Rifugio Carlo e Massimo Semenza

I would define it as the southernmost of the true Dolomite refuges. It is a refuge with character, despite being very close to the Veneto-Friulian plain, set like a precious stone in a setting of rare and wild beauty, managed with enthusiasm by true mountain enthusiasts. If anyone has ever spoken to a manager whose eyes sparkled as he provided information on the views visible from the peaks and saddles surrounding the refuge, then he knows what I'm talking about. I found it pleasantly welcoming, well-kept and clean. The dining room has a very large and bright window that looks onto the well-sheltered terrace on the southern side of the refuge. Going up the stairs towards the rooms on the first floor I was pleased to notice the presence of a small bookcase, an excellent stimulus for fixing a greater quantity of oxygen in the blood and counteracting the rarefaction of the atmosphere perceptible at an altitude of over 2,000 m refuge. If nothing else it helps to counteract cultural rarefaction. Absolutely not to be missed: with the minimum effort required to climb a further twenty meters above the Rifugio Semenza you reach the Forcella Lastè, from where you can admire, in the right weather conditions, an amazing panorama extending over at least five depth levels of Alpine peaks ranging from Agordino to Comelico. If you are still not satisfied, with a further half hour of easy ascent you can be amazed by the view from Cima Lastè of the north-eastern Alpine arc open without obstacles up to the Trieste Karst!