Summit happiness for foodies: The six best gourmet huts in South Tyrol
For many hikers, stopping off after the ascent is part of the mountain experience. The summit is a hut with excellent food. We present five alpine pastures for gourmets in the South Tyrolean mountains.
The one with one
Links marked with a symbol or underline are affiliate links. If a purchase is made, we will receive one
commission – at no extra cost to you! More info
This combination is unique: In South Tyrol, the down-to-earth, hearty, local mountain farmer’s food meets the aromatic, fine Italian cuisine. And that in front of a backdrop that is second to none – on the one hand the bizarrely shaped rock formations of the Dolomites, on the other the Alps with their glaciers. There are many mountain huts here that have dedicated themselves to innovative alpine cuisine and surprise their guests with delicacies. You don’t have to be an experienced high alpinist or a fit mountaineer to reach these gourmet spots. We present six gourmet alpine pastures that can be reached on easy hiking tours. Heavenly pleasure experiences above the clouds with magnificent views!
1. Rauchhütte: sensation on the Alpe di Siusi
Above the holiday resorts of Kastelruth, Seis and Völs is Europe’s largest mountain pasture, the Alpe di Siusi. Here at 1850 meters above sea level, surrounded by the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies the Rauchhütte with a sensational view of the Sassolungo and Sassopiatto rock massifs. In 2018, the hut keepers Helga and Andreas Lageder converted the alp of their ancestors in the Alpine style and now run it with their daughter Maria. Maria is a sommelier and as soon as you enter the Rauchhütte, various rare wines and fine glasses catch your eye. Her passion includes more than 300 labels from local and international wineries, most of which are also available by the glass.
Mama Helga is a marathon runner and pulls the strings as a whirlwind: whether collecting wild herbs for the homemade Schlutzkrapfen or at the stove for classic Italian cuisine, as well as at the bar or in service. For this, she was recently named South Tyrolean hostess of the year by the Gault&Millau gourmet guide. Papa Thomas, also a magician in the kitchen, also handles the grill for the popular Fiorentina steaks. The alpine-traditional-Mediterranean dishes have already delighted the palate of the century chef Eckart Witzigmann. The cozy and elegant furnishings of the alpine restaurant and the sensational 360-degree view of the Dolomites ensure further pleasure.
2. Daniel Hut: Insider tip for enjoyment on the Seceda
Many paths lead to the rustic Daniel Hut: it is on the sunny side of the Val Gardena Dolomites, in the Puez-Geisler Nature Park, at 2240 meters above sea level on the Seceda Alm. Depending on your taste, the leisurely hike can last from one hour to three and a half hours expand round trip. The starting point is the Col Raiser, to which the cable car from St. Christina also goes. The “Baita Daniel” has stood on a sunny alpine meadow since 1971, when Daniel Demez, who gave it its name, inherited the property from his father-in-law and built the hut with friends.
His son Samuel and his wife Brigitte have made it an insider tip for gourmets with local delicacies, Italian specialties and South Tyrolean wines. The menu includes, for example, smoked venison sausage, barley soup, chef’s spaghetti and strudel, all homemade. In addition, a glass of South Tyrolean or Italian wine from the stone cellar and live music several times a week – this is how rustic hut magic goes with romance!
3. Talschlusshütte: fine cuisine in Fischleintal
Luis Trenker once summed up how beautiful the Fischleintal in the Drei Zinnen Nature Park is when he described it as “the most beautiful valley in the world”. From sixths In the Alta Pusteria, the leisurely hike leads over a distance of 4.5 kilometers through the valley, past flower meadows, larches, forests and brooks to the Talschlusshütte. It is 1548 meters above sea level and is surrounded by the Sesto Dolomites: the imposing limestone towers of the Croda Rossa, the peaks of the Sesto sundial and the Dreischusterspitze.
The location of the hut is as majestic as the food is royal. Because the host family Villgrater not only cooks hearty South Tyrolean specialties, but also Mediterranean and light ones for mountain sports enthusiasts. The motto of the “Bauernkuchl” is always: “Nature and tradition”. Almost all the ingredients come from the area or from our own herb garden in front of the hut. Feasts are what the people of Villgrat call their food, and in fact enjoyment begins with a feast for the eyes. Lovingly arranged, for example in wooden boxes with fresh hay, the guest’s heart is already beating as soon as they are served. And then there is the view of the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site!
4. Rifugio Averau: Delight over Cortina d’Ampezzo
Admittedly, geographically Cortina d’Ampezzo is no longer part of South Tyrol (around 15 kilometers), but in the neighboring region of Veneto, province of Belluno. But the sophisticated mountain resort is surrounded by the Ampezzo Dolomites, which are also part of the Unesco World Heritage Site. There are more than 50 so-called rifugi here. The translation as a mountain hut does not exactly describe most rifugi, for some it sounds rather insulting. As for the stylish Rifugio Averau at 2413 meters altitude. When landlord Sandrone Siorpaes starts to list the ten pasta dishes for the starter, you almost get dizzy. Not because his wife’s creations sound as sophisticated as spicy tagliatelle with currants and venison or lasagne with pheasant and broccoli – which impressed the British newspaper “Sunday Times” so much that they voted the Rifugio one of the ten best mountain restaurants in the Alps. But because he enumerates them at such a pace that the exhausted wanderer can no longer keep up.
This light screen could also come from the stunning panoramic view of Civetta, the Marmolada, the highest mountain in the Dolomites and the Cinque Torri. Or is it the wine list? Sandrone is also a wine lover and, with his sommelier Matteo, has more than 170 Italian and European labels in the wine cellar. One more reason to spend the night on the Averau. Because half-board includes a breakfast buffet with home-baked bread and home-made jam and dinner with five starters, four main courses, dessert and, of course, matching wines.
5. Zmailer-Hof: Farmhouse cuisine at toque level
On the other side of the Brenner autobahn are the Alps. Around Meran it is the Sarntal Alps. The moderately difficult hike to the Zmailer-Hof starts in Schenna, which is a little above Merano. After around two hours you have arrived at 1100 meters and a fantastic view of the Adige Valley, the Merano valley basin and the surrounding mountains, which are up to 3000 meters high, opens up. Even if the Zmailer-Hof is not a classic alpine hut, but a mountain farm – as soon as Martha Thaler puts her pots on the stove and the smell of nettle, cheese and bacon dumplings beckons, this little subtlety is forgotten.
Parts of the old farmhouse are under monument protection, such as the kitchen, the hallway or the beautiful frescoes at the house entrance. The warm hostess’s fan club extends far beyond the borders of South Tyrol and is a testament to her feel for everything that tastes good. The bar has even been mentioned several times in the renowned gourmet guide Gault&Millau. The Zmailer-Hof belongs to the quality brand “Roter Hahn” and the farmer’s wife Martha serves up classics such as Kaiserschmarrn, strudel and donuts in addition to other specialties from the region – in her rustic parlor or on the large sun terrace. If you want more and still have room in your backpack, you can take fruit spreads or syrup with you to take home.
6. Gompm Alm: Festival for foodies
The alp is not enough for him: Helli Gufler, the art-loving innkeeper of the Gompn-Alm located at 1800 meters in the Hirzer hiking area above Schenna, has now also created a gin. “Edelschwarz” is the name of his organic gin, which he traditionally produces with 17 botanicals using the London Dry Gin process with mountain spring water and hay. Exclusively organic ingredients, including edelweiss and blackberries, like everything that can be consumed on the alp.
Helli and Nadja call their Alpine-Mediterranean specialties genuine cuisine with a modern South Tyrolean signature, which also includes the homemade organic farmer’s bread. Another special feature on the rustic Alm is the food festival “the unplugged taste”, which will take place again in summer 2024. At this peak of indulgence, a number of South Tyrolean top chefs, who have been awarded stars and toques, come together and prepare dishes on old wood-fired ovens. South Tyrolean winegrowers serve their best wines with every course. There are also treats for the ears: shows by local musicians. And for the eyes anyway: The view over spruces and larches to the Sarntal Alps.
- Info: gompmalm.itearly May and until November, closed on Tuesdays