Led Zeppelin had it wrong. It’s a chairlift that whisks you up to heaven when you’re in the Grödnertal (Gardena Valley) of Italy’s northernmost Süd Tirol (Alto Adige) region.
A one-person chairlift.
A rickety wooden contraption with a makeshift metal “safety” bar.
A chairlift that looks, horrifyingly, to be about the same vintage as me.
That’s the chairlift that ferried us uphill for 20 minutes from a town called St. Ulrich to a magical mountain-top land of forests, meadows, meandering paths, rustic inns, 360-degree views, wild flowers and wonderful comfort food, including a scrumptious tiramisu.
We arrived at the lift at noon, after leaving our car in the St. Ulrich underground parking lot and hiking up the hillside for about five minutes. There was no line for the ride, so the operator gave each of our backpacks its own chair, then gestured for us to stand on the yellow painted feet on the concrete platform. Within 60 seconds, I was alone with Mother Nature, listening to the cacophonic symphony of the town’s church bells which peel for 15 full minutes each day at noon. When they ceased, the silence of the forest was eerie, punctuated every now and then by chirping birds, running streams and rustling trees.
On top, and reachable only by foot and chairlift, sits Berghaus Raschötz (berghaus translates as “mountain inn;” Raschötz or Resciesa in Italian, is the name of the surrounding natural park). Owned and operated by Marlene Schenk and her husband Peter, the building has been a “refuge” since the 1950s but
was restored and enlarged a few years ago to include a half-dozen supremely comfortable, balconied rooms.
(There is a sketchy dirt road linking the building to the town below but only the innkeepers in the area have access. In the summer, Oban, the Schenks’ affable golden retriever rides up to the inn in the family SUV. In winter, which is the inn’s busiest season, he rides in the chairlift, all 80 pounds of him firmly planted in Peter’s lap.)
We spent two nights in Berghaus Raschötz, hiking during the day, playing Bananagrams (available at Amazon.com) over beers in the late afternoon, eating fabulous Süd Tirol food prepared by India-born Ram Khanna, and sleeping like babies under fluffy down comforters. Each morning, we awoke to a “bell chorus” courtesy of the local cows, and slid into the comfy wooden booths of the breakfast room for a spread of cheeses, meats, yogurt, fruits and great coffee.
Frau Schenk shared with us her recipe for tiramisu, a remarkably simple creation that I was able to prepare in my own kitchen in less than 30 minutes. My version wasn’t as good as that of Berghaus Raschötz, perhaps because they use fresh, local mascarpone, while I used a product imported from Italy probably a couple of months ago.
But the final product was light and creamy, and a delicious reminder of two idyllic days spent in heaven.
(I’ll have more about the hikes we made and the lunches we enjoyed during those hikes in coming posts.)
Here’s Frau Schenk’s recipe. Her instructions are pretty casual. Feel free to improvise the amounts.
BERGHAUS RASCHÖTZ TIRAMISU
Serves 8
1 pound mascarpone
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 large eggs, separated
Rum to taste (I used about ¼ cup)
Savoiardi biscuits (I used Vicenzovo)
Cold coffee (espresso is better than brewed coffee)
Cocoa, to taste
Whip the mascarpone, sugar, egg yolks, and rum together.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into mascarpone mixture.
Dunk the biscuits in cold coffee quickly and crumble into bite-sized pieces. Let sit on a plate for a few minutes.
In a serving dish, place a layer of the mascarpone mixture; scatter biscuits over it; cover with another layer of mascarpone.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Just before serving, place cocoa in a strainer and sift lightly over the top of the tiramisu.
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