A break at Rifugio Contrin, after the classic ascent on the path that goes back from Alba di Canazei or from the itinerary of Passo San Nicolò (just to mention a couple of routes), is well deserved.

Green pastures and peaks of the Marmolada group that stand out in the sky: sitting at the tables of this alpine garrison, run for many years by the Debertol family, is a pleasure for the eyes and the taste buds. Traditional Ladin dishes will immediately restore your energy. Contrin offers different recipes of Italian cuisine, also declined for celiacs, and classic (and highly appreciated) local dishes such as canederli, ravioli or tagliatelle with game ragout, polenta with goulash, cheese and mushrooms and, finally, a wide choice of homemade desserts, from strudel to Sacher cake to ricotta, up to yogurt or ice cream with berries. All accompanied by regional wines or craft beers. In summer, concerts, children's activities, historical re-enactments, gatherings, mountain running competitions and gastronomic initiatives are organised.

At the time of the Great War, the Val Contrin was the gateway to the first Austrian lines to the Marmolada and the Cime d 'Ombretta, beyond which the Royal Italian Army had attested and, in particular, the 206th Company of the Val di Cordevole, commanded by the famous Captain Arturo Andreoletti. It was he who demanded that the Italian artillery, placed on the overlying Cime Cadine, keep the Contrinhaus under fire, until hitting and setting it on fire, in September 1915. In fact, the refuge, built by the Nuremberg Alpenverein in 1827, was the seat of the Austrian area command. It was rebuilt and inaugurated in 1926. Three years later, next door, there was a second shelter named after Second Lieutenant Efrem Reatto and a chapel-church dedicated to the Alpine fallen.

How to get there

From Alba di Canazei (paid parking near the Ciampac gondola lift) take path no. 602 (2.30 hours walk; possible shuttle bus for a fee and by reservation from the station downstream of the gondola lift to Baita Locia Contrin).