Regional Cuisine: Local Specialties, Wines, Restaurants

The cuisine of the Alto Adige/Südtirol is far more German than it is Italian. Menus feature canederli (bread dumplings), spätzle (egg noodles) and gulasch (a stew of beef, venison or wild boar). The most celebrated local product is speck, a ham that is dry-cured by salt, smoke and fresh air. The finest kind, Speck Alto Adige PGI, is manufactured according to strict rules: The salted pork hindquarters are cured for 22 weeks, after which a salt crust of specific thickness is applied. Some of the region’s best wines are made by Alois Lageder, a house founded in 1823 and now run by a fifth generation of winemakers. Of particular note are the refined Pinot Bianco Dolomiti and Pinot Grigio Dolomiti. For wine tastings and purchases, visit the Weinschenke Vineria Paradeis in the village of Magrè. The region is also famous for its grappa, a spirit distilled exclusively from grape skins. To sample excellent local cuisine in unpretentious surroundings, try Fink in Bressanone or Vögele in Bolzano. One restaurant not to miss in the Alto Adige/Südtirol is Zur Rose in San michele, seven miles southwest of Bolzano, where chef Herbert Hintner has presided over a distinguished kitchen since 1985. Signature dishes include mint risotto with pike perch; veal kidneys with potatoes and mustard sauce; and sweet dumplings with pears stewed in elderberry wine.