“Up there where the snow falls”
Altitude: 2652 m
Address: Loc. Conca di Cuney, 11020 NUS
Opening period: 22-30 June – 16 September; also weekends 21 September – 7 October; other periods upon request
Contact: 0165.770049 / + 39 333.7131809
[email protected]
www.rifugiocuney.it
Hut managers: Andrea and Fabrizio
Andrea Aguettaz and Fabrizio Lombard, both born in 1980, both from Nus. They love all mountain sports in every season, and can tell you exactly how to best experience Cuney.
“We began this adventure 3 years ago. We wanted to help the town grow and do something to get to know the area. The moments when the area shows itself at its best? Without a doubt in June, when the snow melts, and in July when everything is in full bloom. And then every evening in summer there is the ritual of watching the game animals, which is surprising and magical every time: a group of around thirty ibex deer proudly pass by the hut. We wait impatiently to gaze on their magnificence. It is our evening ritual. We share this with our guests. The wonder of nature.
In winter on the other hand, we manage a small bar on the cross-country pistes of Saint-Barthélemy, where we have set out ten walking trails to discover with the ski poles. Always on the slopes, never stop.”
The hut
Cu ney literally means: where the snow falls. A place of contrasts, between the brilliant white of the snow and the green, first tentative and then ever brighter, which from June takes over the landscape. However, Cunea is also a flower which grows and which reigns supreme in the area around the hut. Cuney is truly a name of many meanings! Choose the one which you prefer, but always remember the sense of loveliness which it represents.
The story of the hut is old. Long ago on the 26 July 1659 the work on the shrine dedicated to the Madonna della Neve was finished, as a protection for the hut. Like brothers, the two grew up together, side by side. Companions through storms and sunshine. And nearby the hut, two mirror-like pools of alpine water reflect the peaks of the surrounding mountains. In these places, immersion in nature is absolute.
Activities
The simple hike from the hut to the Becca di Fontaney, at almost 3000 meters, it absolutely worth the effort for the breathtaking panorama over four-thousand meter-mountains of the Aosta Valley. There are also numerous circular walks which pass by the hut, ideal as a warm-up for more taxing excursions.
For lovers of climbing: close to the hut stands a stone cliff for climbing, along with two climbing walls with stop-off points over the Becca del Merlo and the Ermite de Cuney, the mountains at the back of the hut.
Specialities
“We take it in turns in the kitchen, but without a doubt our favourite dishes are white polenta with spezzatino di cervo (venison stew). For dessert: hot chestnuts with cream accompanied by a generous glass of Genepy syrup. To enjoy absolutely not alone”.
Dates and ideas for summer 2012
- 5 August: Celebration for the Madonna della Neve.
- 14 August: Procession to the shrine.
- End of August: track run. 10 km, 1000 meters difference in altitude, departure from Lignan and arrival at the Cuney hut.