In Alberto's hut everybody was welcome, from local cracks, grumpy piste groomer personnel to foreign powder geeks. Unforgettable the selection of good wine (according to rumors 10.000 bottles where stocked in the wine cellar) for long winter evenings or the quick espresso break during a heavy ski day at the bar.

The Rifugio was built in 1860 as a simple shelter by Alberto's grand father(?) Giuseppe Guglielmina and subsequently expanded to a mountain hotel with the comport of the belle epoque. The then hotel was run by the  family for one century and a half and even hosted the Queen Gugliemina, consort of the Kingdom of Italy during the reign (1878–1900) of her husband, Umberto I.

Further prestigious hotels built by the Guglielmina family spread along the Alps and the Ligurian sea. Amongst them the Albergo del Monte Rosa in Alagna itself, Albergo delle Alpi in Riva Valdobbia (1871), Albergo d’Italia in Varallo Sesia (1879),  Albergo del Mottarone on the Maggiore lake (1884), Hotel Bellevue Alpino in Gignese (1900), Hotel Royal in Ospedaletti Ligure (1901) and the Grand Hotel Eden in Santa Margherita Ligure (1901).

The Rifugio Guglielmina was was closed in 1962. Only thanks to Albertos restless efforts, the Rifugio reopended after being restructured in 1994, offering 40 guest beds in charming wooden rooms.

In addition to the cozy atmosphere high up at the Col d'Olen in Alagna, the location of the Rifugio at 2880m of altitude gave its guests great views over the surrounding mountains and valleys. Due to the altitude, the blue sky there appeared more blue than elsewhere, and particularly bright moon nights over winter landscapes were worth being lived Guglielminas terrace.

I noticed many young "freeride package-tourists" adhering to the Playstation generation who apparently were confronted with living in a mountain hut for their first time in life. They enjoyed getting to know new perspectives away from their known comfort zones.