Rifugio Casonetto: the only CAI refuge in Puglia

At 700 metres above sea level, on the slopes of Monte Cornacchia, at 1,151 m the highest peak in Puglia, stands the Rifugio Casonetto CAI of Castelluccio Valmaggiore: the only Italian Alpine Club (CAI) refuge in the whole region. It is not just a resting place for hikers. It is a living outpost in a territory that can still surprise those who arrive at the slow pace of someone who really wants to look.

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Where it is and how to get there

The refuge is in the Difesa Grande area, in the municipality of Castelluccio Valmaggiore, within the Lago Pescara–Monte Cornacchia–Bosco Cerasa natural area, among more than 600 hectares of woods, pastures and Apennine ridges opening onto the Alta Valle del Celone. It is about a 15-minute walk from the Arni car park. The refuge sits in one of the most intact landscapes of the Monti Dauni, in the heart of the Daunian Apennines, far from mass tourism and close to a nature that takes its time.

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The building: simple, welcoming, practical

The Rifugio Casonetto, also known as Rifugio Matrella, is a small building designed to be genuinely useful. On the ground floor there are two connecting rooms, one with a fireplace, and toilets accessible to people with disabilities. On the first floor, reached by a masonry staircase, there are two bedrooms for overnight stays. Nothing superfluous: simplicity is part of the experience.

A CAI Foggia outpost for the Monti Dauni

The refuge was created by CAI Foggia to offer real support to those who want to rediscover the mountains of the province, the Monti Dauni in particular. The section runs it as a reference point for its members and for CAI groups from all over Italy, from Molise to Campania, from Basilicata to the rest of Puglia, who walk the trails of the area.

Since 2025 the Casonetto has been part of the “Rifugi Sentinella del Clima” (Climate Sentinel Refuges) project promoted by CAI and CNR: a network of Alpine and Apennine refuges that collect environmental data and contribute to the scientific monitoring of climate change. A recognition that gives the refuge an importance well beyond the local territory.

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A stage on the Sentiero Italia CAI and the Sentiero Frassati

The Rifugio Casonetto is an official stage of the Sentiero Italia CAI on its Capitanata section: Italy’s longest trail, which crosses the peninsula from north to south through villages, forests and Apennine ridges. Long-distance walkers find here a reliable base on a little-travelled but naturally very valuable stretch.

The refuge is also a stage of the Sentiero Frassati of Puglia, the route linking Roseto Valfortore, Biccari, Castelluccio Valmaggiore, Celle di San Vito and Faeto on a 41-kilometre loop through medieval villages, beech woods and viewpoints over the southern Apennines. More information here: https://www.sentierifrassati.org/i-sentieri-frassati/sentiero-frassati-della-puglia

Trekking between medieval villages and unspoilt nature

For those who enjoy trekking among the medieval villages of the Monti Dauni, the Casonetto is an ideal starting point for the peaks of the area: Monte Cornacchia, Monte Serrone, Monte Sidone and Monte Altissimo. The CAI Foggia trails, including the route I Monti Dauni di cresta in cresta (The Monti Dauni from ridge to ridge), let you explore a landscape that changes with every season: thick with beech and Turkey oak in autumn, open and windy in summer, silent under snow in the cold months.

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Slow travel in the inland areas of Puglia

The Alta Valle del Celone is one of the most authentic territories for slow travel in Puglia’s inland areas. Here the mountain has never been a postcard backdrop: it is part of the rural economy, of peasant memory, of the shepherds’ routes. The Casonetto fits into this context as a link between nature, history and local communities.

Castelluccio Valmaggiore, with its compact historic centre and views over the surrounding valleys, is one of those villages best understood by walking through it slowly, without hurry. And the refuge, with its fire lit and its spartan rooms upstairs, is the most direct way to truly become part of it.

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Keep exploring the Alta Valle del Celone

The Rifugio Casonetto is just one of the places that make up the landscape of this valley. Discover more places in Castelluccio Valmaggiore and the Alta Valle del Celone: the villages of Celle di San Vito and Faeto, local traditions, the food and wine of the Daunian Subapennines, cultural itineraries and the intangible heritage of a territory that still has much to tell.