At dawn in a mountain dairy - Contrin Dairy

Summer 2023 sees the return of the #albeinmalga (At dawn in a mountain dairy), the initiative that allows visitors to experience the life of an alpine dairy farmer at sunrise, with milking of the cows, tidying up of the cowshed, care of the animals, collection of fresh eggs, and preparation of a breakfast based on local products. The first event takes place on 7 and 8 July at Malga Contrin with dinner and overnight stay at the Contrin Refuge above Alba di Canazei.

Programme - Friday 7 July:

• 4.00 p.m. - meeting point by the Ciampac cabin lift in Alba di Canazei. Led by our expert montain guide, we will reach Contrin Refuge (2016 m), where we will spend the night. The excursion lasts about 2 hours and a half and is 4.6 km long with 600 m ascent, following the path no. 602 to Val Contrin
• 6.30 p.m. - here we are at the hut where the young manager Francesca will welcome us! After the allocation of beds and a little relaxation, everyone enjoys an excellent dinner, based on typical Ladin dishes
• 9.00 p.m. - everyone goes to sleep. Tomorrow an early wake-up call awaits us!

Programme - Saturday 8 July:

• 5.30 a.m. - wake up! After a good coffee we head to the mountain dairy and, following Konrad, gather the cows strewn across the green pastures
• 6.00 a.m. - it’s time for milking and collect milk to make a delicious cheese
• 7.30 a.m. - while the milk warms, we enjoy a bountiful "country" breakfast with the dairy products
• 8.15 a.m. - the magic of rennet: Konrad explains us all the secrets for a perfect cheese making, and how to prepare a delicious "Nostrano" of the Malga Contrin and some "ricotta" (kind of cottage cheese)
• approx. 10.00 a.m. - after the cheesemaking we start an exciting excursion to San Nicolò Pass (about 1 hour walking) and, along a beautiful trail across the wood, we return to the downstream station of Ciampac cabin lift (about 3.00 p.m.); in case of uncertain weather conditions, we will return via the (shorter) forest road no. 602

Price: 95 € for adults; 70 € for children from 6 to 12 years.

Price includes: dinner and overnight stay at the refuge, activities at dawn, breakfast, excursion with the mountain guide. Packed lunch on Saturday: possibility of purchasing it at the dairy in the morning.

Notes: participation is recommended for children from 6 years, well-trained; suitable clothing and hiking shoes. Activity limited to a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 25 participants. In case of bad weather conditions, the activity is cancelled the day before. Languages spoken: Italian and German.

Book your experience online

Fill in the form below with your details and make the payment.
Advance payment of the participation fee by credit card is required.

Cancellation policy: cancellation of the booking by the customer/participant at any time results in the loss of the paid participation fee, which will be retained in full by the organiser. The paid fee will also be retained in the event of a no-show by the customer at the place, day and starting time of the event determined by the organiser.

In the event of cancellation of the event by the organiser (due to bad weather or other organisational reasons), the participation fee will be refunded in full to the customer.