Farmers host seasonal Törggelen festivals in South Tyrol

Farmers in South Tyrol, a mountainous region in Italy, open their homes to host seasonal dining events called Törggelen during the autumn harvest.

These events occur after the grape harvest and center on the Eisacktal valley. Visitors walk the Keschtnweg, a 90-kilometer chestnut route between Brixen and Bozen, to find these temporary dining spots.

The tradition involves eating meals in a stube, a traditional Alpine living room with a wood stove and wooden interior, while drinking wine produced by the farmers. At the Johannserhof farm near Klausen, the Brunner family hosts guests in their 900-year-old home for two months a year. Ilse Brunner manages the kitchen where the family prepares hyper-local dishes using vegetables from their garden and meat from their own livestock.

Her parents assist by preparing desserts and serving guests in the living room, which they use as their private home for the rest of the year. At the Pschnickerhof farm, host Daniel Kainzwaldner serves guests dishes like barley soup, sauerkraut, and roasted meats. He also provides wine from his own production. The meals conclude with chestnuts roasted on a hot plate outdoors. These events represent a peak cultural moment for the local community, combining hiking, local agriculture, and traditional hospitality.