In Viaggio - Claudio Melis

The Right Occasion for In Viaggio

If you are planning a serious dinner in South Tyrol; an anniversary, a milestone, or simply a night where the food should be the entire point; In Viaggio is the right call. This is a tasting-menu-only restaurant in Merano where the chef presents every course personally, the room holds just a handful of tables, Michelin awarded it one star in 2024. Book it when you want the full attention of a kitchen with a clear point of view, not a versatile crowd-pleaser.

What the Kitchen Is Actually Doing

The name translates as "on a journey," and the sourcing strategy is where that idea becomes concrete rather than decorative. The menu draws from two distinct ingredient pools: the Alps directly surrounding Merano, a much wider international pantry that shifts with the chef's research and the season. In autumn and winter, that means Alpine produce, mountain herbs, cured meats, root vegetables, dairy from the valleys, anchoring a menu that then reaches outward for contrast and technique. In spring and summer, the balance shifts, the Alpine baseline gets lighter counterweights from further afield.

This dual-sourcing model is not a gimmick. It means the menu at In Viaggio changes meaningfully across the year, what you eat in October will read quite differently from a visit in April. For food enthusiasts who have already worked through the more regionally fixed menus at places like Gourmet Restaurant Prezioso or Castel Fragsburg, this approach offers a different kind of engagement, one where the geography of a dish is a deliberate question rather than a given answer.

The tasting menu comes in three lengths: five, seven, or nine courses. At the €€€€ price point, the nine-course version is the most defensible choice if you are making the trip specifically for this dinner. The shorter formats make sense for guests who want the kitchen's perspective without the full commitment of an extended service.

The Room and the Service Model

The dining room at Via Belvedere, 17 is quiet and small, with few tables. That intimacy is functional, not incidental: the chef explains each dish as it arrives. This is not tableside theatre for its own sake. It means you understand the sourcing decisions in real time, which component came from the Alps, which came from somewhere further, why those two things are on the same plate. For a diner who wants to engage with the reasoning behind a menu, this format pays off considerably. For someone who prefers to eat without narration, it is worth knowing in advance that the explanation is part of the structure.

The consistency of that score alongside the 2024 Michelin star suggests the kitchen is delivering on its promise reliably, not just on high-traffic nights.

Booking and Timing

In Viaggio operates Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday evenings only, with a single service window of 7 PM to 8 PM on each of those nights. Monday, Wednesday, Sunday are closed. This is an extremely limited service schedule for a Michelin-starred restaurant, which means the practical booking window is narrow. Expect to book four to six weeks ahead at minimum; if your travel dates are fixed and non-negotiable, book the moment your trip is confirmed. Walk-ins are not a realistic option here.

For context on how this compares to other tasting-menu destinations in northern Italy: restaurants like Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler in Brunico or Dal Pescatore in Runate typically require similar lead times, but those venues run more service days per week. In Viaggio's four-night schedule makes it structurally harder to reach on a short visit to Merano.

Know Before You Go

How It Compares to Other Merano Restaurants

See the full comparison section below. For broader planning, explore our full Merano restaurants guide, our full Merano hotels guide, our full Merano bars guide, our full Merano wineries guide, and our full Merano experiences guide.

For broader context on what tasting-menu creative cuisine looks like at comparable Michelin-level restaurants across Europe, consider Quique Dacosta in Dénia or Arpège in Paris, both operate in a similar creative idiom with strong sourcing philosophies. In Italy, Osteria Francescana in Modena, Uliassi in Senigallia, Reale in Castel di Sangro, Quattro Passi in Marina del Cantone, and Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence represent different expressions of the fine dining tasting-menu format at various price and prestige levels.