Rifugio Scoiattoli

Rifugio Scoiattoli is an alpine hut in Cortina d'Ampezzo. It sits at 2255 m. Reported capacity: 42 beds.

Hut to hut on foot

Nearest staffed huts on walking trails from Rifugio Scoiattoli: Rifugio Cinque Torri (~18 min), Rifugio Averau (~42 min), Rifugio Nuvolau (~1 h 15 min).

Estimated times for an average hiker, based on distance and elevation.

Staying at Rifugio Scoiattoli

A wood-fired hot tub under the Cinque Torri, run by a climbing family: the romantic overnight of the Cortina Dolomites.

Scoiattoli (“squirrels”, after Cortina’s legendary climbing club) was built by mountain guide Guido Lorenzi and is still family-run. It faces the Cinque Torri towers across a meadow laced with restored WWI trenches, with the Tofane behind. A five-minute stroll takes you through the open-air war museum at golden hour, alone.

Staying the night

42 beds in rooms from 2 to 10 bunks, linen included, shower-equipped bathrooms on each floor: a comfortable middle ground between hotel and dorm. The headline act is the outdoor wood-fired hot tub. Steaming cedar water, prosecco, stars, Cinque Torri silhouettes. It is not included with a bed, so book it separately, well ahead, when you reserve. The family also runs an evening package with a night chairlift ride, dinner and the tub.

The food

Ampezzo classics plus genuinely creative dishes; the house signature is violet-coloured homemade pasta scented with blueberries. Dinner for house guests is a fixed three-course affair at 7 pm, and portions get consistent praise.

Booking reality

Easier than Nuvolau above it, harder than the valley: summer weekends go early, and the hot tub calendar fills even faster than the beds. Online booking via the hut’s site.

Getting there

The Cinque Torri chairlift from Bai de Dones (on the Falzarego road) drops you 5 minutes away, so luggage is no excuse. Walkers come up in ~1.5 h from the lift base, or traverse from Passo Giau via Averau in ~2 h. Alta Via 1 passes the door.

Good to know

• Book the tub at the same moment you book the bed, and mention it explicitly.
• The WWI trench museum around the towers is free, open, and best at dusk.
• Watch climbers on the Cinque Torri from the terrace; the towers are Cortina’s outdoor climbing gym.