Pian de Fontana mountain hut

In the woods of the wildcat

Van de Zita’ – CAI 514
(photo by: Cesare Lasen)
  • Departure: Pont dei Ross (737m)
  • Arrival: Rifugio Pian de Fontana (2m)
  • Duration: 3 hours (climb only)
  • Difficulty Level: E – Hiking (level)
  • Difference in height: 900m
  • Recommended Period: from June to October

The path starts from one of the most interesting areas of the Park from the point of view of the forest formations, with fir, beech and noble broad-leaved woods such as maple and ash. In this area, the wild cat was reported in 2014, for the first time in the Park and in the Belluno area.
The first part of the path is characterized by continuous turns and takes the name of zènto olte (one hundred turns). At an altitude of 1,388 meters you will find Casera dei Ronch, from here continue until you reach the intersection with the Alta Via n. 1 (CAI 514), which takes you to the right (the Alta Via goes up to the panoramic La Varetta fork on the left). From the crossroads, the last stretch of ascent leads to Pian de Fontana, the most recent of the Park’s 6 CAI refuges: inaugurated in 1993, it is a splendid balcony on the north slopes of the Schiara group.
From the refuge it is possible to climb, in about an hour’s walk, to the spectacular glacial circuses of the Van de Zità.

Location: Val dei Ross, in the north-eastern sector of the park, between the Schiara and Pramper groups
Access: Reach Longarone and, from here, take the road that leads to Forno di Zolfo. Follow it for about 6 kilometers to Soffranco, here turn left and take the road that climbs the Val del Grisol. Take the paved road to the Pont di Costa Granda, turn right here and continue to the Pont dei Ross where you can park.
Signage: CAI 520 and CAI 514 paths
Didactic supports: didactic panels of the Park of Pont di Costa Granda, Pont dei Ross and to the refuge