This tiny mountain village in Italy now has a three Michelin-starred restaurant

If you are thinking of heading to Italy, you should consider adding San Cassiano to your bucket list.

The tiny Italian village found in the north of the country has just become a culinary-lover’s hotspot after the Hotel Rosa Alpina's restaurant St. Hubertus was awarded a third Michelin star.

This is an honour that signifies “exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey.”

St. Hubertus is a stand-out attraction of the skiing town and is run by chef Norbert Niederkofler. The restaurant specialises in seasonal and fresh cuisine, with the chef’s philosophy being to ‘cook the mountain’ – only using local ingredients.

Niederkofler, who is local to the area, attended culinary school in Germany before working in London, Zurich and Milan and settling in Munich. After seven years in Munich, he travelled to New York and eventually back to the Dolomites and the team at Rosa Alpina Hotel & Spa in 1994.

Only open in the summer and winter, the menu features delights such as calf tripe, suckling pig with cucumber flowers and eel and chamomile.

With only 11 tables, you can expect an intimate dining experience.

St. Hubertus was awarded its first Michelin star in 2000 and its second in 2007.

It is the ninth Italian restaurant to be bestowed a third star, putting it on a par with the likes of Massimo Bottura’s Osteria Francescana in Modena, which is considered by many to be the best restaurant in the world.

San Cassiano might have just become the perfect winter break. Surrounded by the Dolomites, it is one of the most spectacular skiing areas in the world – and Michelin-starred food is just the cherry on top.