About us

The people

We are a small team working side by side: Bruna, the warm heart of the Rifugio, welcomes you in the dining room; her son Riccardo experiments every day with new flavours without ever losing sight of tradition; Barbara, with us for many years, brings enthusiasm and a special attentiveness to every guest.

During the warmer months, a few seasonal helpers — young cooks and waiters — join us, sharing the same desire to offer genuine hospitality. Together we turn Rifugio Vallata into a home open to anyone who loves the mountains, good food, and stories told over a board of local cheeses.

Bruna

Host & front of house

Riccardo

Kitchen

Barbara

Front of house

The history of Rifugio Vallata

History tells us that at the end of the 1800s, the land where we built the Rifugio belonged to the Paron family, Domenico and Vittoria Cilli. They had only one son, who was ill. After the parents passed away, their cousins Arcangelo and Luigi Gasparini from Carlon took care of the boy. He died shortly after, and out of gratitude, he left this portion of Monte Longa to the family that had cared for him. At the time, this inheritance came as a great and unexpected surprise. The property included woodland, meadows, and a small stable. Everything was put to use immediately: cows were brought up in the summer, wood was cut, and hay was harvested and carried down to the village in large bundles balanced on the head. Neighbours often visited, offering companionship, warmth, and a good glass of wine. Over the years, as rural activities were abandoned, all that remained was a dense forest, scattered boundary markers, stones, and a few lingering lilies of the valley.

Feeling a deep responsibility to keep our traditions alive, we decided to build Rifugio Vallata — a place where the history of our village could be rediscovered. The building itself reflects the traditional houses of Barcis as they stood before the last war, during which the village was almost entirely destroyed.

Extensive research was carried out to revive long-forgotten recipes. To bring them back to life we started from the ground up, cultivating our own ingredients without chemical fertilisers and creating dishes with genuinely authentic flavours.