Haute cuisine in Alta Badia

The star-filled skies offer those who visit Alta Badia an unforgettable spectacle. The pale peaks of the Dolomites intensify the twinkling of stars and constellations that at these altitudes, seem almost within reach, as if you could just stand on tiptoe and touch them. Illusions, perhaps. Far closer and more tangible are the stars that shine in the firmament of Badia's restaurants.

Here, among silent woods and mountain profiles sculpted by time, cuisine has been  transformed into a sensory experience and an identifying narrative. More than just nourishment, it is culture, memory and vision. Beyond the pleasures of Nature and sport, the culture of hospitality is a feather in the area’s cap. It is a gourmet refuge not just for Italians, but as is increasingly the case, other travellers drawn from every corner of the globe, together with great expectations. Winter activities on the ski slopes or Summer hikes among the Dolomite peaks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are complemented by the pleasures of the palate and the wine cellar together with the warmth and Alpine elegance of its hotels and restaurants: whether they embody traditional Ladin cuisine or are true champions of creativity and innovation. Haute cuisine in Alto Adige, among the most “starred” of Italy’s regions in relation to its population, has its principal focal points in the quaint villages of Alta Badia, as in the past and today. This is both excellence and an exception for over 50 years, offering a classic style softened by Mediterranean influences and featuring distinctive traits for decades. At the same time, it is a mountain and rural tradition preserved in a rich repertoire of products and recipes from the past, a gastronomic culture layered over the centuries in the harsh and rugged world of mountain farming, which the valley's chefs have rediscovered and re-evaluated. From international standards to local cuisine interpreted with a contemporary twist, this culinary island has reaped significant recognition over time.

In 2017, it achieved a breakthrough with 6 Michelin Stars: three award-winning restaurants within a few kilometers of narrow roads. Among them was the region's first three-starred restaurant, St. Hubertus with Norbert Niederkofler at the Hotel Rosa Alpina, later recognised by the Michelin Restaurant Guide and including the region's first “Green Star” for sustainability.

Memorable. The basis for this success was established in the early 2000s, when the idea of ​​a global market was challenged by a new environmental and local sensitivity. Chef Niederkofler at St. Hubertus certainly grasped the importance of climate change beyond climate itself, launching the “Cook The Mountain” movement in order to offer distinctive cuisine that drew on the delicious resources of the mountains - an innovative idea that has had a considerable international impact.

In the same way, unconventional dishes emerged from the kitchens of Siriola di Ciasa Salares and from another source of Badia hospitality, La Perla in Corvara. Owner Michil Costa emphasized not only a more “human” approach to hotel management but also a more contemporary awareness of food and beverages, with an innovative approach to the world of wine that reflected a greater focus on “natural” products, local culture, and the more than just technological ethics of environmental protection. The house that is home to the monumental temple of Sassicaia and the sensory and emotional journey through the cellar, developed by Michil Costa through years of passion and a hint of irreverence established a new style both inside and outside the dining room. “It was a truly exhilarating season” recalls Costa. “Niederkofler (who overturned the paradoxes of the global market with “Cook the Mountain”, earning Three Stars in the process) and Stefan Wieser, the owner of Siriola, encouraged everyone to develop and simply do better.”

Today, Alta Badia's starred tradition, rooted in the early days of Alpine tourism and continuing to evolve with contemporary grace, is superbly represented by the Michelin stars shining at Stüa de Michil thanks to the talent of chef Simone Cantafio, and at Marco Verginer's Porcino restaurant where he has managed to realize his dream of hospitality with Badia Hill, a splendid resort in Badia specializing in gourmet dining.

At Stüa de Michil, set in the elegant and warm embrace of the Hotel La Perla, time seems to slow down. The stube (panelled rooms) lined with antique wood create an intimate, almost domestic atmosphere, where every detail tells a story of authentic hospitality. Here, chef Simone Cantafio orchestrates cuisine that is both thought and poetry. Born in 1985, raised in the province of Milan but with Calabrian origins, Cantafio has carved out an impressive career in the kitchens of Carlo Cracco, Gualtiero Marchesi, Georges Blanc and Michel Bras. In 2015, he became chef-director of the Michel Bras restaurant in Toya, Japan, an experience that profoundly influenced his culinary vision.

“Working in the kitchen means knowing the raw materials and knowing how to transform them, but also, all too often, leaving aside ingredients that could have a second life. The whole project emerged from there, from this awareness” says the chef, referring to his commitment to the “No Waste” project. “We realized that a good deal of our high-quality material was being wasted, so as early as December 2025, we contacted the Badia Food Bank to donate some portions. Then we saw that there really was a vast amount of material, and we extended the project by creating an anti-waste dinner for the homeless guests at Dormizil in Bolzano.” His links to the land are profound and almost obsessive in the selection of raw materials, often sourced from small local producers. “This is cuisine closely tied to rural activity, especially in the sourcing of raw materials” he explains, also underlining the similarities between Alpine and Japanese culture.

The tasting menu is an emotional journey. It opens with “Scaldami l'Anima”, a warm and enveloping gesture that welcomes the guest which is followed by vibrant vegetable compositions and dishes that interweave Japanese influences and Alpine soul. Each course is a balance between rural memory and a modern vision. The chef’s vision of the future is best summed up as “a ‘bistronomic’ trattoria that allows us to offer dishes from Ladin rural culture, expanding the potential of the Stüa to embrace a more accessible, family-friendly restaurant”.

In Badia, overlooking one of the most evocative views of the Dolomites, the Porcino restaurant at Badia Hill is instead a hymn to light and creative freedom. Modern and essential, it continually engages with the landscape, and Marco Verginer's cuisine reflects this openness: it's dynamic, curious, capable of combining an Alpine soul with Mediterranean echoes. Trained at top restaurants like Andreas Caminada's Schloss Schauenstein and De Librije, Verginer has developed cuisine that is both precise and contemporary. “First of all, we try to highlight our local resources, such as the wagyu beef raised on the Renon plateau in Alto Adige” he explains. “We use every part of the animal, but we don't necessarily limit ourselves to our area: we try to blend the Alpine world with the Mediterranean, with marine and citrus flavors.” Here, the forest enters the dishes with elegance and intensity. The scent of fir, the depth of porcini mushrooms and the richness of local meats are intertwined with marine notes, citrus and spices, creating harmonious and unexpected contrasts. The fir-smoked lobster is an experience that lingers: a dish that expresses the territory through a new, evocative, almost cinematic language. Even the simplest gestures, like the bread and butter which guests are greeted with, become moments of pure pleasure, a prelude to a journey that engages all the senses.

If at the Stüa de Michil you inhale introspection and a sense of rootedness, at Porcino you experience an openness to the world. These are two different yet complementary characters that go to make Alta Badia a unique destination for those seeking not only the beauty of Nature but also the more subtle and enduring charm of top-class cuisine.

In these valleys, the stars are not just up in the sky: they sparkle in the dishes, in the gestures and in the visions of those who have chosen to transform the mountains into a place of emotion and thought.