Rifugio Tissi

A privileged balcony facing the immense north-west face of Monte Civetta.

Rifugio Tissi stands at 2,250 metres near the top of Col Reàn, set up like a natural balcony straight across from the vast north-west face of Monte Civetta. The view is one of the best in the Dolomites: the great wall rears up in front of you, and the eye runs from the Marmolada to the Sella, from the Lagazuoi to the Tofane, on to the Pale di San Martino and the Agner, with the village of Alleghe and its lake more than a thousand metres below. The CAI Belluno section opened it in 1963, and since 2005 it has held the wooden cup of Georgian mountaineer Mikhail Kerghiani.

You walk in on a route that usually starts from the Alleghe area, on trails that climb towards the Coldai and then bend towards Col Reàn, a stretch shared with Alta Via 1. The kitchen does Veneto and Dolomite mountain dishes, just right for a rest after the climb. With around sixty beds, it is much sought after by people who want to watch the sunset hit the Civetta face and stay the night, when the evening light turns the great wall into a sheet of colour.

The most common starting point is the Alleghe area, on the lake in the province of Belluno, where the trails climb towards Rifugio Coldai and then towards Col Reàn, on a stretch shared with Alta Via 1. You drive to the parking areas where the routes begin, with any fees to be checked for the current year. From there the climb is long and has a good height gain, so you need fit legs and an early start. The best window runs from summer to early autumn, when the trails are clear of snow and the hut is open. Many people come up on purpose for the sunset over the Civetta face and to stay the night. If that is your plan, time it well so you do not head down in the dark, or book a bed at the hut.

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