In this charming noble stronghold, owner Elisabeth Rabensteiner has skilfully rounded off the original massive volumes with unique local design. But the real novelty of 2025 is La Lumosa, a gourmet restaurant run by the very young René Tschager. He is refreshing the local repertoire with a confident hand.
With fewer than 2,000 residents and a landscape combed by alpine winds, upon arriving in Villandro, it feels like stepping into another postcard compared to the bustling square of Bolzano. The half-hour drive between them is a continuous change of scenery, leading to this small village nestled in the grassy pastures at 880 meters. However, the reasons for climbing the zigzagging streets of the town go far beyond the idea of a “trekking” vacation: here you will find one of the most emblematic castles in the Tyrolean region, which over time became first a courthouse and then an inn, before gradually transforming into a fortress hotel with 12 charming suites.
Don't expect a fake historical reenactment decked out in sequins, though: at Ansitz Steinbock, every door has remained the same, retaining its hinges and handles, complete with “Gothic-style” latches. What's more, the spruce parquet floors have been “singing” for centuries, adapting their sound to the footsteps of newcomers, while the old owner's coat of arms still dominates the façade, introducing the former barn converted into an annex. If you are wondering who had the foresight to turn back the clocks inside and outside the walls, you will be surprised to discover that behind it all is the vision of a single landlady: Elisabeth Rabeinsteiner, who was able to take over, restore, and relaunch the property at the age of just twenty.
It was not easy to mitigate the impact of the changes made previously, which had robbed the castle of some of its archaic charm. But the result rewarded the efforts and ambitions of the owner, who deserves credit for her ability to spot talent with the potential for recognition. We are referring in particular to chef René Tschager, a young man born in 2000 and already winner of WorldSkills Italy in Bolzano in 2020, and head sommelier Bastian Winkler, thanks to whom the hotel won the South Tyrol Wine Culture Award 2024 (and in the same year received the Best Hotel 2024 Gault&Millau award). So, please excuse us for postponing the “tour of the castle” for a few paragraphs: we will immediately focus on the features of La Lumosa, fine dining with a team whose average age is curiously low for the level of experience offered.
La Lumosa restaurant: the cuisine of a talented chef under 30 in a historic castle
René is the kind of chef who, while handing a guest a finger food covered with a shower of flaked veal heart, is already explaining his approach to winning over the gruff local artisans. “It takes time to win them over: they need to be absolutely certain that you will use every single edible part of the product. Otherwise, they won't give it to you even if you beg them on your knees.”
He marinates the beef heart with herbs, puts it in the fridge for a week at -10 degrees and waits for it to take on the consistency of beef jerky, then it is dried and grated over a mini sandwich with veal tartare. This is a very brief summary, because when asked about the process, he doesn't go into much detail: “Basically, we're not inventing anything, it's the ingredients that speak for themselves.” The meeting of raw and cooked was the catalyst, a bold right hook in the protein ring that heralded the style of the dinner to come. No, we're not at the tasting stage yet: the snack appears as an extra on the menu, warming up the mood in the underground cellar, where you can stop for a “timeless sip” among walls crowded with bottles and ceilings carved into the rock.
Bastian Winkler and Assistant Mâitre and sommelier Juri Erlacher move around with ease, both excellent narrators of the research conducted on niche labels. Thus, surrounded by lit candles that illuminate an alcoholic heritage of 800 references, we prepare to return to the main building to sit down in the old speck smoking room of Castel Steinbock. And here comes the real epiphany: today, in its place, there is a gourmet restaurant with four tables, where the only trace of smoke is that which marks the chef's tasting during the most important stages of the journey. It is no coincidence that the name “La Lumosa” combines two senses in one: the view of the illuminated room and the volatile fragrance of the food caressed by the flame a few meters away.
The menu and dishes
Il Grande e il Piccolo Viaggio (The Big and Small Journey) (6 courses for €149 and 5 courses for €132 respectively) are introduced by a natural carousel of finger food placed on smooth tree branches. The daily harvest of porcini mushrooms from a farmer in Villandro is used to make a homemade buckwheat taco, which becomes extroverted in the mouth with the boost of chanterelle mushrooms pickled for two weeks. Whatever your approach to the ham and melon craze, know that here the patina of the 1980s classic is washed away by Giuseppe Giusti's caramelized melon, potato flour chips, prosciutto, and aged balsamic vinegar cream: the crunch adds bite to the juicy sensation, completely restoring the summer scene. Speck is a must in a high-altitude aperitif: “E so we pair it with figs for a duet of savory and roundness, using beef saddle from a butcher in Ponte Gardena to replace the pancetta.” The curing period is close to four weeks, and the smoky flavor flows continuously over the jaw.
If the amuse-bouches were truly entertaining (avoiding the usual refrain of forgettable bonbons), René's “poetic license” on vitel tonné is no less playful. “We treat our local veal like carne salada and, to provide contrast, we serve it with tuna sashimi”. The dish features a “double protein” rose, which is also reflected in a French vinaigrette with homemade basil oil. In addition to the slight acidity of the black cumado cherry tomatoes, the iodine flavor of the caviar plays to its advantage. Spoiler alert: you can choose between 5 or 10 grams of caviar added live, and if you want to resist temptation, the taste will gain in balance. Spoiler number 2: René is on his sixth version of the recipe, so expect a variation in the coming seasons.
The redemption of the sardine (far from being a poor man's fish!) comes in the form of a “pointillist” presentation with pink pepper and bell pepper cream, plus caper leaves for a refreshing touch. The fillets, salted for 3 hours, are cooked on a Japanese yakitori grill for 2-3 minutes, keeping the flesh firm, as is typical of raw fish. After satisfying your carbohydrate craving with sourdough bread—to be dipped at regular intervals in miso hollandaise sauce and whipped butter—it's time for the dry-aged sea bream with tamarind and prunes. It's interesting because “it's seared on the grill only on the skin side, so that it remains crispy without altering the delicacy of the week-long dry aging process.” Butter for browning? Not here: “We want the subtle aromas of the dry aging to come through.” Beautiful precision work on the fiber, with the slice in an escalation of overlapping textures. At the base, a hollandaise sauce made with fresh Villandro plums opens up to the world with a sweet and sour cream made with Thai tamarind.
Among the main courses, the Bressanone turkey stands out, the ethical mascot of the total use of the animal. You will find it broken down into a variety of preparations: first, the breast cooked twice, sous vide and yakitori; then Pulled Turkey (the alter ego of Pulled Pork) with braised legs, Storo polenta, and grilled corn; finally, a sandwich stuffed with chopped turkey and corn crumble. Before us, the food chain is broken down into a series of forkfuls, from grain to white meat.
The pre-dessert polishes up the mountain recipe book with a Panna cotta with hay, hay ice cream, and strauben (a local dessert traditionally fried in boiling oil, in this case paired with an apricot cream for the final reset). The “zero waste” theme continues with a banana-based creation - see the fruit peel transformed into caramelized chips plus banana bread, 70% dark chocolate mousse, white chocolate ganache, and coriander buttermilk. The unexpected epilogue, far from the usual sugary peaks: the accounts balance at the end.
The suites, breakfast, and the castle's “pop table”
New day, new tour: the visit to the manor resumes exactly where we left off, after a restful sleep that was at least as restorative as the previous evening's dinner. Perhaps this is because the Elisabeth suite has kept its promise of a warm welcome, softening the massive volumes of the manor with the refinement of its design. So, we find ourselves sleeping in the “former bay windows,” where walls up to 5 meters high enclose the Von Neuhaus Suite in honor of the noble owners of the Steinbock; Or you can enjoy the comfort of a two-story residence in the Römervilla, reminiscent of its barn origins but modernized with an infrared sauna, a freestanding bathtub, and a bathroom designed by Antonio Lupi.
So, as soon as you emerge from a shower scented with mountain pine (the alpine cosmetics set is, needless to say, completely plastic-free), your appetite kicks in and leads you to the breakfast room, a “refuge within a refuge” framed by curtains and poufs to emphasize the homely authenticity of the wooden chairs. Remember the mushrooms from the Villandro farmer? We recommend repeating the experience by ordering a “baveuse” omelet, perhaps with a filling of speck and alpine cheese. As for desserts, the oat porridge with fresh berries, Linzer Torte, and pastries with apricot jam are the top choices.
The sprint for an excursion in the Eisack Valley leaves one last question unanswered: is there room for traditional fare in a place that has taken the gourmet route? The answer will come on the way back, on a sunny midday that welcomes the crisp autumn air: at the Steinbock Wirtsstube, steaming canederli, lake fish, and even dishes based on South Tyrol's oldest breed of sheep, the Villnösser Brillenschaf, are served. Villandro is certainly a new highlight on the South Tyrolean map.
Address
Ansitz Steinbock
Vicolo Franz von Defregger, 14, 39040 Villandro BZ
Phone: 0472 843111
