Maria Luisa Refuge area, Formazza, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province, Piedmont, Italyi

Regional Level Types
Maria Luisa Refuge area	Mountain Area
Formazza	Commune
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province	Province
Piedmont	Region
Italy	- not defined -

Rifugio Maria Luisa is located in Val Toggia/Toggiatal at 2150 m a.s.l., on the plateau known as Alpe Toggia/Im Moos, near the dam of the Toggia hydroelectric reservoir (Bacino del Toggia; Lago Toggia/Fischsee). At the upper end of Val Toggia, drained by Rio Roni, San Giacomo Pass (2313 m) connects Formazza Valley with Bedretto Valley, Ticino (Switzerland). To the south of San Giacomo Pass, the left orographic side of Val Toggia is edged by the ridge including Marchhorn/Punta del Termine (2962 m), Pizzo Fiorina (2925 m), Bocchetta di Val Maggia (2635 m), Corni di Boden (*), Bocchetta del Castel/Kastellücke (2714 m), and Kastelhorn/Punta del Castel (3128 m). Laghi del Boden (2348 m and 2342 m) and Lago Castel/Kastelsee (2216 m) are located below this ridge. Near Rifugio Maria Luisa are located the mouths of two right-side valleys of Val Toggia: Valrossa/Rotental, surrounded by Corno Mutt (2782 m), Corno Brunni (2862 m), Grieshorn/Corno Gries (2968 m), Rotentalhorn/Punta di Val Rossa (2968 m), and Elgenhorn/Punta di Elgio (2837 m); and the little Vallone delle Marmotte, surrounded by the E and SE flanks of Corno Brunni and SW and S flanks of Corno Mutt.


Quartz is the typical mineral of this area and the drusy aggregates of very elongated hyaline crystals (sometimes containing splendid Japanese twins up to 4 cm), which are found inside the clefts in micaschist along Rio Röni (Rio Roni) and near San Giacomo Pass, are particularly renowned. From these occurrences, dark amber anatase crystals and minor brookite are also typical. Different colours (commonly yellow to yellow-brown, less frequently red-brown, rarely black-blue) can be shown by the anatase crystals from Pizzo Fiorina and Corni di Boden. Also rutile, the other polymorph of titanium dioxide, forms good crystals in this area, occurring at various sites in Valrossa/Rotental, Val Toggia and at Marchhorn/Punta del Termine.

Titanite, a widespread mineral at many sites of the upper Formazza Valley, is particularly abundant in the neighbourhood of Rifugio Maria Luisa. Yellow-brown to reddish-brown titanite crystals are found inside the clefts, containing abundant adularia, that cut a heavily fractured schist outcropping from the grassy knolls in proximity of the refuge (mainly near Alpe Teller at the mouth of Vallone delle Marmotte, as well as in Valrossa/Rotental).

Kyanite is typically found at Kastelhorn/Punta del Castel and in the neighbourhood of Lago Castel.


(*) Corni di Boden (unnamed on maps) is the name of the ridge comprised between Bocchetta di Val Maggia to the north and Bocchetta del Castel/Kastellücke to the south.

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References