Da Aurelio Rifugio Piezza

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

A Gourmet Table at 2,175 Metres

Passo Giau is one of the most dramatic passes in the Dolomites, and Da Aurelio Rifugio Piezza sits at its heart — at 2,175 metres above sea level, surrounded by the peaks of Ra Gusela, Averau, Marmolada and Sella. This is not a place you stumble upon; you come here with intention, and the restaurant rewards that effort with cooking that earned it 2 Forks from Gambero Rosso.

More Than Fifty Years of Family

The story behind Da Aurelio spans generations. It began with papà Aurelio and has been carried forward by his son Gigi — Luigi Dariz — whose name is now synonymous with the kitchen. Over fifty years of family passion underpin every plate, giving the place a rootedness that no amount of design can manufacture.

Chef Luigi Dariz and the Alpine Kitchen

Chef Gigi Dariz interprets alpine culture in a distinctly personal way: refined and satisfying, balancing substance with elegance, tradition with innovation. His cooking draws directly from the high-altitude landscape of the Giau plateau. The team forages wild herbs and edible alpine flowers from the surrounding meadows, preserving and preparing them using both ancient knowledge and contemporary technique.

The results are dishes where Giau hay lends a delicate fragrance to passatelli broth, porcini mushrooms are transformed into an earthy "soil" around a soft egg, and wild greens accompany game. Small local producers are central to this philosophy — cheeses from Colle Santa Lucia, Dolomite saffron — set alongside carefully chosen ingredients from further afield. The menu, available as a tasting or à la carte, changes with the seasons.

The Cellar and the View

The wine list runs to over 600 labels, selected for the best Italian and international production, with a particular focus on Champagne and a growing interest in natural wines — well suited to thoughtful food-and-wine pairing.

The dining room opens onto a glass veranda, and at lunch the sun-drenched terrace offers a 360-degree panorama across the Dolomite peaks. The setting is, quite simply, one of a kind.

The Taste of Nature

For years, Da Aurelio has also hosted popular courses on wild mountain herbs — The Taste of Nature — open to all and held each summer at Passo Giau. It is a fitting extension of a kitchen whose deepest inspiration has always been the extraordinary natural world right outside its door.