You will find it difficult to find accommodation in Italy with a better location than this one. However, you will need to work hard for it.
A striking new hiking shelter has been built in the Dolomites at an elevation of 8,750ft (2,667m) – but endure the toil to reach it and you’ll be able to shelter from the weather and drink in a magnificent panorama of the Marmarole mountain group via a vast floor-to-ceiling window.
Incredible pictures show how the 34ft- (10.4m) long hut, called New Bivouac Fanton [bivouac means encampment]It is sat in an odd spot at the edge of a ridge in wild and remote terrain. It actually looks like it’s falling down the mountain in this one image.
The New Bivouac Fanton, pictured, offers an incredible panorama of the Marmarole mountain group
The shelter sits on the edge of the Forcella Marmarole pass at an elevation of 8,750ft (2,667m)
The shelter’s combination of its silvery angled design with the extreme terrain has a sci-fi-like feel to it.
The purpose of the bivouac at Forcella Marmarole is to provide refuge for hikers. It’s open 24 hours a week and is free.
Up to 12 people can be accommodated in the cosy 323 sq ft (30 m sq) interior, which is lined with individual bunks and storage space. The fibreglass layers insulate them from cold and wind, but guests will still need to face the elements.
The Club Alpino Italiano (CAI) Auronzo Section commissioned the shelter. This section oversees shelters and hiking trails and protects the Alpine environment.
The set-up has a sci-fi-like feel due to the combination of the shelter’s silvery angled design with the extreme terrain
It looks like the shelter is falling down the mountain in this image. Demogo Design Studio says that the shelter’s formal appearance is like a volume suspended from a cliff.
The shelter was officially inaugurated in August with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Auronzo.
The spectacular design is the handiwork of Italian studio Demogo, which first unveiled its drawings of the shelter in 2015. Three years later, construction began.
According to the CAI a previous attempt at placing a shelter – the Bivouac Fanton, which was constructed in the same area – failed due to strong winds that forced the helicopter to maneuver it into position to “place” it temporarily in the upper Val Baion. [a nearby valley], “Where it then remained”
The original bivouac became unusable over time due to years of wear. So the CAI set about replacing it.
‘It is an unstable equilibrium,’ Italian design studio Demogo says of the striking design
The shelter can accommodate up to 12 people. It is lined with fibreglass layers that insulate from the cold and wind. The cozy wooden interior (right) has bunks and storage space.
The shelter is located at the Forcella Marmarole pass and serves as a refuge for hikers. They can stay the night there without having to book ahead. It’s open 24 hours a week and is free.
It was also difficult to position the ‘New Bivouac Fanton.
According to Corriere della Alpi, the shell of the shelter was lifted via helicopter from Auronzo’s sports field in September. Although the mission failed twice due to bad weather conditions, it was successful on its third attempt.
The interior was finished in the summer. It was officially inaugurated in August by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Auronzo.
‘It is an unstable equilibrium,’ Demogo says of the design.
The shelter is located southeast of Cimon del Froppa, the highest peak in Marmarole at 2,932m (9,619ft).
The studio adds: ‘Externally, its formal appearance takes on the features of a rough-hewn volume suspended on a bristling cliff.’
Hikers can use the ski lift to reach the shelter from Auronzo di Cadore. This will take them to the point where the Marmarole Trails begin. The shelter is southeast from Cimon del Frappa, the highest peak of the Marmarole at 2,932m (9.619ft).
Demogo says that the route to reach there takes between four and five hours. There is also a climb of 5,249ft (1.600m). This can make it difficult, so it’s recommended for experienced hikers. Hike Uno says that New Bivouac Fanton can be reached from ‘Rifugio Primula’ which is about a five hour hike.