Vinschgau apricots, fresh speck, and spicy Paarlen: at the region's markets, South Tyrolean cuisine is already on the table long before lunchtime.
Culinary treasures at South Tyrolean markets: What the vinschgau valley has to offer
One market stall with speck, the next with fresh Vinschgau apricots, and in between the scent of freshly baked Paarlen. Anyone travelling through the Vinschgau Valley and around Merano finds a taste of real South Tyrolean cooking at the markets, long before the first plate reaches the table.
The markets are often only a few kilometres apart and take place on different days of the week. Anyone staying at the Lindenhof in Naturns has the first market right on the doorstep, with others within reach of a short drive or a ride on the Vinschgau railway.
The Weekly Market in Naturns: The First Stop
On Saturdays, from 8am to around 1pm, Rathausplatz in Naturns turns into a market. On offer are typical farm products such as speck and cheese, along with plants, leather goods, and clothing. The market is a meeting point for locals and guests alike. Browsing here, you often end up buying what will be on the table that evening. The range changes with the season: more seedlings in spring, more root vegetables and cabbage in autumn.
The centre of Naturns can be reached from the Lindenhof in just a few minutes on foot. That means a Saturday morning can start with a short stroll to the market, no car required.
Farmers’ Markets in the Vinschgau Valley: Silandro and Malles
In Silandro, the pedestrian zone turns into a farmers’ market every Thursday. Alongside apples and vegetables from the surrounding area, you’ll find honey, fine spirits, cheese, and cold cuts on the tables. A fixture here is Vinschgau Paarlen, a spicy bread made from rye and spelt that’s baked in pairs and has been a Vinschgau tradition for generations. On this morning, Silandro’s pedestrian zone is given over entirely to market stalls.
In the upper Vinschgau Valley, the farmers’ market in Malles takes place every Wednesday. Producers from the surrounding farms sell their own cheese, speck, and fresh bread, along with jam, vinegar, juices, and herbal teas. Both markets show just how strongly the upper Vinschgau Valley is shaped by agriculture.
Small Village Markets Off the Beaten Path
It’s not just the larger towns that have their own markets. In Tisens, a small farmers’ market opens on Wednesdays with produce straight from the surrounding farms. In Schenna, producers sell cheese, wine, honey, baked goods, and craft products on Thursdays. In Lana, a market takes place on Fridays at two locations at once, one of them focused on fruit, vegetables, speck, and homemade sausages.
These smaller markets are less geared towards visitors than those in Naturns and Merano. Anyone who visits gets closer to the producers and often learns right at the stall how a product came to be.
What You Shouldn’t Miss at South Tyrolean Markets
Some products turn up at almost every market in the region. Vinschgau apricots and apples from the Adige Valley are among them, as is honey, which often comes from Val Senales. Speck and alpine cheese come from farms in the surrounding area; the cheese often ages for several months on the alpine pasture before reaching the market. Wild herbs are gathered fresh depending on the season, with chestnuts and pumpkin joining in autumn.
Anyone who has seen and tasted these products at the market will recognise them later on the menu. In the evening at the Lindenhof, you can compare what was on the market stalls during the day with what’s now on your plate.
Impressions
What the season has to offer
