South Tyrol: Lake Kaltern

Biking is extremely popular in the Weinstrasse area as an extensive network of paths criss-crosses the vineyards and orchards in the valley. We mapped out a fairly flat route from our inn in the town of Tramin around nearby Lake Kaltern and back, about 12k round trip. The family who owns the inn allowed us to borrow their bicycles for the occasion, which worked out perfectly.

Away we go!

We made our way there through the orchards and circled the perimeter of the lake. As a reward for our hard work, we treated ourselves to ice cream sundaes around 11 am. The weather was perfect and we wanted to linger, so we rented a pedal boat for an hour and hung out for a while on the lake.

For dinner that night we meandered over to the Buschenschank Familie Gamper. (Side note: I tried google translate for this and merely got Buschenshank Family Gamper, so exactly what this means is still a mystery to me.) The best way to describe it is a farm-to-table(ish) wine bar in an old barn with picnic tables outside and booths in giant old-wine barrels inside. If you were planning the ultimate old barn shabby chic wedding, this would be a perfect destination.

The menu was in German only so we used our phones to translate enough to get a cheese plate, a radish salad, and the plate of the day for Eli and the kids. Towards the end of dinner, the wine maker came around with samples to try. It was a beautiful spot for a meal.

Blurry capture from a video of Ben tasting the wine at the Gamper.