Rifugio Buffaure

There are mountain places you visit for a hike, a day on the slopes or simply for a view worth remembering. And then there are places where you naturally want to stop and stay for a while. Rifugio Buffaure, at 2,050 metres above Pozza di Fassa, is one of them: a place where the mountains are not only admired, but experienced – and, above all, enjoyed at the table.

Getting there is part of the experience. In summer, you can easily reach the refuge by cable car from Pozza di Fassa or follow the trail up to the refuge in less than two and a half hours. Once you arrive, a spacious terrace awaits, with sweeping views over some of the most iconic peaks of Val di Fassa, including the Catinaccio, Latemar, Costabella and the Monzoni Group.

But at Buffaure, the view is not the only reason to stay. The kitchen follows a simple philosophy: quality ingredients and wholesome dishes that celebrate the traditions of Ladin and Trentino cuisine.

It starts with some of the great classics of mountain dining: boards of local cheeses and cured meats, perfect for sharing over an aperitif on the terrace. Then come the dishes that best express the character of the kitchen: polenta, sausage and canederli, traditional dumplings that seem to belong naturally to a mountain refuge. And to finish, there is a tempting selection of homemade desserts, because something sweet is an essential part of any good stop in the mountains.

This is uncomplicated food, with no need for unnecessary embellishment. Its strength lies in the value of simple things: good cheese, cured meats, steaming polenta, traditional canederli and a homemade dessert. Familiar flavours that somehow taste even better at altitude.

And so Buffaure becomes much more than a break during a day in the mountains. In winter, it is a starting point and stop along the Sellaronda, while in summer it becomes a natural destination for hikers and families, with trails and routes leading through the surrounding landscape and a small world dedicated to children, with paths where they can discover minerals, fossils, animals and plants, as well as a playground.

Perhaps that is the true charm of a mountain refuge: knowing that after a climb, a day on skis or a walk, there is a table waiting for you. A place to put down your backpack, order something delicious and let the mountains take care of the rest.