Perplexed Lara Forcellini, who manages the refuge with her staff: “There are no foreigners and overnight stays are zero”
BELLUNO. Renovated and very active, but still with too few visitors. The season is struggling to take off at the VII Alpini refuge owned by the Cai di Belluno: the paths are still little traveled by hikers, mostly Italians, and very rarely do you meet someone interested in stopping for the night. “We are talking about a fundamental territorial garrison at the foot of the Schiara, an area that would be extremely wild without the presence and passion of the managers of the VII Alpini”, commented by Cai, “we must all be close to this place, ending here a nice walk and supporting him in the best possible way for the season ».
The refuge is managed by Lara Forcellini and her staff, who in recent months have seen the building transform, with the important modernizations carried out by the Cai di Belluno thanks to the contribution of the Park Authority. In fact, a few weeks ago, all the fixtures were replaced with models of the same color, but with a much higher seal, in order to improve the comfort of guests; in addition, the interior spaces of the refuge have also been rethought, with the displacement of the counter and a better arrangement of the services, so as to make even the hiker who for the first time find himself crossing the threshold in search of shelter feel immediately at home or a hot meal.
“Unfortunately, however, for the moment there is still not much movement on trails and via ferratas”, explains Forcellini, “those who are used to going to the mountains bring their own lunch, but above all there are very few who stop to sleep , which for us represents the bulk of the work ».
The shelter can accommodate over fifty people, but the dormitories are currently semi-deserted and the problem does not seem to be Covid: “The idea that we have made”, continues the owner, “is that people prefer more and more. comfortable places to reach. The VII Alpini is the prize for those who struggle to get up here and evidently there are fewer and fewer people willing to tackle this type of excursion ».
Hope, however, is always the last to die. This year the refuge opened slightly earlier than last year, which in any case had recorded an excellent turnout, even if distributed almost exclusively on weekends: “In the past, 80% of our customers were foreigners, which for the at the moment they are still rarely seen. The forecasts we make are that we can experience something similar again this year, perhaps from mid-July onwards, even if with smaller numbers “, concludes Forcellini,” if it gets better I’ll be happy to be proven wrong “.