23 December, 2019
As locations go, the Dolomites - a mountain range located in northeastern Italy - are second to few; a scene nicked straight from the pages of a Grimms' fairy tale. Jagged-toothed mountain peaks render a rugged and romantic landscape.
It's a place at its most popular in winter, when Europeans flock to the Italy-Austria border for downhill or cross-country skiing and snowboarding. From powdery slopes in winter to lavender-lined mountain paths in summer, the Alpine gorgeousness of it all borders on overwhelming - and then the rifugi appear.
These traditional, cosy mountain huts are sprinkled across the valleys, villages and slopes. Serving as a restaurant, inn, pub and café all in one, they make the perfect stop off for moreish ragu and a macchiato between ski runs.
