[TRENTINO–ITALY] — I’ve taken the hike to Rifugio Rifugio Tuckett e Sella twice now and I still think it’s one of the best hikes in the Brenta Dolomites. Hike the in the Brenta Dolomites to to Rifugio Tuckett. The best hike in the Brenta Dolomites. A great hike from Madonna di Campiglio. These are photos from those two different hikes to Rifugio Tuckett.

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“Theeesa eesa the one.” she said, in that lovely Italian way of needing to add a vowel onto every word. “Theesa onea is da besta hi-ka in the valley. And ifa you goa heer, ita eesa da besta viewa inaalla da Dolomites.” That’s Barbara, the owner of my splendid hotel in the Brenta region of the Italian Dolomites.

There isn’t just one Dolomite, but many different ranges. But many say this is one of the best sections, the Brenta Dolomites, centered around the Madonna di Campiglio ski resort, tucked into a valley with over sixty lifts going in all directions.

Hiking in Italy is so much more enjoyable and cheaper than in the United States. Costs next to nothing, you take a lift to the good stuff. Enjoy a nice meal on top of a mountain — no overpriced bad food — and then hike down to another village. So civilized.

In the winter, these lifts take people up the mountains in different directions, lobbing people off at the top and letting them ski down to wherever they want. And it’s also a great way to hike in the summer time. They call summer their slow season, since most people just come for the skiing and hit the beach in the summer. But man oh man is it ripe for hiking.

Here’s where we’ll be hiking today, as seen from the BioHotel Hermitage in my other post:

Italian-Style Hiking in the Brenta Dolomites

Hiking in Madonna di Campiglio in the Dolomites in Italy is just such a nice experience. First, since it’s a ski resort so you can take a gondola to the top and get right in it vs. having to hike up to it. Then you hike from one mountain hut to the other — rifugio in Italian — and explore different valleys and views all in the same day.

You can even have a beer or espresso or nice meal right there in the rifugio, above the tree line, in the thick of soaring peaks.

Pick your valley, pick how long you want to hike for and pick your destination rifugio and be off. Hike down to a different valley and a shuttle takes you back to your car. Hardcores stay up along the ridge line and just sleep in different rifugi along the way and go from one range to the next, for a week(s), It’s all so sensible…

If you’re thinking of going, here’s the how-to one of the best hikes in the Brenta Dolomites. I only got one good six hour hike in due to weather, but the nice woman who owns my hotel said it’s the best hike one can do unless you’re hardcore.

I loved this hike so much on my first solo trip, I dragged my best friends here to do the same trek two years later.

It is challenging, for sure. But hiking here is like nowhere else I’ve been. Very civilized and includes everything I love in life. Views. Comfort. Beer. Coffee. Bathrooms. Air.

Rifugio Tuckett — the best hike in the Brenta Dolomites

From the Groste Lift to Rifugio Tuckett

I’ve taken this hike twice, two years apart. The first time I went, I said “I gotta bring my friends here.” You take the ski lift up to the top of Passo del Groste, which is a great way to get all up in there. Then you cross a roller coaster trail the hugs the sides of the Brenta Range, green valleys to the right, steep cliffs to your left. Up and down you go.

In Italy, all the rifugi are long-owned by generations of local families, not some greedy corporation. They are affordable, friendly and clean. One family might own one rifugio, another family in the next valley. They compete for your business by making the best food and experience, so the food is always fantastic.

The Hike to Rifugio Brentei

You can take the high trail that hugs the walls all the way around to the even higher Rifugio Brentei. The trail was dug by WWI troops and even goes through hand-duh tunnels that pop you out on a steep ridge overlooking a dramatic valley and wall of towering cliffs.

On the hour and forty hike from Tuckett to Brentei, you scoot along a steep-sided path along the mountain face, duck through a hand-dug WWI and poop out the other side.

Biohotel Hermitage–The Best Hotel to Stay in Madonna di Campiglio

I loved the Biohotel Hermitage so much, I stayed there twice and follow their Instagram page every day. Here’s a huge post I made about it.

The views are as unbelievable as the hike. Book a room, tell Barbara I sent you.

— Last visited July 2015 & July 2017; Post Updated February 2025 —

More Information on Rifugio Tuckett and the Brenta Dolomites

Here’s the TripAdvisor listing for Rifugio Tuckett e Sella. Here’s the Madonna di Campiglio tourist website. Here’s the Visit Trentino guide to Tuckett. And if you want more details, the AllTrails website listing and app are great. AllTrails or any information in English weren’t even available when I first hiked in 2015 or 2017, so I had to figure out my own way at the time. Now there is tons of information available.