Marchesini-Federici Trekking Lodge at Pagarì, 2650 meters (8700 feet)

Translated by my dear friend Dolphin.

The Lodge.

The lodge and Cima Maledia

The lodge, east side

It rises on a little rocky promontory, with a large stone retaining wall on the north side to enlarge its flat space.

Over the building to the west is the impressive face of Cima della Maledia.

To the north the terrain is covered with grassy vegetation of a fragile short-lived type and slopes down to the Pagarì Stream, while the horizon beyond opens up to the entire Alpine span: from the Monviso (N-NW) to the Matterhorn (N).

By the lodge is a little natural botanical garden, the highest one in the Maritime Alps; an illustrated guide for its garden is available.

The original prefabricated cabin (3 meters × 5) of pinewood was constructed in the summer of 1912 and inaugurated on 20 June 1913 with the name “Rifugio Pagarì” (Pagarì Mountain Cabin).
The dormitories (the rooms)

The cabin was enlarged between August and October of 1937 with the addition of two rooms made of stone (the current bedrooms, 3 meters × 3 each). The original prefabricated cabin became the kitchen.

In 1949, with a bequest of Federico Federici's family, war damages to the lodge were repaired and in 1951 it was renamed “Rifugio Federici” (Federici Trekking Lodge) at Pagarì.

In 1982, thanks to a bequest of Ettore Marchesini's family, the kitchen floor was replaced and more comfortable wooden beds were installed in one of the bedrooms. Again the name of the lodge was changed and become the “Rifugio Federici-Marchesini” at Pagarì.

The dining-room

 New construction began in 1996 and was completed on August 8th, 1998: sanitary facilities were installed; the original prefabricated building was pulled down and replaced with a new one-story building of wood and bricks, with a loft. This building contains a coffee bar / kitchen and dining room.