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WINTER STARGAZING · VICENZA
Moonlight, telescopes and a mountain refuge at 1,658 metres
Snowshoe across the high pastures, observe the Moon through a telescope and spend the night in the Vicenza Prealps
Snowshoe tracks leave a refuge at 1,658 metres and climb across the high pastures of Val Formica as the last light disappears behind the mountains. On astronomy evenings, guides carry telescopes into the snow and stop away from the road lights to observe the Moon and the winter sky. Dinner is served at Rifugio Larici da Alessio after the walk, and around twenty guests can sleep in rooms with private bathrooms. The result is a complete winter night in the Vicenza Prealps: snow, astronomy, mountain cooking and a bed at altitude.
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Know before you go
The telescope snowshoe evening documented for 28 February 2026 has concluded. Astronomy walks are programmed on individual winter dates, so check the current calendar before travelling and book accommodation directly with Rifugio Larici. Place Rifugio Larici da Alessio Phone +39 349 6834549 Email info@rifugiolarici.it
About
The snowshoe routes around Rifugio Larici cross one of the highest open landscapes in the Vicenza Prealps. Val Formica lies beyond the wooded slopes, with broad pastureland and views towards Monte Verena, the Lagorai, Brenta and Adamello groups on the longer trails. In winter the same terrain becomes the setting for guided walks at sunset and after dark. Astronomy is added on specific evenings. For the February 2026 programme, the group climbed into a darker section of the mountains and used telescopes to observe the Moon, with the guide combining direct observation with astronomy and local stories about the lunar sky.
AN OLD MALGA ABOVE THE SNOW
Before it was a refuge, Larici was a malga, an alpine dairy hut where cattle spent the summer and milk became butter and cheese. The old fireplace still warming the dining room dates from the years of the First World War, when the building was still used as a mountain dairy. The hut became a refuge in the 1960s, and Alessio and Antonella took it on in 1985. Today their son Giovanni continues the family story. The sleeping arrangements have changed rather more than the fireplace. The five rooms now have private bathrooms, three sleep four people, one is a double, and one sleeps five.
THE NIGHT WALK
The documented telescope route lasted three hours and was graded 2 out of 5 for difficulty, with less than 250 metres of ascent and no exposed sections. Waterproof mountain boots, warm layers, gloves, a hat and a head torch were recommended. Snowshoes and poles could be hired; when snow cover was insufficient, the route continued on foot.
DINNER AT THE REFUGE
The astronomy walk can be paired with dinner at Rifugio Larici. The February 2026 menu included local cured meats and cheeses, pork cheek braised in red wine, side dishes and traditional xaeti biscuits. Dinner was booked separately from the excursion. The refuge also has rooms with private bathrooms for around twenty people, so an astronomy evening can become an overnight trip in the mountains.
THE MORNING AFTER
Cima Larici is also a trailhead. Routes from the refuge continue towards Bocchetta Larici, Cima Manderiolo and Portule, with views across the Valsugana and towards the Lagorai, Brenta and Adamello ranges. In winter many of these itineraries are used with snowshoes; in summer they become hiking and mountain bike routes.