Rifugio Valasco

Rifugio Valasco is a mountain refuge (rifugio alpino) located in the Valasco valley (locally called Vallone) beneath Monte Matto, within the comune of Valdieri (province of Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy) and inside the Parco naturale delle Alpi Marittime. It sits at an elevation of 1,764 metres in the heart of the park, in the locality of Terme di Valdieri. The building began as a royal hunting lodge (Reale Casa di Caccia) in the former royal hunting reserve of Valdieri-Entracque, established by King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1857. Although the reserve was created in 1857, the lodge itself is estimated to have been built between 1880 and 1899, the year of the first certain record of its existence. During World War I it was requisitioned by the army (with the consent of King Vittorio Emanuele III) and converted into a barracks, a role it kept until the end of World War II. It was restored several times in that period, notably after a fire that completely destroyed its roof. After the war it was abandoned by the military and returned to the House of Savoy. In 1957 Jolanda of Savoy sold the building and surrounding lands to the Turin noblewomen Giuseppina and Agatha Ferrarotto; ten years later the Rondolino family of Vercelli took over, and in 1970 the Società Agricola Stella Alpina of surveyor Piero Lessona acquired it. From then on the former hunting lodge was used for agriculture and as shelter for shepherds, until another fire destroyed its roof again in 1993. The building remained abandoned until 2002, when renovation and repurposing works began. On 13 July 2008 the building, converted into a refuge, was officially inaugurated. Today the refuge offers bar, restaurant and lodging services, with typical Occitan cuisine. It has 45 beds, including four rooms with private bathrooms and common dormitories with external facilities. It is open continuously from mid-June to mid-September; outside that period it operates on weekends and during the Christmas and Easter holidays, and remains closed from December to about mid-February due to avalanche risk on the access route. The main access is from Terme di Valdieri, about one hour's walk along a dirt road or the old royal path. The refuge lies on the routes of the Grande Traversata delle Alpi, the Via Alpina (red route), the Traversata del Parco naturale delle Alpi Marittime and the Tour delle Alpi Marittime. It is also reachable from France via the col de Salèse and the Fremamorta lakes, or from Isola 2000 via the bassa del Drouos and rifugio Questa. The current manager is Andrea Cismondi.

The building that now houses Rifugio Valasco originated as a royal hunting lodge (Reale Casa di Caccia) within the royal hunting reserve of Valdieri-Entracque, established by King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1857. Although the reserve dates from 1857, the lodge itself was not built immediately; its construction is estimated to have taken place between 1880 and 1899, the year in which the first certain record of its existence is found. During World War I the building was requisitioned by the army with the consent of King Vittorio Emanuele III and converted into a barracks, a function it retained until the end of World War II. It was restored several times during this period, particularly after a fire that completely destroyed its roof. After World War II the military abandoned the building and it returned to the properties of the House of Savoy. In 1957 Jolanda of Savoy sold the building, along with all the land holdings around Valasco, to the Turin noblewomen Giuseppina and Agatha Ferrarotto; ten years later the Rondolino family of Vercelli took over, and finally, in 1970, the Società Agricola Stella Alpina of surveyor Piero Lessona acquired it. From then on, the former royal hunting lodge was used for agricultural purposes and as shelter for shepherds, until another fire in 1993 destroyed its roof again. The building remained abandoned until 2002, when renovation and repurposing works began. On 13 July 2008 the building, converted into a refuge, was officially inaugurated. Since then it has operated as a mountain refuge offering bar, restaurant and lodging services, with typical Occitan cuisine, and it lies on several long-distance hiking routes including the Grande Traversata delle Alpi and the Via Alpina.

• 2008

  On 13 July the building is officially inaugurated as a mountain refuge.

• 2002

  Renovation and repurposing works begin.

• 1993

  A fire destroys the roof of the building again.

• 1970

  Società Agricola Stella Alpina of Piero Lessona acquires the property.

• 1967

  The Rondolino family of Vercelli takes over the property.

• 1957

  Jolanda of Savoy sells the building and surrounding lands to Giuseppina and Agatha Ferrarotto.

• 1945

  After World War II the building is abandoned by the military and returns to the House of Savoy.

• 1915

  Building requisitioned by the army during World War I and converted into a barracks.

• 1899

  First certain record of the existence of the hunting lodge building (estimated construction 1880–1899).

• 1857

  Royal hunting reserve of Valdieri-Entracque established by King Vittorio Emanuele II.

Historic alpine refuge in a protected natural park, offering simple hospitality and local cuisine to hikers, skiers and mountaineers.

• Half-board in collective dormitory with external shared bathroom

• Half-board in private room with external shared bathroom

• Half-board in private room with private bathroom

• Winter half-board in heated collective dormitory

1. 1Rifugio Valasco (Reale Casa di Caccia) — official websiterifugiovalasco.it
2. 2Rifugio Valasco — Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Rifugio Valasco — Wikipedia (Italian)it.wikipedia.org