The Rifugio's cuisine

At Rifugio Lagdei we work tirelessy with respect for the environment, the surrounding places and most of all... our guests.

Here you will find a cuisine rooted in the tradition of the Apennines, made with simple, genuine ingredients and no artificial flavors.

Our pasta is homemade; the game meat is Italian, never frozen at origin, and cooked as mountain custom dictates; milk, polenta and many other ingredients come from organic farming.

Even the Parma Prosciutto Crudo is the sweet variety from our mountains, and the cold cuts are chosen with the utmost care. From Colonnata (Apuan Alps) comes the legendary IGP lard that accompanies our fried polenta.

Desserts, cakes and Spongata di Corniglio are all made by our cooks, Adele and Giusi.

We are not a restaurant, we are a mountain hut!

We simply set the table with placemats on wooden tables, and use heavy-duty porcelain dishes that lasts. We set the table with only one glass and the wine glasses are provided upon request. As well as the change of cutlery between courses is done only if requested. It’s a simplicity that respects the environment. If tables are not reserved, you’re also welcome to sit and enjoy a snack brought from home.

Youcan see a sample menu here. Please note that some dishes may vary

At Lagdei, you won’t find “wild boar bites braised with herbs and served on a soft bed of fresh polenta.” What you will find is simply “Wild Boar and Polenta.”

Our menu has its own style: a few things done well. Two or three appetizers, three or four first courses, four or five main dishes, and just as many desserts. Maybe a few extra dishes on quiet days, and a few less when we’re busy. Like I said: a few things done well.

The flavors you’ll taste at Rifugio Lagdei come from carefully selected ingredients, “handled” by our cooks: Adele and Giusi. Two women — said without any cliché — of the mountains, born and raised in the Appenines. They have something in their hands beyond cooking technique, a kind of instinct, that gives our dishes that special something.

You’ll find polenta served with wild boar or baked with cheese, mushrooms, and salami. There’s Corniglio lamb, gnocchi, venison tagliatelle, cappelletti in broth (meat-based), the 27-vegetable soup, potato and leek tortelloni...

Parma’s Prosciutto Crudo, produced in our mountains, and other traditional cold cuts are never missing. Homemade fruit tarts or the legendary chestnut semifreddo (made with nocino liqueur) sweeten the end of your meal.

Our Apennines are a borderland and a place of exchange with neighboring Tuscany. This closeness is reflected in our dishes, such as the traditional Testaroli from Lunigiana with pesto or the Lardo di Colonnata, meant to melt over freshly fried polenta.

The Spongata of Corniglio (a traditional product of Emilia Romagna) is of ancient origin. The spongata we make at Rifugio Lagdei is extraordinary. The recipe comes from the great-grandmother of our cook, Adele: a filling that requires a very long preparation, made with many walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, toasted bread, a hint of spices, and more.

All of this is encased in a thin dough, pressed with a traditional mold, and baked in the oven.

Although it is traditionally a Christmas dessert, you can find it here all year round. The Appennino Tosco-Emiliano National Park, straddling Emilia and Tuscany, is not only a land of nature and culture but also the protected area with the highest concentration of typical products with DOP, IGP, and PAT certifications (traditional regional agri-food products).

More info here.