The Hermitage is located in a place that has maintained the charm of the past. Perfect start for the ascent to the peak of Montanèl and to the enchanting meadow oasis of Dàlego, it is also a stage of the Cammino delle Dolomiti and an appreciated stop for winter excursions with snowshoes.
The Hermitage was built in 1720 in order to host some Franciscan friars of the Tertiary order and was founded by Friar Giovanni Maria Pinazza of Domegge. The friars who lived on Mount Froppa were called the "EREMITI", a community that had a short life as it was suppressed in 1810.
Every year on the feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24, the community of Domegge di Cadore goes to the Hermitage, along the path of the "via Crucis" to celebrate mass in the small chapel below the Hermitage.
The abandoned Hermitage has significantly degraded and in 2007 it was restored for cultural tourism purposes by the Municipality of Domegge di Cadore.
Now the structure includes rooms with a large bathroom/shower and a large room for groups with finishes not found in other structures.
How to get there:
From Domegge di Cadore by car, follow the signs for the Padova, Cercenà and Eremo dei Romiti shelters, go down to the lake and cross it. Leave behind the deviations for the Padova and Cercenà shelters and go straight on following the Eremo dei Romiti sign.
Park the car at the edge of the road, near the sign indicating the refuge.
From here the road becomes a dirt road, goes uphill, crosses a stream and enters into the woods. After a while you come to a fork in the road, where you can choose whether to continue along the road or take the path, which is the busiest and most characteristic route.
The path climbs pleasantly in the wood, covering a difference in height of about 500 meters and allowing to reach the refuge in 1 hour and a half.
Along the path there are the 15 stations of the Via Crucis in carved and decorated wood and, near the refuge, there is a wonderful masonry capital with frescoes.
Trail and road are passable in summer on foot, in winter (snow permitting) on foot or with snowshoes.
