South Tyrol is a part of Italy, and the Italian influence is noticeable here – in some places more, in some places less. The coffee is better, for one thing. The Plose mountain, which is next to the town of Brixen/Bressanone, is, on the other hand, distinctly non-Italian. You won’t hear anyone speaking Italian on the top of it, although you can experience quite a few weird German accents. Maybe it’s fair, for Plose is a perfect place to gaze over Austria’s highest peaks. I cannot think of another location where the view over the snow-capped Dreitausender was as impressive.
If it were not facing the Dolomites and did not offer a menu in three languages, I would have said that Rossalm was in Austria. The menu even listed “Brettljause” instead of typical South Tyrolean “Marende.” The dish itself would not have looked out of place around Innsbruck or Lienz; it was the same “minimalistic” Jause consisting of Speck, hard sausage (Kaminwurze) and mountain cheese. As an extra, it included typical Tyrolean grey cheese (Graukäse), popular on both sides of the border, but I dare say, more so in Austria. It has a weird consistency and a taste that needs to be “acquired.” As for me, I must be still acquiring it, for I made sure I finished it first before switching to the more acceptable stuff.
The Speck was, as expected, great, and I appreciated it being thinly cut, saving me a great deal of effort. I liked the cheese, which did not have a very strong taste, but was refreshingly different from the supermarket cheese many restaurants serve. Instead of fresh horseradish, Rossalm served a creamy version of it, which is inferior, in my opinion, and kind of conflicts with the butter. Finally, as the only nod to Italy, Rossbrand delivered bread in a paper bag, containing more tooth-breaking Schüttelbrot than normal bread.
When holidaying in South Tyrol (or even Tyrol in general), one must make certain concessions when it comes to variety, but the quality and especially the views are hard to beat. There are other Brettljause-serving places on Plose, but Rossalm is not a bad choice at any rate.
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