Few people today know the true story of Rifugio Popena and of Lino Conti, the man who conceived and built this Dolomites mountain refuge with his own hands. I must admit I didn’t know it either—until an unexpected phone call piqued my curiosity.
A kind-voiced woman introduced herself as Mirella Conti and asked whether I might be interested in hearing about Rifugio Popena and its creator, her father, Lino.
I had often passed the silent ruins of this Dolomites mountain hut, perched on a breathtaking natural balcony, and of course, its story immediately gripped me.
Living now in Mori (Trentino), Mirella recalled events from a distant past, speaking with heartfelt passion about what her father accomplished with scarce means but extraordinary willpower, sweat, and hard work.
What you are about to read is Mirella’s work—an act of love from a daughter to her father—so that none of it will be forgotten. Thank you, Mirella.
Lino Conti and the dream of a Dolomites mountain refuge.
The history of this Dolomites mountain refuge, built at the entrance to Val Popena above Misurina, facing Monte Piana and the Tre Cime di Lavaredo, is inseparable from the life of its creator and builder: Lino Conti, a man with a deep passion for the mountains—mountains to be lived and shared with family and with all who love them. Lino Conti, son of Angelo and Domenica (née Prandi), was born on 1 July 1908 in Bolognano d’Arco (Province of Trento).
His father, Angelo, at age 32 in 1905, was chosen by the SAT of Arco as a porter-guide on Monte Stivo. In 1906 came the inauguration of Rifugio Marchetti, which Angelo would manage throughout the interwar years.
Lino’s early childhood was far from easy. With the outbreak of the First World War (1914–1918), the Austro-Hungarian area around Arco found itself on the front line against Italian positions on Monte Baldo.
Populations on both sides of the front were evacuated—some to Austro-Hungarian territories, others to Italy. The Conti family was displaced to Moravia and experienced first-hand the hardships of being refugees, deprived of everything in unfamiliar lands.
When the war finally ended, they returned to Bolognano. Soon after, tragedy struck: at just thirteen, Lino lost his 36-year-old mother in childbirth—a loss that marked him for life. Together with his children, Angelo devoted himself to managing Rifugio Marchetti.
There, Lino discovered the mountains, learned to ski with deftness, to climb up and down with agility, and to live, love, and respect the high country more each day.
The birth of Rifugio Popena: a Dolomites mountain hut built by hand.
Agostino Martinelli of Bolognano, owner and manager of Rifugio Monte Piana above Misurina, soon noticed the young Lino. Having completed military service in the Bersaglieri, Lino radiated that same spirited energy: strong on skis, formidable on a bicycle, fast and sure-footed in the mountains. Martinelli hired him and brought him up to Monte Piana, where Lino did it all—shopping in Misurina, collecting the mail, and accompanying tourists and climbers.
Among those he met was Italo Balbo, who gifted him a complete set of rock-climbing equipment. Yet Lino never came to love climbing; he considered it too dangerous, and after witnessing a fatal accident, he abandoned it altogether.
In a Misurina hotel, Giulia, the young woman he was courting, worked. Without telephones, arranging to meet was not simple. Lino needed to know when Giulia had her day off; a friend helped by laying a black shawl on the snow as a signal. At that sign, Lino would find a quick excuse for Mr. Martinelli, click into his skis, and fly down to Misurina in a heartbeat.
From Monte Piana, the view sweeps in every direction across peaks of rare beauty, but the Cristallo Group, Piz Popena, and its valley captured Lino’s heart.
He began to dream of a hut of his own—a Dolomites mountain hut to build and later run with Giulia. His resolve was so firm that, armed with enthusiasm and the strength of his arms, he began work at age twenty-six.
It was an enormous undertaking. Every piece of material for this Dolomites mountain refuge had to be carried up on his back. There were only stones on site; even water was lacking. Lino did not falter, and in two years—1934 to 1935—he completed construction.
Two years later, in October 1937, two lifelong dreams came true: he married Giulia, and Rifugio Popena opened its doors.
War, family, and a Dolomites mountain hut that welcomed mountaineers.
The first years went well. The hut became a reference point for climbers who, on their way down after a route, would often call out to Giulia from afar—“Throw the pasta in!”—announcing their arrival at the Dolomites mountain hut.
Between 1940 and 1945, the refuge remained open, though with fewer visitors. To make ends meet, Giulia and Lino also worked as caretakers at the Hotel Savoia. Meanwhile, their family grew: daughters Mirella and Vilma were born, followed by Carla and Mara after the war. With peace, work at the hut picked up again.
It seemed the fairy tale might continue—but fate had other plans.
The tragic end of a Dolomites mountain refuge.
In 1948, some people climbed up to Rifugio Popena. They lit a fire, ate, and then took everything they could carry—before setting the Dolomites mountain refuge ablaze. Firefighters from Cortina and Auronzo reached the site to find only a smoking pile of rubble. Along the return path lay the metal bed frames—abandoned, perhaps too difficult to carry down or too risky to explain.
Despite the pain and disappointment, Lino attempted to rebuild. He cleared the main walls of debris. The roof beams, rendered unusable by fire, he re-purposed to stabilize the scree path and improve the access trail to a new hut. He redesigned a smaller refuge on the burned foundations and began again to shoulder materials up from the valley—this time along a safer track.
He managed to raise the new structure to the base of the roof, but with immense sorrow, he had to stop: the money wasn’t there.
Lino’s last visit to the ruins of Rifugio Popena was in the summer of 1984. He was seventy-six, and this time the climb was challenging. Standing among the remnants of his Dolomites mountain hut, he wept. Then he turned to Giulia and said, “Giulia, give me the little money we have; I want to rebuild it.”
Two years later, in February 1986, comforted by Giulia and their daughters, Lino Conti passed away peacefully, with his beloved mother and his refuge forever in his heart.
Some years later, his daughters placed a small plaque on the wall of the former hut, inscribed with these words:
“Stelle, indicatemi la via del cielo.
La montagna mi abbraccia col suo silenzio ed io sono a un passo da voi.
A ricordo di Conti Lino.”
(“Stars, show me the road to the sky.
The mountain embraces me with its silence, and I am a step away from you.
In memory of Lino Conti.”)
Time and weather have since destroyed the plaque—but not the memory of Lino Conti and his Dolomites mountain refuge.
How to reach the ruins of this mountain hut today.
There are three main approaches to Forcella Popena and the remains of Rifugio Popena:
- From Misurina – a magnificent loop hike (see: “The most beautiful hikes in and around Misurina”).
- From the hairpin bend above Malga Popena, on the road between Carbonin and Misurina, ascending Val Popena (see: “Val Popena and the forgotten refuge”).
- From the Rudavoi bridge or the derelict casa cantoniera at Ruvieta, encountered on the 48bis “delle Dolomiti” road between Passo Tre Croci and Misurina.
Whichever route you choose, tread with respect: you are visiting not just a viewpoint of rare beauty, but the legacy of a man who poured his life into a Dolomites mountain refuge—a place built with courage, devotion, and the simple wish to share the mountains with others.
Popena Valley
Related article:
