The Marco e Rosa Hut
(Italian: Rifugio Marco e Rosa'')'' is a high mountain refuge located on the southern slopes of the
Piz Bernina
Piz Bernina ( Romansh, it, Pizzo Bernina, ) is the highest mountain in the Eastern Alps, the highest point of the Bernina Range, and the highest peak in the Rhaetian Alps. It rises and is located south of Pontresina and near the major Alpine ...
in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. It lies adjacent to the
Swiss border. The hut is positioned on the Fourcla Crast' Aguzza and is the highest known mountain hut in
Lombardy. It requires mountaineering experience to reach it safely. Its location on the southern ridge (Spallagrat) of the Piz Bernina makes it an important staging post in ascending that mountain.
The hut has wardens in summer and offers basic restaurant services. During the winter season the hut is unlocked but is not staffed.
Access
From the Swiss side, the Marco e Rosa hut can be accessed in approximately 6 hours. The hut is about 5 hours away from the
Boval Hut and the Diavolezza Hut. The route passes through the Fortezza Ridge and continues on a lengthy traverse along the glacier terrace below (known as the
Bellavista Terrace). This route is graded PD-.
From the Italian side of the country, the Marco e Rosa hut can be reached in approximately 3.5 hours from the
Marinelli Hut (2,813 m). The route follows the Upper Scerscen Glacier, a snow
couloir
A ''couloir'' (, "passage" or "corridor") is a narrow gully with a steep gradient in a mountainous terrain.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, p. 121. .
Geology
A couloir may be a seam, scar, or fissu ...
, ending with a 200-meter climb up a steep rock buttress fixed with metal cables. The road is exposed to falling stones in the summer and for this reason it is rarely used during that period.
Routes,
The hut provides a starting point for an ascent of nearby mountains, including:
Piz Bernina (4.049m),
Piz Palü
Piz Palü is a mountain in the Bernina Range of the Alps, located between Switzerland and Italy. It is a large glaciated massif composed of three main summits, on a ridge running from west to east. The main (and central) summit is 3,900 metres ...
(3.905m),
Piz Zuppo (3.995m),
Piz Argient
Piz Argient (3,945 m) is a mountain in the Bernina Range of the Alps on the border between Italy and the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
The peak is bounded to the north by the Morteratsch Glacier, to the west by the Upper Scerscen Glacier, and t ...
(3.945m), Bellavista (3.889m),
Piz Scerscen
Piz Scerscen ( Romansh, it, Monte Scerscen, formerly ''Monte Rosso di Scerscen''), culminating at 3,971 m above sea level, is one of the highest peaks in the Bernina Range, straddling the border between Switzerland and Italy
Italy ( it, ...
(3.971m),
Piz Roseg
Piz Roseg (pronounced as ''peetse rawzech'') is a mountain of the Bernina Range, overlooking the Val Roseg in the Swiss canton of Graubünden.
There are two summits on its main ridge:
:*the south-east and higher summit (3,937 m)
:*the north- ...
(3.937m) and
Cresta Guzza (3.854m)
History
The Marco e Rosa Hut was constructed in 1913 on the instigation of alpinist Alfredo Corti. The costs were met by Italian philanthropist and naturalist, and because of this gesture, the hut was named after him and his wife, Rosa De Marchi. De Marchi had climbed the Bernina along with a guide, but had been caught in a heavy storm. The hut was a built on a 300m rock promontory, and was a simple structure, capable of sheltering 32 people, but lacked cooking facilities.
In the mid-1960s, a second hut was constructed nearby, capable of accommodating 50 people. This second hut is open and staffed from July to September.
In 2017 an organized crowdfunding appeal attempted to raise over €40,000 for new photo-voltaic panels to provide power for the hut.
References
{{reflist
External links
Marco e Rosa Hut and Piz Bernina on Maps of Switzerland online
Mountain huts in Lombardy
Mountain huts in the Alps
Lanzada