Rifugio Passo Santner

The place

Staffed refuge at 2734 m on the Passo Santner, at the heart of the Catinaccio-Rosengarten massif (Dolomites, UNESCO, Sciliar-Catinaccio nature park). Built in 1956 by mountain guide Giulio Gabrielli, its first keeper for three years until his tragic death on an expedition to the Marmolada. Recently rebuilt as a three-story aluminum pyramid structure, a project approved by the commune of Tires, the provincial parks office and the Fondazione Dolomiti UNESCO — not without controversy. Panorama stretching from the Latemar to the Cornaccia, and from the Ortler to the Austrian and Swiss Alps. According to the legend of King Laurin, the refuge stands on the very spot where the king established the Rosengarten for his beloved Similde. Reached via the Passo Santner via ferrata (a Dolomite classic, with grade-I climbing sections), about 3 hours from the Catinaccio or Vajolet cable cars.