Rifugio Fonda Savio

Rifugio Fonda Savio is a mountain hut at 2,367 m on the Passo dei Toci ridge, in the middle of the Cadini di Misurina. It looks down on Lake Misurina, about 2.6 km to the west as the crow flies. The usual way up is trail 115 from Pian dei Spiriti, a trailhead about 2 km by road from the lake: 2.7 km and about 470 m of climbing, which takes 1 to 1.5 hours.

The well-known Cadini photo is taken from a viewpoint near Rifugio Auronzo. This hut sits inside the group, among the spires.

Getting there from Lake Misurina

Pian dei Spiriti (1,896 m at the CAI signpost) is off the road to the Tre Cime, before the toll booth, so you need no toll road booking to get there. The size of the car park at the trailhead and whether it charges are unconfirmed; the Lake Misurina parking guide covers the lake car parks if you would rather walk from the shore.

Trail 115 climbs through the Cadin dei Toci, a hollow between the peaks, and is graded E, a normal hiking path. The final stretch is steep scree, so wear boots with grip.

Checked October 2026:

Route	Time	Distance and climb
Pian dei Spiriti to the hut, trail 115	1 to 1.5 h up	2.7 km, about 470 m
Hut to Pian dei Spiriti, trail 115	About 45 min down	Then on through the forest: about 1 h 30 in total to the lake
Lago d’Antorno to the hut, trails 101, 199 and 117	About 1 h 45	Antorno has a Dolomitibus shuttle stop
Rifugio Auronzo to the hut, trail 117	1.5 to 2 h	Past the Cadini viewpoint and wartime positions
Rifugio Col de Varda to the hut, Sentiero Bonacossa (117)	1.5 to 2 h	Via ferrata kit required

Times for trail 115 vary by source. The hut says about an hour; dolomiti.it says 1 hour 30, and one Italian hiking site says up to 2 hours with about 500 m of climbing.

The route from Rifugio Auronzo starts high, at 2,320 m at the end of the Tre Cime toll road, so you gain little height overall. The Rifugio Auronzo guide explains the toll booking and the shuttle. Pick it up with the Cadini viewpoint walk and you have a full day. Doing it one way, Auronzo to Fonda Savio and down trail 115, means sorting transport back first.

From the south, the Sentiero Bonacossa runs from the top of the Col de Varda chairlift over Forcella di Misurina and Forcella del Diavolo. It is a via ferrata (a protected climbing route with fixed cables), so it needs a helmet, harness, ferrata set and experience.

The hut

The hut has 20 beds and 20 bunks, and the Pörnbacher family runs it as a family business. Its website names the Trieste section of the Italian Alpine Club, CAI XXX Ottobre. For bookings and phone numbers, use fonda-savio.it.

The name honours three brothers, Piero, Paolo and Sergio Fonda Savio, who were killed in the Second World War. Their father, Antonio Fonda Savio, was a partisan leader. Their mother, Letizia Svevo, was the daughter of the novelist Italo Svevo.

Season

The hut’s own site gives “approximately 15 June to 27 September”, with no year. Other listings say 15 June to 30 September. Treat it as around mid-June to late September, and check the hut before you go, especially near either end of the season.

If you want to be on trail 115 early, Misurina is the closest place to sleep; see where to stay at Lake Misurina.

Via Ferrata Merlone and other routes from the hut

The hut lists the Via Ferrata Merlone to the north-east Cadini peak (2,788 m), describing it as “an exposed ladder path with a wonderful view”. Third-party guides say it starts about 25 minutes from the hut, climbs long runs of ladders (about 300 rungs) joined by steel cable, and comes down the same way in about half a day. Grades vary from “medium” to VF3B depending on the guide. Treat it as a steep, exposed ladder ferrata for equipped, experienced people, and note that one guide warns ice can linger on this north-west-facing route into September.

For walkers, the hut also suggests the “Durissini” Cadini tour on trails 112 and 116, about 3 hours.