Refuges in Valsassina: the 5 best places to enjoy typical cuisine
17 September 2024 • 9 minutes read
Valsassina is a valley located in the Orobian Pre-Alps, northeast of Milan and is known for its natural beauty, with mountains, valleys, forests and lakes making it a popular destination for nature lovers, hiking and trekking.
In winter, Valsassina also becomes a destination for skiers and winter sports enthusiasts.
And it is during a hike, in summer as in winter, that you will have the opportunity to refresh yourself in one of the valley's many mountain huts, where you can enjoy good food in front of spectacular views and fill your heart with the proverbial hospitality of the mountains.
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1.Refuge Buzzoni
The Buzzoni hut is located on Alpe Mota at 1590 meters above sea level, in a rather isolated area that makes it reachable only on foot.
Starting from Piani di Bobbio you will have to follow trail 101 with a flat walk of about an hour, or you can start from Barzio and follow trail 19 from the bottom station of the gondola and with a hike with 800 meters of elevation gain that takes about two and a half hours.
The Buzzoni hut offers typical mountain hospitality, simple and familiar, with cuisine linked to the rhythm of the seasons. One example above all are the risottos, which vary according to what ingredients are available depending on the season:
- risotto with radicchio mantecato al taleggio cheese
- risotto with porcini mushrooms
- risotto with sausage and taleggio cheese
- risotto with nettles or cugoi mantecato al taleggio cheese
Rifugio Buzzoni offers the true mountain hut experience to those who want to stop for the night: up to 25 people can stay in rooms with 4 or 6 beds and in a dormitory with 15 beds and a shared bathroom on the floor. An experience made of sharing and returning to a simpler life.
Contacts: Info and reservations: 0341.981175 info@rifugiobuzzoni.it Google Maps: Rifugio Buzzoni
The Buzzoni hut and the wonderful view of the surrounding mountains
Rifugio Riva
Rifugio Riva is located atAlpe Piattedo in the village of Primaluna. The walk from the village to the hut takes about one hour and fifteen minutes with an elevation gain of 400 meters starting from Baledo, a hamlet of the municipality of Pasturo.
On the way you pass through Piani di Nava, an area where you can admire the strong contrast between the colors of nature between meadows and pastures and the bare rock of the mountains. It is the right place to stop and take some nice souvenir photos!
The hut is located in a building that before the renovation was a typical barn with alpine pasture, where the people of Nava used to come to buy milk and fresh cheese. Today, the barn has been converted into the dining room, the milk room has been converted into a kitchen and wine cellar, and the rooms and bathroom are now in the part that was once used as a barn.
At Rifugio Riva you can enjoy typical Valsassina specialties, still prepared with cheeses and butter that come directly from the area's mountain pastures. You can eat both in the indoor dining room and on the outdoor tables where on fine days it is pleasant to sunbathe and breathe the fresh air.
To make sure you get a seat, our advice is to reserve your table early, especially during the most touristy times.
Contacts: Info and reservations: +39 328 71 15 705 Google Maps: Rifugio Riva
The Riva mountain hut on a winter excursion
San Grato Refuge
Rifugio San Grato can also be reached by car and is known to be on a very easy route and therefore also suitable for day trips with children. It is located in Vendrogno, in upper Valsassina, and from its panoramic terrace it offers a wonderful view of Lake Como.
The same terrace also overlooks a small playground where you can let the children run and play, perhaps keeping an eye on them from one of the deck chairs that the hut provides for its guests to complete the offer of relaxation and fun.
The path to the refuge starts from the town of Vendrogno, just before the hamlet of Sanico, from a well-marked dirt parking lot where you can leave your car and enter a first section of forest. Past this first part, the rest of the route is on a wide, level track that will take you to the refuge in ten minutes. Follow the signs, you can't go wrong!
The refuge offers tasting menus with typical Valsassina dishes to be enjoyed in the indoor room with wooden tables or on the large tables of the outdoor terrace.
You can choose Rifugio San Grato for a family lunch in a different location, or as a starting point for your excursions in Valsassina: in about an hour's walk you can reach the cross of Alpe Camaggiore, which dominates the Lecco branch of Lake Como with its spectacular view of the town of Bellano.
Contacts: Info and reservations: +39 347 07 67 849 Google Maps: Rifugio San Grato
The San Grato hut with its outdoor tables and, on the right, the sunbathing area
4.Refuge Ombrega
Rifugio Ombrega is located at 1580 meters above sea level in the upper Val Marcia, Valsassina. To get there, your starting point will be the wonderful resort of Pian delle Betulle, often described as theLast Paradise.
To get to the hut, you have several options: you can either walk the trail from Alpe di Paglio or take the cable car from Margno.
Once you get to Pian delle Betulle, just follow the signs for the Oro and Ortighera Alps, continue along the trail to Lares Brusàa. After crossing Alpe Dolcigo, you cannot go wrong, at some point you will find yourself surrounded by goats if you choose the alpine pasture period, you will finally arrive at Rifugio Ombrega.
From here, you will enjoy a breathtaking view of Premana. Although the trail is not particularly difficult it is quite long and for fairly trained hikers it is doable in two hours. If you are less trained, have small children with you, or simply want to stop and enjoy the scenery and views of the valley, the duration will be even longer.
The hut has been completely renovated in the area that was once just an alpine pasture dedicated to cattle herding and now offers its visitors traditional Valsassina cuisine, with dishes cooked strictly over an open fire, as was once done, and prepared with local and seasonal ingredients.
For lunch at Rifugio Ombrega, let the mountain hut manager guide you and choose the dishes of the day, freshly prepared by his mother's skilled hands using fresh ingredients of the day.
A must-try is bagnarèl, a preparation made with grated seasoned ricotta cheese browned in malga butter and cream, used to season potato gnocchi or served with polenta.
Contacts: Info and reservations: +39 347 03 52 555 info@rifugioombrega.com Google Maps: Rifugio Ombrega
Rifugio Ombrega in what was once a mountain pasture hut
5.Rifugio Ratti Cassin
Rifugio Ratti-Cassin is located on the Piani di Bobbio, not far from the cable car arrival station. It deserves special mention within this article because it is not what one would expect when it comes to mountain huts.
The Rifugio Ratti-Cassin has been completely renovated and now offers an experience to experience the mountains in style by making it available to its guests:
- two dining rooms for a total of 90 seats where it can welcome hikers who want to refresh themselves with tasty dishes in a mix of tradition and innovation
- a meeting room to host corporate events
- 17 bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom to accommodate guests who choose to stay overnight in summer and winter in this magical retreat surrounded by pine trees and meadows
- a spa center with sauna, Turkish bath, relaxation area and massage area
Its wood-floored terrace allows guests to enjoy breathtaking views of the plains and valley, and benches carved directly inside large logs give that extra touch that makes guests breathe the mountain atmosphere in every corner.
Rifugio Ratti-Cassin is located directly on the slopes, between the "blue" Fortino and Chiesetta, which are also suitable for inexperienced skiers, and can be reached in about a 20-minute walk from the Bobbio gondola arrival station, or by an easy hike of about 2 hours starting in Barzio and covering an 800-meter elevation gain.
Contacts: Info and reservations: 0341 911 103 Google Maps: Rifugio Ratti Cassin
The Ratti Cassin refuge and, in the background, the arrival station of the Barzio - Piani di Bobbio gondola lift
Conclusion
The Valsassina refuges represent an extraordinary opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life without having to go too far. This region, so close to Milan, is a hidden treasure that offers a perfect getaway for anyone looking for some tranquility, good food, warm hospitality and close contact with nature.
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