La Stüa de Michil

To get to this restaurant you head up towards the church in the prettiest part of Corvara, where you’ll find the La Perla hotel, one of the best in the valley, on your left. Once inside the hotel, you’ll be accompanied to La Stüa (stube in Ladin), where the profusion of wood lends an intimate and romantic feel to the decor. Although the setting is typical of the region, Simone Cantafio’s cuisine will take you on an extraordinary culinary journey. Originally from Calabria, this chef worked for many years in Japan, just one of his many formative experiences. As a result, his dishes feature different influences, often with a focus on vegetables. The name of the restaurant is a reference to owner and manager Michele Costa, an indefatigable and extraordinary figure in the world of Ladin tourism.

East-West fusion rooted in Hokkaido influence

• Chef Simone Cantafio's time in Hokkaido guiding Toya (a two-Michelin-star restaurant) informs a cooking language that blends East and West, described as bringing the Sol Levante fra le Dolomiti to the Dolomites.

One of South Tyrol's most celebrated wine experiences

• The restaurant's wine program centers on a remarkable cellar—Mahātmā Wine, l’anima del vino—housing over 30,000 bottles from Italy, Switzerland, Austria, and France, with expert sommelier-guided tastings and visits.

An intimate, historic dining room with open kitchen

• The dining room is a wood-paneled treasure set between two carefully reinstalled 17th-century Stuben, creating a historic Alpine ambience, with sources noting an open kitchen that allows guests to watch the culinary craft in action.

Signature Ingredients

• Coralli (sea corals): A bold signature element in Cantafio’s repertoire, highlighted by the chef as part of his philosophy of the richness in one gap alongside offal and forgotten vegetables. Sourcing is not detailed in the provided materials, but the signature emphasizes his willingness to push beyond clichés and to integrate marine-inspired notes into high-end cuisine. Preparation is guided by his overall approach (balance of hot and cold, acid and fat, soft and crunchy) and by his practice of transforming ingredients to reveal new textures and flavors; coralli are used to evoke marine umami and to create surprising, refined dishes that honor nature and seasonality.
• Frattaglie (offal): A cornerstone that revalues parts typically overlooked. Offal embodies the restaurant’s embrace of memory, nature, and seasonality. Sourcing is implied to come from high-quality ingredients within the culinary ecosystem, and preparation follows Cantafio’s tactile, reverent approach to cooking, using contrasts to elevate offal beyond traditional expectations.
• Verdure dimenticate (forgotten vegetables): A flagship category that revives humble, seasonal vegetables thought to be overlooked. The sourcing is aligned with seasonality and local produce; preparation involves precise technique to reframe these vegetables as center-stage ingredients, underscoring the restaurant’s dedication to nature, memory, and sustainable gastronomy.