Inside the charming Castel Ansitz Steinbock, a 15th-century noble residence in the heart of the Isarco Valley, the new fine dining restaurant “La Lumosa” welcomes guests in an intimate and evocative setting: just four exclusive tables located in the ancient “Selchkuchl,” where speck was once smoked.
Today, this space has become a refined blend of minimalism, luxury, and memory, where light (luma) and embers (fumosa) merge in an exclusive atmosphere.
Here, the young and talented chef René Tschager, inspired by Nordic cuisine, offers a 5- or 6-course gastronomic journey in which purism meets creativity, with grace and without excess.
Between light and memory, a new gourmet chapter opens at Castel Ansitz Steinbock. In this 15th-century noble residence, located in the authentic heart of the Isarco Valley, in Villandro, among orderly vineyards and alpine profiles, South Tyrolean gastronomic culture is enriched by an exceptional address.
It is “La Lumosa”, the new fine dining restaurant at Castel Ansitz Steinbock, which welcomes its guests in an intimate and sophisticated atmosphere, where every detail tells of a deep connection with the territory, the raw ingredients, and the light that has shone through the centuries. After all, Castel Ansitz Steinbock is a place where history, grandeur, and above all, pleasure blend together in perfect harmony. It is also where the hostess, Elisabeth Rabensteiner, has realized her dream: a refuge for those seeking a luxurious experience immersed in a warm and authentic atmosphere. In the hotel’s original stuben, which since 1750 have welcomed guests in search of good food and conviviality, today you can enjoy an unparalleled gastronomic experience, with dishes that combine local and international ingredients, always fresh and creative.
CHEF RENÉ TSCHAGER: PURISM MEETS COMPLEXITY
The restaurant “La Lumosa” is the realm of the talented local chef and enfant prodige René Tschager, born in 2000, (“Best Chef” at Worldskills Italy 2020, the national skills championships, and winner of the “Young Chef 2019” award from the South Tyrolean Chefs’ Association). In a gastronomic landscape often prone to excess, René Tschager serves up a menu of rare clarity. His modern, clean cuisine stands out for its formal rigor that in no way sacrifices imagination. Each dish is a concentrated experience, where a few meticulously selected elements blend together in a harmony of flavors and textures.
The approach is minimalist, but not ascetic: the impeccable technique serves to enhance the authentic flavor of the ingredients. There is a perceptible constant search for balance, a subtle dialogue between tradition and innovation, which translates into creations of surprising lightness and depth, enhancing the best local ingredients.
La Lumosa’s cuisine surprises with dishes based on often forgotten ingredients, bringing back to life ancient and traditional methods of preparation as well as flavors that recall childhood and make typical recipes contemporary. This is the method of chef Tschager and his team. Inspired by Nordic cuisine, the chef, who has his roots in South Tyrol, is characterized by his boundless curiosity and a playful and light-hearted approach, bringing his personal vision of “bien vivre” to the plate, each time different but always delicious, combining ingredients that pervade the palate with a well-defined sensory pleasure.
A SENSORY JOURNEY IN 5 OR 6 COURSES
The restaurant’s four tables are located in the historic “Selchkuchl,” the ancient room where speck was smoked, now a warm, minimalist, elegant, and luxurious place within the historic walls of the castle. Hence the name “La Lumosa,” which combines light (Luma) with smoke/embers (Fumosa).
Chef René Tschager, with sous chefs Felix Bacher and Daniel Augschöll, brings to the table a sensory journey of 5 or 6 courses ranging from salmon with Granny Smith apple, kimchi, and dashi, to beignets with carrots, oxtail, berries, and Perigord truffles; turbot with tomato and chervil; then spaghetti alla chitarra with saffron and red prawns; succulent Iberian pork accompanied by crispy scorzonera and the freshness of green shiso (a Japanese aromatic leaf); gianduja with rocket and kumquat; and prized bluefin tuna paired with fresh cucumbers and caviar.
THE AWARD-WINNING WINE CELLAR OF SOMMELIER BASTIAN WINKLER
Supporting the chef is the young maître d’ and head sommelier Bastian Winkler, a rising star on the South Tyrolean wine scene, who is precise and highly professional, drawing on a selection of over 800 labels stored six meters underground.
The castle’s wine cellar has been awarded the prestigious South Tyrol Wine Culture Award 2024, a recognition that highlights the restaurant’s significant contribution to promoting and safeguarding the quality and diversity of South Tyrolean wines.
THE HOTEL: CASTEL ANSITZ STEINBOCK
Castel Ansitz Steinbock is a castle hotel that perfectly blends refined design and haute cuisine, located in the picturesque village of Villandro, 880 meters above sea level, just a few minutes from Chiusa, in the bucolic Isarco Valley (South Tyrol). This small village has a splendid “piazzetta” (small square) on the terrace of Castel Ansitz Steinbock, a historic estate dating back to 1750, which has a knack for reading stories and pampering guests like a true “sire.” This is thanks to Elisabeth Rabensteiner, who, with great passion and infinite love for the smallest details, has transformed this ancient residence—which overlooks the Eisack Valley, the Odle of the Funes Valley, the Sasso Putia, and the peaks of the Alpe di Siusi—into a refined gourmet hotel, where the characteristic Alpine style of the period structures dialogues sublimely with contemporary design.
First a courthouse, then a village inn, and finally a hotel, Castel Ansitz Steinbock has 12 suites, each one different from the other. The smoked oak furniture, vintage carpets, soft lighting, furnishings made by local producers, and wood that bounces from the ceiling to the Swiss stone pine sauna make the room a real bijou. An invitation to slow down and savor every nuance, including the sauna in your room or the large bathtub, for moments of superlative relaxation.
Castel Ansitz Steinbock was named “Hotel of the Year 2024” by the Gault Millau guide, which selects the best gourmet destinations in South Tyrol.
HOW TO GET THERE
The La Lumosa restaurant is located in Villandro, 10 minutes from Chiusa and about 30 minutes from Bolzano, below the Villandro Alps. Villandro can be easily reached via the A22 Brenner motorway, taking the “Chiusa/Val Gardena” exit.
