Today was our first full day on the Alta Via 1 trail. We hiked from Rifugio Biella to Rifugio Fanes which was 13.5 km (8.4 m) and 630m/870m elevation gain/loss (2070ft/2900ft). We passed by Rifugios Sennes and Fodara Vedla before a knee pounding descent to Rifugio Pederü on a dirt road that was built by the military in the 1960s. We stopped for drinks at Pederü before climbing up the valley to Rifugio Fanes, situated in a pasture basin backed by Col Becchei. This was on a Saturday and there were many hikers out for the weekend. Fanes was full - luckily we had called ahead from Biella the night before and snagged the last two beds in a dormitory room. At capacity, Fanes felt more like a bustling hotel then a cozy rifugio. The book had said "the atmosphere in this rambling establishment can verge on boisterous", which we certainly found to be true. If we were to do it again, we would probably opt for the nearby Rifugio Lavarella.