CAPANNA PASSO VALLES

For the past eighty years, anyone making their way up to Passo Valles - summer and winter - has been certain to find a huge St. Bernard dog waiting to greet travellers stopping on this Alpine pass on the border between the provinces of Trento and Belluno. There was a St. Bernard in 1933 when Enrico Cemin, legendary road builder, opened the Capanna Passo Valles at a time when the cars that passed by in a day could be counted on the fingers of one hand. And there's still a St. Bernard here (Anton), as the family of refuge wardens is in its third generation. Skiers (in winter) and walkers (in summer) stop overnight here, people who love good food and the old world charm of a pass where time seems to stand still. Open WINTER: from early December to Easter. In May by reservation only. SUMMER: from 20 June to late October Before leaving for your hike, always contact the manager to verify the actual opening of the mountain hut Walks From Passo Valles you can get to Refuge Mulaz in the Pale di San Martino Group in about 3 ½ hours. If instead you drive down the road towards Paneveggio, you can leave your car in the Malga Vallazza car park and take the footpath to lake Juribrutto (1 ½ hours, difficulty E, with stunning views of the Pale), and from there you can climb Cima Juribrutto and maybe even Cima Bocche (3 hours, difficulty EE). If you go down the Passo Valles road you can make a detour to the beautiful Val Venegia, where you can walk (even in winter) to Baita Segantini (1 ½ hours, difficulty E). Finally, from Capanna Passo Valles (which in winter is linked to the San Pellegrino ski area) you can take an easy road, also suitable for mountain bikes, leading to a gentle forestry road to Col Margherita where you can enjoy a 360 degree view of the Dolomites (1 ½ hours).