Alpine News From December 31
Alpine News is our weekly new edition to the 84 Rooms newsletter during winter season. Our top 6 of the week from hotel openings, product collaborations, recipes, pop-ups, snow reports, and more. Everything you need to know in The Alps, all curated in the 84 Rooms lens.
The News Of The Week
84 Club Chalets in Neue Zürcher Zeitung
We are thrilled to announce that both of our 84 Club Chalets have been featured in NZZ, Switzerland's most renowned media and generally considered one of the world's great newspapers. You can read the piece here.
The Hotel to Stay In
The Cōmodo, Bad Gastein, Salzburg Alps
The Cōmodo has brought a dynamic new energy to the hotel scene in Bad Gastein, which had its heyday in the 19th century as a spa town. You can jump on a train at Salzburg and, within an hour and a half, you will be pulling into the oldest train station in the Alps, opened by Emperor Franz Joseph in 1905. Cut into a steep mountainside with a dramatic waterfall, Bad Gastein is known for its Kaiser Wilhelm Promenade, grande dame hotels, and mineral-rich thermal waters.
The Spa To Book
Saltus, Bolzano, South Tyrol
Saltus is located on the edge of a forest, high up in the secluded mountain village of San Genesio, and yet not far from Bolzano in South Tyrol. The Dolomites’ first eco-hotel, its superpower is the Forest Spa, nestled deep in the spruce forest, which is almost entirely chemical-free and an oasis of purity and tranquility. Two Sky Pools, one indoor and one outdoor, are heated all year round and have spectacular 180-degree views of the Dolomites. There are daily yoga, meditation, and forest bathing sessions to relax the body and mind, as well as progressive muscle relaxation techniques and qigong, a traditional Chinese medicine.
The Restaurant To Try
Rössli, Feutersoey, Gstaad
One of Gstaad's longest-standing restaurants is the Rössli, which has been owned by the Reichenbach family since 1919. Its signature dish is the legendary poached trout, which it still serves to this day. We also recommend the wiener schnitzel, ideally eaten on its beautiful terrace on a sunny winter’s day.
Rössli, Gsteigstrasse 16, 3784 Feutersoey-Gstaad
The Wine To Sip
Alois Lageder, Krafuss, Pinot Noir, 2019
If you have followed 84 Rooms for a while, you must have noticed we are big fans of the Alois Lageder winery in South Tyrol. It comprises fifty-five hectares of the family's vineyards, which are managed based on biodynamic principles. The vineyards where the Krafuss Pinot Noir originates are located on a hilltop in Appiano and surround the Krafuss Estate. The vineyards’ altitude, orientation, soil composition, microclimate and ample aeration all contribute to an atmosphere of dynamic tension. This Pinot Noir is distinguished by its elegance, body and salinity.
The Dish To Cook At Home
Aosta Valley-Style Cabbage Soup
A recipe from Stephanie Boote
Serves 6
500g bread. I've used plain sourdough, but ciabatta or anything else will work really
5 large garlic cloves
A few good glugs of good olive oil
1kg savoy cabbage
440g fontina cheese (or taleggio which is more widely available. A mixture of the two is my favorite way)
80g parmesan, grated
1.5l chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Slice any thicker crusts off the bread and cut them into large chunks (about 4-5cm cubes). Halve the garlic cloves keeping the skins on, and crush with your palm or the back of a knife. Place these together on a roasting tray with the bread, cover in a few good glugs of olive oil, and toss. Put in the oven for 12-15 mins, tossing once or twice along the way until they are toasted nicely.
Meanwhile, boil a large pan of salted water. Cut your cabbages in half and pull off the leaves, slicing out any large white veins. Drop them into your boiling water, and once they have come up to a boil, give them 1 minute before draining well. Put aside.Layer everything up in your baking dish. Begin with cabbage at the bottom, followed by your bread. Add a little salt and a good grind of black pepper. Follow with your cheeses and then stock. Break up the cooked garlic cloves from the breadcrumbs tray between your fingers in each layer. You should end up with two to three layers of each and less bread on the final top layer, but anything goes. Finish with a little glug of oil to top things off.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes. Take the dish out of the oven and give things a rough stir before serving it up.
©Ed Shofield
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