World's loneliest house; 100 year-old Italian shack remains a mystery

Buffa di Perrero was supposedly built during WWI by Italian soldiers. Photo / Fhithich, Flickr

Clamber 2800 metres above sea level, across the rocky faces of Italy's Dolomite Mountains, and you'll find Buffa di Perrero.

What you won't find, is an explanation of how this bizarrely placed house got there.

For decades people have pondered how earth removal workers could have accessed the house, which was believed to be constructed more than 100 years ago during WWI.

Legend has it that Italian soldiers built the hidden shelter so they could hide from the elements and rest from battling Austro-Hungarians.

The death-defying architecture would have been accessed by a risky mountain path, rope ladders or temporary cable carts.

Although, those tempted to try climbing the trail, which is part of the Via Ferrata Ivano Dibona, are warned it requires a "high level of fitness".

Italian for 'iron path', the Via Ferrata has steel ladders, rungs and cables attached to the steep mountain face.

Mountaineers using the steel cables to reach Buffa di Perrero. Photo / Fhithich, Flickr

If you successfully use the steel ladders, rungs and cables attached to the steep mountain faces on Via Ferrata (Italia for 'iron path), you're free to take a look inside the mysterious house.

Just don't be disappointed by the drab wooden interior, which includes some white wooden chairs and little else.

Like any famous thing, Buffa di Perrero has inspired copycats.

The Auronzo section of Club Alpino Italiano (CAI), which cares for hiking trails in the area, has built a modern shelter that was helicoptered up onto the Forcella Marmarole pass.

Navigating our collection_1: architecture coming from the sky: Demogo's Bivouac Fanton (on display in our At Home exhibition) on the Dolomites finally placed in its site by helicopter 2 days ago @Museo_MAXXI @s_gobbo @triennalemilano @FA_Platform @quodlibet_ @philipperahm pic.twitter.com/Jr0C0m9BkP

— pippo ciorra (@pippociorra) September 16, 2020

Not for the faint of heart, the accommodation's positioning make it appear as though it is tumbling down the mountain range ad demands a gruelling five-hour hike to reach it.