Some evenings feel like a promise being kept

Ferragosto at the Hotel Castel – for us, it’s not just an event, but a ritual. An evening we look forward to all year round and which is particularly close to our hearts as a family. After all, we ourselves were once guests at this hotel and at this festival – long before we took over the Castel in 2001 and have been running it as our second home ever since.

Since we took over, we have gradually expanded Ferragosto: from an aperitif in the garden to a grand dinner down by the pool. And this year, on 15 August 2025, we were able to experience this evening for the first time in a completely new setting – in the newly landscaped garden and by the newly built pool, which was completed in the winter of 2024/2025.

We couldn’t have imagined a more beautiful inauguration.

In the days leading up to Ferragosto, we’re always preoccupied with a single question: what will the weather be like on 15 August? This year, a slight chance of thunderstorms had been forecast – so, although we’d already done everything we could in the days leading up to it – sorting out the electricity, the lighting and the initial set-up – But we held off on the final decision for as long as possible.

At 5 pm on the public holiday, the time had finally come: I’d made my decision – we’d do it by the pool. From that moment on, everything went into overdrive. The caretaker, the service team and the kitchen all pitched in, and in just two and a half hours, the new garden was transformed into a festively laid, summery dinner venue.

It’s always lovely to see how our team works hand in hand – full of dedication and with the shared goal of creating something special for our guests. Whilst the service team set the tables and served water, my wife Maria decorated the tables in a summery style with olive branches and lemons. The kitchen team lugged hobs, pots and all the ingredients downstairs – because that evening, the cooking wasn’t done in the kitchen, but right by the pool – LIVE in front of the guests.

Everything was ready right on time at 7.30 pm.

With a glass of Wildberry Lillet in hand, the guests settled in for the evening. The view over the Merano valley, the warm August air, the new pool area bathed in the soft evening light – this year’s aperitif had a very special atmosphere. Something new, yet it felt familiar.

Then the guests took their seats – at large tables in the garden’s new circular private dining areas. When redesigning the garden, we deliberately sized these small, semi-circular terraces with their pairs of loungers so that they could accommodate large tables for precisely this occasion. A detail that really paid off at that moment.

Gerhard Wieser opened the food stations – and from then on, the evening belonged to the guests. They strolled from stand to stand, watched delicacies being prepared right before their eyes, chatted with the chefs, learnt a thing or two about the secrets of the trade, and gained a glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes. It is precisely this immediacy that defines the Ferragosto evening.

Ivana and the service team had positioned themselves at various points in the garden, offering wines, beer and cocktails to complement the food – always with the right glass at the right time in the right place.

The musical accompaniment for the evening was provided by Günther Sanin – first violinist of the Arena di Verona – and his ensemble. Southern melodies that provided a light, Mediterranean backdrop to the evening, just as Ferragosto demands.

The highlight of every Ferragosto evening at the Castel is the ice cream buffet – and this year our pastry chefs have once again outdone themselves. The chefs carried the ice cream cakes in a little procession through the garden, past the guests – a moment that many have been looking forward to and which delights everyone anew every year.

Fruity, exotic, chocolatey – the cakes were as colourful as summer itself. There was also a wide variety of fruit, little sweet treats to nibble on, and homemade chocolates. The guests marvelled and tucked in – and it was lovely to see.

That brought the culinary part of the evening to a close. The music, however, carried on, the balmy summer air invited everyone to linger, and so many guests sat together for a long time in the new garden – whilst in the distance, flashes of lightning could be seen now and then. It stayed dry above the Castel. The weather gods had been kind.

Most of the decorations were taken down during the night – so that by the time the guests went for their morning swim, they had hardly noticed anything of the big celebration.