Alto Adige / Friuli
The alpine peaks of Alto Adige and the rolling hills of Friuli represent Italian white wine at its most compelling—where Germanic precision meets Italian elegance. Alto Adige's high-altitude vineyards produce crystalline Gewürztraminer and sophisticated Pinot Bianco, while Friuli's border with Slovenia creates unique expressions of Friulano, Ribolla Gialla, and world-class Pinot Grigio. Our relationships span both regions—from historic estates in the Dolomites to pioneering natural winemakers in Collio—providing access to producers who rarely welcome visitors, alpine hiking experiences, prosciutto producers in San Daniele, and wines that challenge every assumption about Italian viticulture.
CULINARY ARTS
Prosciutto di San Daniele production facilities where legendary hams age for 13+ months, speck (smoked ham) workshops in mountain villages, Montasio cheese cave aging tours, apple strudel baking classes with Tyrolean grandmothers, alpine foraging for wild herbs and porcini mushrooms, polenta and frico cooking demonstrations, canederli (Tyrolean bread dumplings) preparation, game meat cooking classes, grappa pairing experiences, Törggelen autumn harvest celebrations with chestnuts and new wine, gubana (Friulian sweet pastry) baking.
CULTURE & LEISURE
Dolomite hiking with expert guides through UNESCO landscapes, visits to Austro-Hungarian castles and fortresses, thermal spas in Merano and mountain settings, skiing or snowshoeing (winter), via ferrata climbing experiences, Slovenian border cultural tours, Ötzi the Iceman museum in Bolzano, WWI mountain battlefield tours, Christmas markets in Bolzano and Merano (winter), cable car ascents to alpine peaks, architectural tours of Austro-Italian villages.
ARTISAN TRADITIONS
Wood carving workshops in Val Gardena where master sculptors create ecclesiastical art and nativity scenes using centuries-old techniques, traditional Tyrolean lace-making in mountain villages preserving Alpine needlework heritage, knife-making demonstrations in Maniago where Italian blade craftsmanship has thrived since the 15th century, grappa distillery visits showcasing both Germanic precision (Alto Adige) and Italian artistry (Friuli), mountain boot craftsmanship tours with Alpine cobblers who supply Dolomite climbers, copper smithing workshops creating traditional vessels, mosaic artisan studios in Friuli continuing Roman and Byzantine traditions, speck smokehouse visits in mountain valleys where pork is smoked over juniper and alpine herbs, traditional Tyrolean costume and textile workshops, chair-making demonstrations in Manzano (Italy's chair capital since the 1800s), cooperage workshops for grappa barrel aging.