A maven of the Michelin world creates a mountain restaurant that doesn’t merely respect provenance, but reimagines it.
From Michelangelo to Maserati, we have a lot to learn from the Italians. In the land of courtesans and Casanovas, celebration of beauty, nature, and life’s corporal pleasures—including skiing and eating—is an art form. What is la vita, if not about feeding soul and stomach in equal measure?
Whether winding through the galleries of the Uffizi or diving down Marmolada Glacier, ladies and gents who lunch deserve not just physical sustenance and a decent glass of wine – but a good dose of creative stimulation, as well. Recently, a peaky plateau in the coral-tinged Dolomites has gained a reputation as a culture crossroads – with two fine ski-in ski-out museums and one superb spot for lunching.
AlpiNN is easy to spot. The cantilevered temple of glass perches on the top of Kronplatz (Plan des Corones, in Italian) flirts with the void at 2,275 metres. The light-flooded – and reasonably priced! – 80-cover restaurant is the latest brainchild of the chef that never stops, Norbert Niederkofler. “When you have three stars and you sit down, it’s a problem,” he told me.
In this part of the world, gastronomy is king, and Chef Norbert is emperor, reigning over a growing body of epicurean work as charismatic as the man himself. South Tirol’s slow-food sorcerer was best known as the force majeure of three-Michelin-starred Restaurant St. Hubertus until its Hotel Rosa Alpina shut down for a total makeover in 2023. He was also one of the founding members of Alta Badia’s Gourmet SkiSafari, a ski-around dining deal showcasing Italy’s finest chefs at bargain prices. Picture big energy, big grin, and a subtle flex of unmistakable mountain muscle.
With AlpiNN, Chef Norbert has traded white tablecloths and hushed reverence for something freer, yet no less refined. Guided by his “Cook the Mountain” principle – a reinvention of mountain food rooted in locality and seasonality – he serves up delicious staples that include beef tartare, mountain char ceviche, risotto with local funghi, and tender beef from Val Pusteria – within view and a stone’s throw from his childhood Valle Aurina. Menus are made from loden wool, ceilings are hand-painted in a Japanese technique that preserves water, and solid maple tables anchor the mountain-modern vibe.
“From here I can point with a finger to who the producers and farmers are,” he explains, indicating the alms, forests, and orchards that supply his kitchen. With a loop of the hand, he mimics the yearlong shifts in altitude he employs to source ingredients – from apples of the Merano Valley to porcini handpicked at 1,200 metres.
Niederkofler’s passions extend beyond the menu del giorno. “The concept of a sustainable future –it doesn’t make any sense if it ends with me,” he explained. In collaboration with the Free University of Bolzano, he launched a ground-breaking three-year degree program “Gastronomy and Oenology”, shaping the next generation of chefs. “Cook the Mountain” is also showcased at his newly opened Atelier Moessmer in nearby Brunico – awarded three Michelin stars and a Green Star just four months after opening, a world record.
“I left home at 17,” Norbert tells me. “And I’ve been going ever since.” Keen to see the world, he financed his travels by cooking. His journey — from early kitchen gigs in London and Germany — brought him full circle. “It’s not Aman,” he says with a smile, “It’s my vision, I’m my own boss, and it’s fun.”
And for all its philosophy, AlpiNN is fun. Perhaps it’s the open kitchen, the phalanx of young be-toqued sous chefs, or the sommelier wearing jeans and a Patagonia jacket. Linger if you like over espresso and grappa, but save time for the other cultural attractions just steps from AlpiNN. (Italians love to get the skiing-to-playtime ratio right. Consider the approach of playboy-ski racer Alberto “La Bomba” Tomba: “I used to have a wild time with three women until 5 am,” he said, but to save energy for the Olympic Games, “I will live it up with five women until 3 am.”)
The Messner Mountain Museum Corones is the final installment in legendary mountaineer Reinhold Messner’s series of tributes to the world’s great peaks. Designed by the late Zaha Hadid, the museum’s concrete swoops house exhibits that chronicle the history, spirit, and madness of alpinism. Next door, the Lumen Museum is a shrine to mountain photography, from the earliest grainy daguerreotypes to the dramatic drone footage of today. The perfect complement to a very good lunch – and 360 degrees of life at altitude.
