Early in the morning, Barbara Hohenegger carries a basket into the Hotel Lichtenstern on the Ritten (Renon). Inside is whatever her vegetable garden in Unterinn (Auna di Sotto) yields that day. That might be zucchini and tomatoes, mâche, leeks or celery, with black currants and raspberries in between. How full the basket is depends, as she puts it, on the weather, the moon and the season.
Several of our partner hotels tell stories like this, and yet no two are the same. Some hotels run a farm of their own, others a garden. Still others name the bakery, the butcher and the farms they buy from. At Lake Kaltern (Lago di Caldaro), the wine and beer are made in-house.
From their own farm to the hotel kitchen
A few minutes from the Naturhotel Leitlhof in Innichen (San Candido) lies the Mühlhof, the hotel's own farm, which the host family runs themselves. Angus cattle live there, and their beef is served exclusively at the Leitlhof. Seasonal vegetables, herbs, potatoes and berries also grow in the large garden and in the farm's fields and are used in the hotel kitchen. Head chef Markus Auer and his team cook with rhubarb, lettuce and zucchini from the hotel garden or the Mühlhof and give the dishes a finishing touch with herbs they have planted themselves. The hotel describes its cuisine as regional recipes with a Mediterranean influence.
In Dorf Tirol (Tirolo) near Merano, the farm story is also a family story. Markus, the brother of host Lisa at the Hotel Lisetta, wanted to be a farmer even as a child. In 2001 he bought the Meringerhof in Rabland (Rablà) at auction, and today he runs it with his wife Sieglinde and son Lukas. The farm has orchards and vegetable fields, pigs, calves and chickens. Eggs, speck, cheese, salami, honey, juices and homemade jams come from the Meringerhof to the hotel. You will find them at the breakfast buffet and on the menu.
At breakfast, it is worth taking a closer look. The eggs come from the farm's hens, the cold cuts partly from the Meringerhof and partly from a local butcher, and fruit and vegetables, depending on the season, partly from the farm. The honey also comes from two places: the Meringerhof and ten bee colonies in a secluded part of the hotel garden. In high summer, these bees move to the farm for a summer retreat. Vegetables and herbs for head chef Andreas's kitchen also grow in the vegetable garden of Lisa's mother, Brigitte. The kitchen prefers to get fresh, seasonal ingredients straight from the Meringerhof or from the local farmers' market.
If you would like to take some of it home, you will find the Meringerhof's farm shop on the road toward the Reschen Pass (Passo di Resia), just before Rabland. Depending on the season, it sells eggs, jams, juices, honey, speck and farmhouse salami, among other things.
Vegetables and herbs from the garden
Back to the Ritten. Barbara Hohenegger took over the Hotel Lichtenstern in Oberbozen (Soprabolzano) from her parents in 2017. Besides her vegetable garden in Unterinn, she tends the herb garden at the hotel, with basil, rosemary, sage, thyme, mint and lemon balm, as well as bay laurel, nasturtium and lovage, also known as the Maggi herb. In the restaurant, you will find the garden and its surroundings in dishes such as rose petal ravioli filled with mascarpone or basil ravioli filled with mushrooms. According to the hotel, the ingredients come from its own garden and from farmers in the area. Head chef Gerald Stampfl grew up in Unterinn himself.
The Aqua Bad Cortina in St. Vigil in Enneberg (San Vigilio di Marebbe) also has its own vegetable garden. For the summer, the hotel mentions salad greens and culinary herbs from this garden.
Named suppliers and clear origins
Also on the Ritten, right on Wolfsgruben Lake (Lago di Costalovara), the Weihrerhof takes a different approach. It names its suppliers one by one. The bread comes from the Niederstätter bakery, Ritten beef from the Weissensteiner butcher shop, lamb from the Weidnerhof, chicken from the Öbersthof, vegetables and salad greens from the Eggerhof, cheese from the Wolfhof and fish from Rio Plaocesa. The herbs grow in the hotel's own garden. Breakfast by the lake adds homemade jam and honey from the Plattner Bienenhof, about five kilometers away.
In Schenna (Scena) near Merano, the breakfast buffet at the Hotel Hilburger includes jams from the Martelltal (Val Martello), alongside South Tyrolean speck and cheese. The hotel sources its dairy products from South Tyrolean dairies.
The Hotel MASL in Vals (Valles) is a special case, because here the story leads up to the Fane Alm (Malga Fane). At its own hut in the alpine hut village, the hotel serves a Jause in summer, a hearty snack of alpine cheese, speck, Kaminwurz smoked sausage and Schüttelbrot crispbread. For the alpine cheese, the hotel points to the dairywomen of the Fane Alm.
Wine and beer made in-house
At Lake Kaltern, the focus shifts to the glass. The Moser family's SEELEITEN Lake Spa Hotel includes the Weingut Moser winery. The winery's cellar houses a brewery of its own, where Mendelbier is made. So the hotel's cuisine comes to the table with wines from its own production and house-brewed beer.
Finding out where your food comes from
At breakfast, feel free to ask what came from the farm or the garden that day. With gardens like the one in Unterinn in particular, the answer changes with the weather and the season. For a general overview of wine, speck, cheese and typical dishes, see our article South Tyrolean cuisine.