“Founding an Alpine club in Fiume seems ironic to me.”
Adolfo Pellegrini, 1884
Despite being a maritime city, Fiume (now Rijeka) gave birth to a strong alpine spirit — one that resisted wars, borders, exile, and time.
Foundation and Early Years
On December 26th, 1884, architect Ferdinand Brodbeck and journalist Adolfo Pellegrini met with 16 friends in a tavern to found the Club Alpino Fiumano.
On January 12th, 1885, the club’s statute was approved. Brodbeck was elected the first president.
Early excursions explored the Karst region and later extended to the Dolomites and Western Alps. In 1913, the first official guidebook “Guide to Fiume and Its Mountains” was published under the name of Guido Depoli.
A Voice and an Identity
In 1902, the section launched its magazine Liburnia, published regularly until 1930 (with a break during WWI). It resumed in 1963 and is still active.
In 1914, the club adopted a badge featuring the CAI star blended into an edelweiss and the city’s double-headed eagle.
The First Redeemed Section of CAI
In 1919, even before Fiume officially became part of Italy, the CAI General Congress welcomed the Club Alpino Fiumano as the first “redeemed” section of the Italian Alpine Club.
Building and Losing a Mountain Home
Between 1921 and 1935, the section built six alpine refuges — later lost following WWII and the Paris Treaty, when Fiume, Istria, and Dalmatia were annexed to Yugoslavia.
This led to a forced exodus of Fiuman Italians, who had to leave behind homes, land, and mountains.
Rebirth in Exile
In 1949, the “Monte Nevoso Skiers’ Group” held its first gathering on Mount Bondone. The will to rebuild the section took form.
In 1964, an old dairy near Mount Pelmo — Malga Durona — was transformed into the Città di Fiume Refuge, inaugurated with CAI President Virginio Bertinelli present.
Leadership and Milestones
- 1960: Arturo Dalmartello becomes president.
- 1976: Aldo Innocente celebrates the section’s centenary in 1985.
- 2007: Refuge is restored and re-inaugurated with 400 people attending.
- 2012: Recognized as a “particular section” by CAI due to its unique nature — no headquarters, no territory, but active across all of Italy.
Today, the section continues with members “Fiuman by choice rather than by origin,” upholding its mission:
attract, accept, amalgamate.
The story of a community that carried its mountains in its heart — and rebuilt them wherever it settled.
Link to download the original PDF (if desired):