Our History
Although all official documents indicate 1904 as the opening date, and the official centenary celebration was held in 2004, evidence suggests the refuge hosted mountaineers before that date. In March 1902, the Deutsche Alpenzeitung published an article by Alfred Dessauer, a physician, passionate mountaineer, writer, and journalist from Munich, titled "Cinque Torri (Monte Averau) 2362m," describing his stay there.
He detailed his mountaineering adventures in the Ampezzo Dolomites, particularly in the area of the Five Towers
The Rifugio "Cinque Torri", owned by the Alberti family since 1936, stands in a panoramic position at the base of Torre Grande d'Averau at 2,137 meters above sea level. Connected to the Dolomites Road 48 by a paved road, which is closed to private traffic in August and replaced by a shuttle service.
Open from mid-June to the end of September, the refuge offers 24 beds distributed across 5 rooms and 2 dormitories with shared bathrooms.
Located along the Dolomites High Route No. 1, just minutes from the historic Averau Towers, the refuge serves as an ideal base for excursions to the "Averau", "Nuvolau", and "Croda da Lago - Gianni Palmieri" refuges, the Falzarego and Giau passes, and the via ferratas of Gusela and Averau. It stands as a reference point for climbs of every difficulty level on the spires of the Cinque Torri. Nearby, restored trenches and positions from World War I merit a visit.
The traditional access follows the road from Cianzopé (CAI trail No. 439) and reaches the refuge in about an hour. To avoid the asphalt, one can start from Rifugio "Bai de Dones" (1,889m), following a trail that climbs through the Landries woods and reaches the refuge in about an hour and fifteen minutes. Other convenient trails depart from Falzarego Pass, Bar Restaurant "Da ra Nona" on State Road 48, Rocurto Bridge on State Road 638, and Giau Pass.
Here is a snippet:
“(…) Continuing, we reached Campo di Tabia, a meadow area; here a new signpost indicated: 'Nuvolau and Hotel at the Five Towers – 1 hour and ¼'. This was new to me - a hotel up there! I was curious. We climbed the colossus through the forest and, suddenly, our eyes fell upon the main tower. (...) They had indeed built a beautiful refuge at the foot of the colossus; we entered – it was clean and charming; modern carved furniture, good service, quite moderate prices and, I can tell you in advance, excellent beds."
The Five Towers, known as the "Scoiattoli's gymnasium," are today one of the most classic climbing areas in the Dolomites and the entire Alpine arc. At the dawn of mountaineering, the Hotel, later Refuge, built at the foot of Torre Grande in the early 1900s, provided food and lodging to many bold climbing pioneers.
In 1911, Angelo Dibona and Amedeo Girardi first climbed Torre Quarta, Alta and Bassa. In 1912, Zaccaria Pompanin led an unknown client up Torre Romana and Torre del Barancio. In 1913, Bortolo Barbaria climbed Torre Lusy with Marino Lusy. On the South Summit of Torre Grande, Angelo and Giuseppe Dimai with Arturo Gaspari opened a route in 1927, later dedicated to American climber Miriam E. O'Brien, who was first to repeat it. On the West Summit of the same tower, in 1930, Piero Dallamano and Renato Ghirardini traced the Via delle Guide.
Roger Petrucci Smith and Italo Da Col, who opened the Armida route on the West Summit on July 31, 1942, almost certainly stayed at the Cinque Torri refuge. During the same period, the Scoiattoli (Cortina's historic climbing group) Silvio Alverà and Giuseppe Ghedina traced the Direttissima Scoiattoli on the summit, the first route in the group to be rated superior 6th grade.
During World War I, in early June 1915, the Five Towers were occupied by the Italian army. The area overlooking Castelletto and Lagazuoi, where the chairlift now arrives, was fortified with trenches and positions, and the hotel was converted into headquarters for the Reggio Brigade Command, 45th and 46th Infantry Regiments. Fortunately, the structure sustained no damage.
The most illustrious guest of Rifugio Cinque Torri during the war was King Vittorio Emanuele III during his visit to the front.
After the Great War, Cortina d'Ampezzo became part of the Kingdom of Italy, and the Refuge passed to the Military State Property, which entrusted it to the CAI of Cortina.
In 1937, the structure was purchased by gamekeeper Pietro Alberti. The Alberti family still owns and manages the ancient walls of this historic refuge, a classic and essential destination for mountain lovers and this highly frequented climbing gymnasium sought after by many generations of mountaineers from around the world.
Distinguished Guests Through the Centuries
Over the course of a hundred years, Rifugio Cinque Torri has welcomed people of all ages, languages, nationalities, and social backgrounds, whether for tourism, mountaineering, or gastronomic reasons. Without access to all the refuge registers and summit books of the surrounding peaks, it's impossible to estimate precisely the number of visitors who have crossed the refuge's threshold at least once. These guests have enjoyed the hospitality of the managers, spent nights within those walls, and savored local delicacies such as barley soup, "casunzièi," "chenedi," strudel, and grappa.
Browsing through the summit books of Torre Grande from 1927 to 1948 and consulting other subsequent sources reveals that the Cinque Torri have seen numerous prominent figures pass through. Among these are royalty (such as King Albert of Belgium, his son Leopold, and the sons of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy), nobles of various backgrounds (including Duke Amedeo d'Aosta, Baronesses Ilona and Rolanda von Eötvös, and Baron Carlo Franchetti), and internationally renowned mountaineers.
The legendary climbers who have visited include Giovanni Andrich, Patrick Berhault, Gabriele Boccalatte, Raffaele Carlesso, Riccardo Cassin, Mauro Corona, Alessandro Del Torso, Guglielmo Del Vecchio, Mario Dell'Oro "Boga," Lucien Devies, Kurt Diemberger, Toni Egger, Hans Kammerlander, Cesare Maestri, the brothers Günther and Reinhold Messner, Andrea Oggioni, Nini Pietrasanta, Domenico Rudatis, Marino Stenico, Attilio Tissi, Mary Varale, and Paula Wiesinger.
Celebrated mountain guides have also graced the refuge, including Emilio Comici, Isidoro De Lazzer, Giovanni Demetz, Gabriele Franceschini, Armando Da Roit, Ferdinando Glück, Michele Happacher, Luigi Micheluzzi, Giuseppe Quinz, Gaston Rebuffat, and Gino Soldà.
More recently, Ines and "Bèrto" have had the pleasure of hosting numerous well-known figures from journalism, politics, entertainment, and sports, including the Honorable Giulio Andreotti, former President of the Republic Francesco Cossiga, journalists Paolo Frajese, Michele Mirabella, Indro Montanelli, and Sergio Telmon, actors Walter Chiari, Vittorio Gassman, Enrico Montesano, Paolo and Piero Villaggio, satirical cartoonist Giorgio Forattini, and writers Dino Buzzati, Rolly Marchi, Goffredo Parise, and Professor Camillo Curioni.
The story of Rifugio Cinque Torri continues, and who knows how many other famous faces, celebrities, and life enthusiasts will ascend to the refuge in the coming years.
