heating, toilets and a hot-water shower. It is managed from mid-June to mid-September and offers bar and restaurant service; outside that period it can be opened by reservation, while the winter bivouac remains available. Dogs are not admitted in the dormitory but may be secured outside overnight. A distinctive feature of the rifugio is its use of pack mules — named Ketty, Kyra, Dea and Mora — to carry supplies up to the hut. The official website presents this as a deliberate choice that looks to the past to find a solution that respects the future: light on the planet yet efficient, and a statement about sustainable mobility in the mountains. This tradition has earned the rifugio the nickname 'il Rifugio dei muli' (the mule refuge). The hut is reached on foot from Terme di Valdieri (CN) along an old mule track, following the Vallone di Lourousa on trail N8, a walk of about three hours. It can also be reached from the Rifugio Genova-Figari via the Colle del Chiapous on trail M9, or in winter from the hamlet of Tetti Gaina on a route of roughly eight hours. It lies on the route of the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA) on the stage linking Rifugio Genova-Figari to Terme di Valdieri, and on the red itinerary of the Via Alpina, forming a stop between stages R108 (Rifugio Emilio Questa to Rifugio Morelli Buzzi) and R109 (Rifugio Morelli Buzzi to Rifugio Soria Ellena). As a base for mountaineering, the rifugio serves ascents of Cima Nord dell'Argentera (3,286 m), Monte Stella (3,262 m), Cima Oriol (2,943 m), Cima Mondini (3,286 m) and Asta Soprana (2,950 m), as well as traverses to Rifugio Genova-Figari, Bivacco del Baus, Bivacco Costi-Falchero and Bivacco Varrone. It is owned and operated by the CAI Cuneo section and is a private, non-listed alpine association facility rather than a commercial chain.

Rifugio Morelli Buzzi was built in 1931 by the Cuneo section of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), already in its current form. It was restored in 1968 and a second time in 2000. The hut stands in the upper part of the Vallone di Lourousa, a side valley of the Valle Gesso della Valletta, at the foot of the north-east face of Monte Stella, in the comune of Valdieri (province of Cuneo, Piedmont). It is a two-storey masonry structure of stone, resting on a rocky promontory reinforced by a high dry-stone retaining wall. It has 38 beds including the winter room, which offers 8 beds with mattresses and blankets. The rifugio is managed from mid-June to mid-September and offers restaurant service; it has running water inside and outside, an electrical system, heating, toilets and a shower. Access is on foot: from the Terme di Valdieri hamlet up the Vallone di Lourousa on trail N8 (about three hours), or from Rifugio Genova-Figari via the Colle del Chiapous on trail M9; in winter it can be reached from Tetti Gaina on a route of about eight hours. The hut lies on the Grande Traversata delle Alpi (GTA) and on the red itinerary of the Via Alpina, between stages R108 and R109. It serves ascents of Cima Nord dell'Argentera, Monte Stella, Cima Oriol, Cima Mondini and Asta Soprana, and traverses to Rifugio Genova-Figari, Bivacco del Baus, Bivacco Costi-Falchero and Bivacco Varrone. In recent years the rifugio has become known as 'il Rifugio dei muli' for its use of pack mules — Ketty, Kyra, Dea and Mora — to carry supplies, a practice the official website frames as a sustainable, future-oriented choice rooted in tradition.

• 2000

  Second restoration of the hut.

• 1968

  First restoration of the hut.

• 1931

  Built by the Cuneo section of the Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) in essentially its present form.

A remote, authentic alpine hut in the Maritime Alps, positioned as a sustainable, tradition-minded mountain refuge reached on foot and supplied by pack mules.

• Overnight accommodation (38 beds including winter room)

• Winter bivouac (8 beds with mattresses and blankets)

• Bar and restaurant service

• Hot-water shower, heating, toilets, running water

• Mule-supported supply logistics

1. 1Rifugio Morelli Buzzi - Il Rifugio dei Muli (official website)rifugiomorellibuzzi.com
2. 2Rifugio Morelli Buzzi - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Morelli Buzzi - Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org