Concierge Blog

It is a quiet afternoon. The gentlemen sitting on table one are waiting for the heavy snowfall to calm down. A quick picture snapped by the Concierge shows how the first snowflakes drop, as they quickly grow larger and larger. On another table, a mother sips her Cappuccino. She and her children arrived with their sleds. The children are warming themselves with hot chocolate, as they eat a Bauerntoast with ham and cheese to regain their strength.

The snow keeps on falling.

This weather only means one thing for the Concierge. Back pain, from lots and lots of snow shoveling. Unfortunately there is no one around to whom he could designate this task. An annoying task sure, but still, an important one. No one is breaking a leg on his watch.

While thinking about the upcoming task, the Concierge faintly remembers a conversation with a friend and guest last summer. While drinking a beer in the hot of summer they somehow came to talk about winter, maybe they thought it would distract them from the heat, maybe the topic made perfect sense in the context of their conversation. The Concierge could no longer remember.
However, what he did remember, between the beer and the heat of a summer long gone, was a boast – or maybe an offer? It probably was both. His friend had told him: “Snow shoveling is quite the easy task, as long as you have the will and the know-how.” - obviously implying he was the one with both. He continued by saying: “even your parking lot would be a walk in the park – in fact, let me prove it to you if it happens to snow this year.”

The Concierge’s friend liked to talk a big game. The Concierge was eager to find out if any of it was true, in the best case scenario – it wasn’t his own back on the line.

A call later, dim lights were seen on the street. Cars were few in this weather except for the snowplows keeping the streets a tolerable, albeit not a pleasant experience to drive on.

A tractor pulls into the driveway. The Concierge’s friend and client Sebastian Stocker proudly shows of this Fendt Vario V211, a brand-new model, as he explains, with snow chains by König and the plow itself fabricated by a friend of his, Aldo Annovi from Modena.

Sebastian is the owner of a company specialized in the design and production of innovative agricultural machinery. The Concierge should have realized Sebastian wasn’t about to shovel the whole parking lot by hand.

Sebastian clears the parking lot in no time. The resulting hill is named Mount Sparerhof. If it keeps on snowing like this, eventually you’d be able to ski on it.

Ok, Sebastian, how can we thank you? All Sebastian asks for is a hot Gerstensuppe and a piece of fresh bread, right out of the oven.

Sebstian can’t stay for dessert though. He and his plow are needed in Bolzano. Apparently he made the same offer to multiple people.

They say it is supposed to keep on snowing for the entire weekend. The Concierge is sure that even then, Sebastian is going to honor his word. In the mean time, he can think about what specialty to serve him as thanks.

Stay tuned!!!

Not even two weeks ago, we recommended our guests to enjoy their Sunday brunch on our terrace.
In the meantime snow has fallen, and not just a little bit, we haven't seen this much snow in years!
So outdoor activities unfortunately fall flat for those of us who prefer to stay dry.

Inside, the concierge tries to make himself useful.
He finds what he was looking for inside our cold storage rooms. Lemons, oranges and bergamots are just waiting to be processed. Nothing easier than that!
What was our recipe for jam again…?

And lo and behold, some time later, fresh jam is ready and waiting to be filled into jars and due to be enjoyed by our guests.

Still not satisfied the concierge continues on his quest through the cold storage rooms… what do we have here? Ah, cookie dough gifted to us by Chef Michele. More precisely “Julkakor” dough.

The original recipe, however, comes from another chef with whom Chef Michele and the concierge have worked. Chef Erik, former Executive Chef of the Swedish American Line cruise ship M/S Gripsholm. It was with Erik that the concierge completed his apprenticeship while Michele cooked under Erik as Chef de Cuisine.

Every year at Christmas time Erik baked cookies. This tradition was picked up by Michele, who kindly shared his dough with us.
And so the concierge set about baking. He might not be as naturally gifted as Erik or Michele, but the outcome is still something to be proud of.

In the late afternoon our neighbor came by and helped us clear the parking lot of about 35 cm of snow. As much as the concierge was looking for something to do that day, he preferred to leave the hard work to the professionals…
As a thank you, our neighbor received freshly baked cookies. Maybe they’ll bring us all some luck.

For now, let’s just hope there won’t be too much more snow.

Stay tuned...!

… the snow has melted, the weather is perfect again. How about an enjoyable light Sunday brunch at the Sparerhof, featuring local wine from Terlano, farmer's butter, anchovies and our homemade bread.

Stay tuned!!

...and has already found its first victim: A bus did not move on the lane that had not yet been snow cleared.

Stay tuned!!

Christmas dinner. A sweet tadition, the perfect occasion to reunite the whole family.
For an evening the concierge was able to take a break from all clients and focused solely on his family.
Merry Christmas to everyone. And maybe he is able to do the same thing on New Year's?
Stay tuned!

The Rittner Christmas markets… or at least that was the plan.

A visit to the Bozen Christmas Market and a short walk through the arcades. Then to Ritten by cable car to see the breath-taking landscape of the Dolomites. And finally, the Christmas market of Klobenstein.

After arriving in Klobenstein we desperately searched for the stalls and… Oh no!

The market was closed and won’t open before next weekend!

What now?

Lunch at the Gloriette Guesthouse. Stylish ambience with an excellent menu. We chose a bruschetta with Culatello ham, a curry apple soup with prawns and then braised octopus with olives and saddle of veal with mashed potatoes.

And for dessert, a chocolate tartlet with gingerbread.

When our stomach was full, the Rittner cable car brought us back to the summit, where we waited a few steps further at the new train station to take the bus home, where the concierge entertained his guests by telling them about a wonderful day at great heights.

Moral of the story: No calorie counting during Christmas.

Stay tuned!!!

These days the christkindl is very busy to make kid eyes sparkle with joy.
The concierge went to visit the most beautiful nativity scenes of the sourrounding area and came to a conclusion: the prettiest nativity scenes can be found in the romantic streets of Eppan and the parish church of St. Pauls.

Stay tuned!!!

No!

It is the new attraction of the Bolzano Christmas market.

In the tourist destinations of South Tyrol, the Christmas markets have opened, where artisan craftsmen sell handmade decorations.

The gastronomic stands offer the renowned Speck and the typical Schüttelbrot, as well as jams produced by farmers in their traditional farmsteads in the most picturesque valleys.

This year’s highlight in Bolzano is the Ferris wheel. It might not be as tall as the ones in other European cities, but it offers an impressive view of Bolzano by night. The lights of the Christmas market and the illuminated city make adults and especially children dream.

Stay tuned!!!

After seeing the Bolzano market yesterday. Curiosity brought the concierge to Merano. What the Ferris wheel is for Bolzano, the skating rink is for Merano. The ice rink is both something for experienced skaters and aspiring ones. Maybe one of them might become the next Caroline Kostner?

Stay tuned!!!