The Bietti-Buzzi hut stands at 1,719 metres in the Releccio valley, on the north side of the Grigna Settentrionale, in the municipality of Mandello del Lario, below the Piancaformia ridge.
History
It began as the Releccio hut in 1886 and was later dedicated to Luigi Bietti, president of the Milan section of the CAI. In 2002 it was closed because the CAI Milan had no funds to bring it up to standard; in 2006 the CAI Milan bought it (the Wikipedia entry names Elena Buzzi) and then donated it to the CAI Mandello, and since then it has been called Bietti-Buzzi. Between 2007 and 2009 it was renovated, with rebuilt cisterns, a winter bivouac and work on the building (Wikipedia).
What to see and services
According to the Lombardy Region’s Rifugi di Lombardia portal the hut has 25 beds, 40 indoor seats, 2 places in the winter room. Services listed by the portal: discounts for CAI members; reachable on foot only; animals not allowed; GSM coverage; sheet bag for sale; hot water; local products; vegetarian menus; menus for food intolerances; ATM payments.
Getting there
Access routes listed by the portal, with times and ascents:
- Da Mandello del Lario: 5 hours, 1,400 m of ascent, hiking route.
- Dal Cainallo: 2 hours, 300 m of ascent, tourist route.
Wikipedia also gives path 24 from the Cainallo pass, which goes through the Porta di Prada, a natural karst arch, and path 15 from Somana, a hamlet of Mandello. From the hut a loop on the north side of the Grignone passes the Bogani hut.
Practical information
- Contacts according to the portal: +39 338 1309920, info@rifugiobiettibuzzi.it, www.rifugiobiettibuzzi.it.
- Opening dates are indicative, and at the start and end of the season the portal advises phoning the hut before setting out.
- Height: 1,719 metres.