The Alpe di Papa Giovanni was begun by Don Francesco Brondello (1920-2015) on 25 March 1965. Don Francesco had accepted Pope John XXIII's invitation to create welcoming places to contemplate the beauty of creation and to stop to restore one's faith. Over the years Don Francesco arranged the huts and the green spaces that are the heart of the Alpe.
His own words can help us to begin to get to know the Alpe: "A place of encounter in prayer for all those who love the mountains and feel the need to be united among themselves and offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice, sing praises, read the Bible or simply talk in silence with God about the most personal and secret things. Dialogue, here more than elsewhere, can be more intimate, personal, decisive for life because it takes place in ideal conditions of environment and spirit".