The Loneliest Refuge: WWI Alpine Shelter Embedded in Sheer Rock Face of Italy’s Dolomites

The Loneliest Refuge: WWI Alpine Shelter Embedded in Sheer Rock Face of Italy’s Dolomites
The Buffa di Perrero refuge in the Dolomite Mountains, Italy. Alxcrs/Shutterstock
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An isolated refuge built into a sheer rock face on a mountain peak in the Italian Dolomites is a sight to behold. Accessible only by hiking a perilous path on foot or helicopter, the refuge was once a military supply store and shelter from the elements during World War One and has been recently restored, putting this unique building back on the map.

The Buffa di Perrero refuge on the massif Mount Cristallo, in the midst of the Dolomite Mountains, was originally a refuge for the Alpini who fought against Austrian troops in World War One.

The refuge, named after Colonel Carlo Buffa di Perrero, who commanded the Cadore battalion, is perfectly embedded into the mountainside at 2,760 meters altitude, well camouflaged and visible only from the front.

The Buffa di Perrero refuge on the massif Mount Cristallo was originally a refuge for the Alpini, who fought against Austrian troops in World War One. (Nicram Sabod/Shutterstock)
The Buffa di Perrero refuge on the massif Mount Cristallo was originally a refuge for the Alpini, who fought against Austrian troops in World War One. Nicram Sabod/Shutterstock
The refuge is perfectly embedded into the mountainside at 2,760 meters altitude, well camouflaged and visible only from the front. (Nicram Sabod/Shutterstock)
The refuge is perfectly embedded into the mountainside at 2,760 meters altitude, well camouflaged and visible only from the front. Nicram Sabod/Shutterstock
The refuge comprises brick walls, a sloping roof, two doors, four shuttered windows, and a vertical drop to the valley below mere steps from the entryway. (Nicram Sabod/Shutterstock)
The refuge comprises brick walls, a sloping roof, two doors, four shuttered windows, and a vertical drop to the valley below mere steps from the entryway. Nicram Sabod/Shutterstock

It comprises brick walls, a sloping roof, two doors, four shuttered windows, and a vertical drop to the valley below mere steps from the entryway.

In the summer of 2022, the Alpini 6th Regiment hiked to the heart of Mount Cristallo to visit the refuge and repair it, after snowfall caused the roof to collapse 18 months prior, il Dolomiti reported.

They reached the site by hiking the scenic yet demanding via ferrata Ivano Dibona (or “iron path”) aided by rope ladders, rungs, and cables, the same route taken by the Alpini during the war.

The trailhead is famous for its breathtaking 100-foot-long (approx. 30-meter) suspension bridge. Crossing the bridge “evokes unique and incomparable emotions,” according to Cortina Dolomiti, and the route bears the battle scars of the past to this day.

The restored refuge was inaugurated with a plaque on Sept. 17, 2022.

Eighteen months after snowfall had caused its roof to collapse, the refuge was repaired in 2022 by the Alpini 6th Regiment. (<a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Abri_militaire_via_ferrata_Ivano_Dibona.jpg">Evelyne Chassagneux-Bonini</a>/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>)
Eighteen months after snowfall had caused its roof to collapse, the refuge was repaired in 2022 by the Alpini 6th Regiment. Evelyne Chassagneux-Bonini/CC BY-SA 4.0
Climbers on the via ferrata Ivano Dibona in the Dolomites, Italy, on June 26, 2015. (StentorIII/Shutterstock)
Climbers on the via ferrata Ivano Dibona in the Dolomites, Italy, on June 26, 2015. StentorIII/Shutterstock
Mountaineer and YouTuber Matteo Peroni hiked a 12-mile (approx. 20-kilometer) circular route to the refuge with two friends and a GoPro the very same day and shared footage of the trip on YouTube.

Over sheer, snowy mountainside paths and past scenic peaks, the trio made it to their destination. They spent a night in the refuge with its wood-burning stove and wooden bunk beds, to rest their bodies and celebrate their triumph, returning to their starting point 13 hours later.

Buffa di Perrero is indeed one incredible refuge. And possibly an adventurous travel destination worth exploring but it’s not something for the faint-hearted.

Accessible only by hiking a perilous path on foot or helicopter, the refuge was once a military supply store and shelter from the elements during World War One. (Inu/Shutterstock)
Accessible only by hiking a perilous path on foot or helicopter, the refuge was once a military supply store and shelter from the elements during World War One. Inu/Shutterstock
(Alxcrs/Shutterstock)
Alxcrs/Shutterstock
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