Rifugio etiquette — what to expect inside a Dolomites hut

Boots come off at the entrance. There's a rack and a row of croc-style hut shoes — find your size. Sign the logbook at the desk, hand over your CAI card if you have one (for the 30% discount), and the warden assigns you a bunk number.

Check the dinner time — usually 19:00 sharp. Showers are coin-operated and limited (3 minutes for €2 is typical). Use them in the late afternoon, not after dinner when everyone wants one.

Half-board is a fixed menu: a first course (pasta or soup), a main (meat or polenta), often a dessert, and 1/4 L of wine. You sit at long communal tables — share your wine with your neighbours and you've made friends for the week. Vegetarian options are usually possible if you ask at booking; vegan is harder.

Dormitories sleep 6 to 20 people on bunk beds. Lights out 22:00, no exceptions. Earplugs are essential — Italian snoring is competitive.

Use the supplied blanket plus your sleeping-bag liner. Don't unpack onto the floor — keep everything in your pack or on your bunk shelf. Walk barefoot or in socks to the toilet at night; don't put boots back on.

Breakfast is bread, jam, butter, coffee, sometimes cheese or cake — set out from 06:30 or 07:00. Fill your water bottles from the tap before leaving (it's potable unless signed otherwise).

Pay at the desk before you walk out — total = half-board × people + any bar drinks. Cash preferred. A 'grazie mille' on the way out is the only tip expected.