Rifugio Firenze is in the heart of the...
Rifugio Firenze is in the heart of the Puez-Odle natural park. In common with much of Sud Tirol the park is a perfectly groomed paradise full of adorable wooden cottages, smooth pastures and towering slabs of dolomite rock. The Rifugio is large with 90 beds. The staff speak German, English and Italian and the men wear lederhosen. The breakfast included in the half pension is excellent, a buffet with natural yogurt, Tirolean bread, cheese and ham. To reach the Rifugio it is either a 1.5 hour walk from Santa Cristina or a 15 minute walk from the Col Raiser cable car.
Many people stay overnight at the Rifugio in order to get an early start on the Sass Rigais via ferrata. From the Rifugio it is a two hour walk to the start of the eastern (Est) ferrata through a steep scree filled valley. The route includes 'airy unprotected scrambling', cable assisted climbing and a short but tricky section. After 1.5 hours you finally reach an enjoyable cabled section that takes you up to the narrow summit and cross. On a good day at 3025m (total ascent 1000m) the view of the surrounding Dolomites is fabulous. In particular there is fine view of the Marmolada glacier. The descent on the southern route (Sud) requires further cable assisted climbing for 1.5 hours. This is followed by a long and tiring descent on a steep, uneven and rocky path and a further short cabled section into a chasm until you finally reach the green alpine pastures once more.
