The most dramatic stage yet, today's hike crosses a series of steep, rocky cols with the best scenery so far, passing through the heart of the Puez-Odle group with spectacular views down the valley to the famous peak of the Seceda. A steep scree descent and an exposed section with a short cable handrail provide an enjoyable challenge, before the gradient eases as you cross the high plateau of the Puez massif. Arrive at the remote, family-run Rifugio Puez.

Courtesy of Alpine Exploratory

The Puez Hu, 2475m, is located on the high plateau of the Puez Group and serves as an important base for the long-distance hiking trail from Brixen to Feltre, the Alta Via 2. It is also easy to reach from the Gardenaccia Hut in the east and from the Regensburger Hut in the west.

The Puez Hut was built in 1889 by the German-Austrian Alpine Club. After the First World War, it passed to the Bolzano section of the Italian Alpine Club. In 1940, it was handed over to the well-known mountain guide, hunter and ski instructor Pietro Costa from Val Badia. Costa managed the hut until 1989, when he handed it on to his children Oscar and Gemma.

After the Puez Hut could no longer cope with the crowds and the demands of modern mountain tourism, the CAI built a new, larger refuge nearby.
On 8 August 1982, the new Puez Hut was opened in the presence of the then Italian President Sandro Pertini.

Courtesy of www.rifugiopuez.it