A simple espresso at 1477 Reichhalter
When I open the old door, the first thing I see is the reception, nicely furnished and at the same time modern, so that I immediately feel at home. In the corner of my eye I see a nicely arranged reading corner with interesting magazines and a shelf with a generous selection of wines. In the adjoining room I notice the wooden tables and the pretty lamps. I decide on the table by the window, by the daily newspapers, and take a seat. I choose a tea from South Tyrol and while I wait I read the menu, which changes daily. The asparagus tart with Bolzano sauce cream sounds very tempting.
After a short time, Klaus, the hotel owner of the 1477 Reichhalter, to me. As is typical for South Tyrol, he orders a coffee with a glass of water. When we start talking, he tells me that only Germans order a double espresso here, nobody from Lana does that - thanks for the insider tip. The Reichhalter usually comes with a small, homemade croissant with coffee, without a filling, as extra jam or chocolate is served with it.
Klaus Dissertori grew up in Lana, after completing his studies he worked as a consultant for hotels. After ten years he was drawn back home because he missed the "extreme quality of life" very much. He himself loves to spend time in the mountains: he is passionate about hiking, skiing and cycling on a regular basis. But hunting is also one of his hobbies and so it happens that deer or deer shot by him end up on the rich owner's plates. He made it his business to bring more modernity to Lana: from food to architecture. And all for guests who should feel just as comfortable in Lana as he does himself.
His parents used to run the Schwarzschmied Hotel in Lana. At that time it consisted of 30 rooms. After Klaus helped, it was rebuilt and restructured, it shines in new splendor, with 70 rooms and a large spa area. In the last few years he has been redesigning the half-millennium-old house in the city center in Lana and in the summer of 2018 the 1477 Reichhalter Bed & Breakfast Hotel was opened. It attracts international guests and is very popular even with the locals, who visit the café and restaurant frequently. There is currently a new project, the Villa Arnica, a renovated Art Nouveau villa as a private retreat with a large park and pool house right next to the Schwarzschmied. All three hotels are within walking distance.
A tour of the 1477 Reichhalter
Klaus shows me a few of the Reichhalter's eight rooms that are free. I am totally amazed by the design and the feeling in the rooms on the two upper floors. Everything is harmonious, carefully selected and full of details. The keys are from the olden days and each room has a special name that is somehow related to the past. There is a refrigerator in the hallway on the first floor, where guests can help themselves to dried fruits from Lana and drinks. The roof terrace invites you to linger, or to do exercises under the sun with the yoga mat found in every room. I also think it's incredibly beautiful that furniture such as chairs, tables, cupboards that were previously in the house have been restored and now continue to live in the Reichhalter - walls that show the old plaster and stoves round off the design. Another highlight are the photographs by Jasmine Deporta. Before the bed & breakfast opened, she took a photo in each room, which now hangs in the room.
The Reichhalter regularly offers events on Thursdays such as gin tastings or wine tastings as well as "Eat Drink Dance" events.
Klaus recommends that I go on a 30-minute bike tour to Merano through the beautiful nature or go hiking in Ultental, because it is not so touristy there. And also to visit the Monocle Shop in Merano. I do the latter shortly before I leave. It's really worth it, the saleswoman speaks the South Tyrolean dialect and gives me nice advice while I have a simple espresso. I end up going home with some books.
Except for a few days, my stay in Lana was rather rainy, so I didn't catch any of the usual 300 days of sunshine. But that doesn't bother me, because I can concentrate fully on myself and allow myself some time in the Schwarzschmied's spa area.
When I leave, the sun comes out. Next time I hope for better weather, but the time in Lana was very relaxing. Thanks a lot for this.
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Cecile Meier
Cécile is a freelance author and sustainability strategist. She enjoys traveling to the fullest: getting to know different cultures, listening to other languages and discovering new things either by the sea or in a (big) city always fascinates her. The stories and intentions of the Good Travel hosts are particularly important to her.
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