The Rifugio Nuvolau is a refuge located in the municipality of Cortina d'Ampezzo, on the top of Mount Nuvolau at 2575 m.
The oldest of the alpine huts in the Dolomites offers marvelous panoramic views of Cortina, Passo Giau and Marmolada from its rooms
Rifugio Nuvolau History
The Rifugio Nuvolau was built by the Austro-German Alpine Club of the Cortina d'Ampezzo section and inaugurated on 11 August 1883; it was the first alpine refuge built in the Ampano area and the first in the Dolomites.
It was built thanks to the generosity of a German colonel, the baron Richard vom Meerheimb, who arrived from Saxony (Sachsen in German) seriously ill, found healing in the area and in gratitude (dank in German) he built the refuge with the name of Sachsendankhütte ("refuge of Saxon gratitude").
After an initial expansion in 1901, the refuge was destroyed during the First World War. After the conflict Cortina d'Ampezzo became part of the Kingdom of Italy and the refuge passed ownership to the CAI section of Cortina, which enlarged and reopened it in 1930 with the name of Nuvolau refuge.
Following a further expansion in 1970, the refuge was managed by the Siorpaes family who still manage it today