The Capanna Regina Margherita is an alpine refuge located at 4,554 meters above sea level, on the Gnifetti tip of the Monte Rosa massif on the border between Italy and Switzerland. It is the highest refuge in Europe. It was built in 1893 on the initiative of the Italian Alpine Club and renovated in 1980. Today it serves as a refuge for mountaineers exploring Monte Rosa, as a meteorological observatory and for scientific research functions at high altitude.
What is Capanna Regina Margherita: how to get there
The Capanna Regina Margherita is a refuge of the Italian Alpine Club, located on the Gnifetti tip of Monte Rosa, at 4,554 meters above sea level, near the Italian-Swiss border. The peak, named after the priest-mountaineer Giovanni Gnifetti, is slightly lower than the highest peak of Monte Rosa, Punta Dufour, which reaches 4,634 metres.
The Capanna is considered the highest refuge in Europe. It can be reached via various mountaineering itineraries with excursions organized by mountain guides. The costs to reach it are not low: several hundred euros per person are needed.
The history of the refuge on Monte Rosa
The construction of the Capanna Regina Margherita was decided by the Italian Alpine Club in 1889. One of the main supporters of the initiative was Angelo Mosso, a doctor and physiology scholar, who wanted to use the refuge as a base for his research on the reactions of the human body at high altitude.
The construction of the hut took place in 1893. The components of the building were transported to the Gnifetti peak partly with mules and partly on shoulders, to then be assembled on site. The refuge was inaugurated on 18 August 1893 in the presence of Queen Margherita of Savoy, after whom it was named.
The cabin soon proved to be of great use. First of all, it facilitated the exploration of the Monte Rosa massif, guaranteeing mountaineers a place to stop and spend the night. Furthermore, it proved to be very important for scientific research: Angelo Mosso used it to continue his studies on breathing at high altitude, thanks to which in 1894 he published a volume on the subject, Physiology of man in the Alps. In 1907, for research purposes, the refuge was joined by another centre, the “Angelo Mosso” Institute, located at Passo dei Salati at 2900 meters above sea level.
The Regina Margherita hut continued to welcome climbers until 1979, when it was demolished and replaced with a new structure, inaugurated on 30 August 1980. The building was designed to take ecological effects into account and in 2002 it obtained a certification attesting to its minimal impact on the environment.
The Capanna today: beds, characteristics and difficulties
Today the Regina Margherita hut has 70 beds. In summer the entire structure is open, while from autumn to spring only a smaller space is open, with 10 beds. The hut is equipped with wi-fi internet and electricity.
Since 2000 it has been home to a meteorological station, the highest in Europe, and since 2004 it has even hosted a small library, set up with books donated by publishers.
Together with the hut, the “Angelo Mosso” Institute is also still active, destroyed in 2000 by a fire but rebuilt in the following years. The Institute deals with research and dissemination and also houses a collection of ancient scientific instruments.
The Olympic torch at the highest refuge in Europe
On 13 January 2026 the Capanna Regina Margherita welcomed the torch of the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The organizers wanted the Olympic torch to reach the highest alpine refuge in Europe on its journey through Italy. The protagonists of the initiative were the mountain guides of the Gressoney, Champoluc, Alagna, Macugnaga and Zermatt localities, who carried the torch to the refuge. After reaching it, the guides carried the torch to Passo dei Salati, where some ski instructors gathered, and then moved to the town of Gressoney-La-Trinité, at 1,627 meters above sea level.
