This is where I want to live, this is where I want to be…
The warm summer sun wraps itself around my shoulders like a cozy coat. With the Plima Gorge behind me and a delicious Kaiserschmarrn within reach, I hike towards the Marteller Hütte hut. The further I climb, the more barren the forest becomes. A fragrant scent of stone and moss mixed with a bit of snow caresses my nose. The pines have mutated into sorts of perennial bonsai trees amid the flowering heather plants.
After about an hour, I gave upon an almost divine image in front of me: the majestic peaks of the Ortler group. They gleam white with snow, stand proud and feel almost unapproachable to me. In the midst of this backdrop, at 2,585 meters above sea level, a clear mountain lake glistenes in the sunshine. Behind it: the Marteller Hütte hut. This is the realm of Bruno Nardelli, the landlord here. The 46-year-old is very friendly, but in no way fake. A person who stands with both feet firmly on the ground. In short: a man of the mountains with an eye for what is really important.
Mr. Nardelli, what made you live off the grid and far away from society at 2,585 meters above sea level?
The first time I slept in a mountain hut I was 10 years old. I remember how much I envied the life of the family who ran the cabin. Later in life, my passion for the mountains just continued to grow. That’s how the desire to live there came about. First, I became a mountain guide, then I rented my first hut. Since then I have gained a lot of experience as a hut keeper and now, here I am.
How does this fit in with your family life?
My wife loves this job as well. Both our children, 5 and 7 years old, are used to living up here. They spend their summers in the hut. In September they return to the valley with my wife and go to school. The hut is closed in winter, but you always have to come by and check that everything is in order, so my wife and I go up every few days. Then the children are with their grandparents.
Would you say working together in the cool mountain air at 2,000 meters above sea level is good for the relationship?
My wife says that our marriage counts three times as much as other marriages. Many couples only see each other for a few hours, in the evening after work and on weekends. We live and work together 24 hours a day. Of course we sometimes argue about unimportant things, but we always agree on the serious things. You know, working in a shelter is like being on a ship, you can’t just get off it.
And how is working with your employees?
It’s much more intense than anywhere else. We have six employees, we live and work in a small space, so on a personal level, the characters all have to fit and get along.
Being a hut keeper must be a very demanding and varied task. What do you need to know?
Yes, indeed. You need a lot of technical skills, for example: know your ways around plumbing or electrical engineering. Depending on the weather, shopping must also be planned at least about a week in advance. Since there are no roads leading up to the hut, groceries are transported over 550 meters in altitude with a 2,200 m long cable car. So if you happen to forget something, it can get pretty complicated…
The Marteller Hütte Hut has a pretty good reputation. Why do you think that is? The main reason for this is probably its very easy access: 500 meters in altitude that can be conquered in two hours. The path is quite easy and suitable for a very large group of hikers, even though it is the highest situated refuge in Val Martello. It’s the ideal destination, almost like a summit, (laughs).
The host of a refuge is the main focus, his personality is very important. Do you agree? That’s a romantic way to see it, that I still believe in. But in reality, only a few of the guests see it the same way. This is certainly true for mountaineers who stay overnight in order to scale a summit the next day, or those who make a tour in high alpine terrain. They rely on my information and advice – and that makes me very happy.